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THE HSE HAS said the rapid acceleration of Covid-19 cases in the community and a staff ‘scheduling issue’ led to the contact tracing system being overwhelmed at the weekend, resulting in those who tested positive being asked to inform their own close contacts of their potential exposure to the virus.
The HSE is in the process of asking between 2,000 and 2,500 people who received positive results on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of last week to alert their own contacts due to what it described as “unprecedented pressure” on the contact tracing system.
Anyone who received a positive result from Monday onwards will have their contact tracing handled by the health service as usual.
Speaking at the HSE’s weekly briefing today, CEO Paul Reid said the decision had not been taken lightly, but it was “the right decision”.
He said the system came under pressure due to the rapid acceleration of cases, more complex calls and longer call times.
“What happened at the weekend – and we continue to recruit more people – there were scheduling issues, we didn’t have enough people for that rapid acceleration.”
Niamh O’Beirne, National Lead for Testing and Tracing, said more staff generally work in the contact tracing centres midweek.
“That weekend we didn’t have an ideal number of staff on,” she said. “Once a backlog is created, it becomes difficult to recover from it while cases are continuing to grow.”
She said some calls with index cases – the initial person who tests positive – are lasting up to 50 minutes as tracing staff have to gather 77 data points to understand more about the person and where may have picked up the virus.
“Close contacts calls are shorter [than calls with people who test positive], but there are instances where they have to encourage and cajole people to come along for test or that they are close contact because it does involve restricting movements,” she said.
The HSE is recruiting for additional staff for contact tracing centres and the first 800 people are through the interview process, with 220 working already.
The health service intends to bring 60-70 additional staff on stream each week. However there are 125 staff working on contact tracing who are to return to other roles once new staff take their places.
80 Defence Forces staff, who were trained in contact tracing at the start of the pandemic, are available to provide support and some have been drafted in this week to help.
Anger in government
There was anger yesterday in government circles as it emerged neither the Health Minister or the Taoiseach had been informed of the decision over the weekend.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Dáil yesterday that the HSE did not inform him of the problem and that he found out when someone sent him a news article about it.
“I got a text last evening which included the Irish Times article, that’s when I first knew. So I wasn’t informed of this operational measure that the HSE undertook,” he said.
Labour leader Alan Kelly said it was “extraordinary” that the Taoiseach had found out this way and he wanted to know when the Health Minister was informed.
Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy says she was “absolutely shocked” that the Taoiseach had found out by text.
“This is not a minor deal, you should have been been aware of this, you should have been aware of just how under pressure the system was,” Murphy said.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly also only learned of the decision on Tuesday night.
Today Paul Reid said he takes responsibility for the fact that the Health Minister and Taoiseach were not informed of the decision at the weekend.
Those who received positive tests on Friday, Saturday and Sunday will receive a three-part message explaining what they are expected to do, with a link to a web page with detailed information.
This web page includes tips on what to consider when compiling their list of close contacts such as visitors to their homes, taxi journeys, sports activities and hair appointments.
“You may not know the names and numbers of everyone you were in contact with. For example, if you were at an event or in shared accommodation. In these cases, call the Covid officer or manager of the event or venue.
“If you were at work 48 hours before your symptoms began, or 24 hours before your positive Covid-19 test result, phone your employer to let them know.”
People are advised to follow-up their text message with a phonecall to their close contacts. The HSE has provided guidance on how to manage these “difficult calls”, including acknowledging their concern or upset and telling them to call their GP with any questions they have.
People who tested positive from Friday to Sunday will also be sent a message template they can forward to their close contacts. It says:
“The HSE is asking [person who has tested positive for Covid-19] to pass on this text to their close contacts.
“As a close contact of this person you need to phone your GP within 2 days to get a free Covid-19 test. You must restrict your movements (stay at home) for 14 days from when you were last in contact with [name of positive case], even if you have no symptoms.”
The message also includes a link to further advice for those impacted, such as restricting their movements for 14 days from the time they last had contact with the confirmed case.
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Take note any Labour or Green voters who mistakenly believe they’re voting for left wing parties.
@Rochelle Hart: Why do supposedly left-wing parties support reducing the money DCC has to spend, by repeatedly reducing property tax?
That’s a populist policy, not a left policy. Greens + Labour are right to pull out of that BS.
@Michael Barry: Because they believe in housing as an essential right, not as assets to be taxed.
