Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
SUPERMARKET CHAIN LIDL made headlines last week when it announced it will begin stocking rapid antigen testing kits in its stores.
It prompted public health officials like Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan to sound a warning about using these kits, which are less reliable than PCR tests.
While Government acknowledges that antigen testing is an additional measure in combating Covid-19, it is not a substitute for following public health advice, Holohan said.
No test – PCR or antigen – is 100% accurate.
Unlike PCR, antigen tests work more effectively if a person is symptomatic but are not as effective at identifying pre-symptomatic cases.
An antigen test won’t confirm if a person without symptoms has Covid-19 as these tests rely on a high viral load to identify presence of Covid-19.
According to the HSE, antigen tests are about 80% accurate if a person is symptomatic but only about 50%-60% accurate if a person has no symptoms and self-administers an antigen test.
If a person is symptomatic and receives a negative antigen test result the advice is that they should also get a PCR test, which can also detect early infection in a person.
The Department of Health advice is clear on this – it does not currently advise the use of antigen tests by the general public, according to a spokesperson.
Furthermore, if a person gets an antigen test from a private company and tests positive this will not be automatically reported to the HSE and, if it is indeed a “true positive” result, close contacts will not be informed and could spread Covid-19 to others, the spokesperson added.
There is also a risk with antigen tests that a person could receive a false positive or a false negative which could have implications for the person and others around them, they said.
The official advice remains that if a person develops symptoms they should self-isolate and contact their GP who will arrange a free PCR test.
However, rapid antigen testing is another weapon in our arsenal.
The Government’s Expert Advisory Group on rapid testing last month recommended their widespread use in schools. Similarly, HIQA recently recommended the use of antigen testing in meat plants.
(The HSE already carries out antigen testing twice per week in meat plants and has so far carried out over 20,000 of these tests, but it is also in addition to a monthly PCR test for employees.)
Professor of Experimental Immunology, School of Biochemistry and Immunology at Trinity College Dublin Kingston Mills, who sat on the Expert Advisory Group, said there are “huge benefits to antigen testing as an adjunct to PCR testing”.
Mills told The Journal that people can be trusted to know how to self-administer a rapid antigen test but said people misinterpreting what a negative results means is “a worry”.
“People could think ‘I’m not infectious, I don’t have Covid-19, I can do what I like’, that’s my biggest worry. I understand that concern,” said Mills, who said a public information campaign about the benefits and risk of these tests could help inform people.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News At One yesterday, Dr Holohan said the issue was not a question of trusting the public but about “people’s interpretation of what the result means”.
From NPHET’s perspective, it comes down to individual behaviour and informing people about the limitations of these antigen tests if they were to be used by the wider public who may purchase one in a supermarket.
“The risk that we see is that if you get a negative test it might falsely reassure you… if it falsely reassures a person who is going to a wedding… now you’ve got the potential for a superspreading event to take place,” said