The property tax doesn’t serve as a wealth tax since it applies to even those in the most modest homes and since it’s beyond a council’s remit to remove the property tax, the best they can do is reduce the impact.
@Michael Barry: because many people on low incomes just happen to be in houses that have become valuable.
Do you propose taxing people out of their homes or having them live in unheated homes and all for big government to squander it on wasters and illegal immigrants
@Michael Barry: That is a bit of a red herring that labour included in their press statement. But there was no requirement in the progressive alliance to vote one way or another on the property tax. Socdems have consistently voted to have the maximum property tax within the +15 percent limit allowed. FG and FF have consistently voted to reduce it in the past. It’s unlikely that Labour can make them vote to increase it. That represents a very small part of the overall council budget (2% from the article I saw on Dublin Inquirer which has lots of detail). So the feeling was that pushing for a left alliance was the most important thing.
@David O’Reilly: and I think that the property tax should have some kind of means test. As people said above there are so many people with a fixed income who really struggle with that bill and they may just have a ginormously expensive house because of Ireland’s cyclical crackers property market. I hear it constantly when I’m talking to people in North Dublin anyway. Lots of people who can pay it without batting an eyelid though. It should be clear what they are getting for that though – like in the UK council tax is pretty big but you get your bins and lots of council services that are apparent like street cleaning etc.
That sounds like a solid coalition. I give it 3 months.
@honey badger: I’m sure they care that you give it anytime at all. At least they are trying to change things all you seem to do with your time is post dribble on here
@Ger Whelan: In fairness the lot of them would fall out with their own shadows…..3 months is very ootimistic!!
Great idea in principle. The only way to have real change is that all left leaning parties to come together to vote out fgff,
Labour and greens could be wiped out next election.
So they need to decide what side of history they want to be on.
Labour sold out and electorate don’t forget that. If they have any chance, they need to go back to their roots of supporting the ordinary workers.
Disgraceful Labour, they are at it all over again.
Propping up FF FG.
Refusing to enter left alliance in Dublin city Council.
You won’t see my vote ever again
@Niall Murphy: You don’t understand local politics if you think this is about “propping up FFG”
@Michael Barry: or that SF are left. All they are doing is bandwagoning. They’ll soon exhaust all possibilities.
@Alan: ” bandwagoning” excellent, even my predictive text couldn’t offer an alternative to that……I’ll use in discussion
They’ll be riding unicorns are the chamber in no time. Rainbows everywhere.
Well done Labour. Never get into bed with terrorists.
@Dave c: They already did that when they jumped into bed with FF. Its founding members were originally part of SF and the IRA and split to form their own political party and terrorist movement which caused the Civil war.
@Ger Whelan: That was different Sinn Fein party – learn your history
@Sean Hayes: Better tell them to Update their official website so. Because there it shows its history back to its founding in the early 1900′s.
@Ger Whelan: Everything was found in this country in the 1900s .
If the parties put themselves forward under a Progressive Alliance in the coming general election they could have a breakthrough chance.
@9QRixo8H: such a diverse groups of malcontents would never be able to agree a joint program nationally. Even Sinn Fein would be reluctant to try to form a government that included PBP. When the election comes, the left parties will split the vote as per usual. The old story, governments don’t win elections, the opposition lose them.
@9QRixo8H: Are you serious? They collectively would garner 8% of the vote, if even that in a GE.
This is another ” refurbishment ” of their failed policies, and claptrap .
I honestly thought you had an idea of this works based on your posts, its OK to promote something but to tie to this is farcical.
Exactly
Alliance? More like Axis.
It won’t last there b a falling out somewhere
Lunatics/asylum
Dublin City Council should be disbanded and the management of Fingal brought in to run things.
@Notty Tee: frying pan/fire. Fingal.is about as bad as it gets.
@Notty Tee: that’s hilarious
Labour costing up to FF on the councils
Amazing! Now do something about all the scroats ruining our city!!
Great, a Far Lazy alliance of doleheads to spend my tax money on the bone idle.
In France they’d be called le Front Populaire. When will they split?
The Left axis here is primarily driven by resentment. No one believes higher taxes results in better services. It just sucks money from the real economy. Small local businesses then need grants to survive. Higher taxation validated. The virtuous Left.
Does it really matter? Councillors have no power, all important decisions are made by the city manager. We don’t even get to vote for Lord Mayor the parties take turn enjoying that gig even if the chosen one is unfit for any office.
Any member of Labour is very welcome to join the Social Democrats.
have your say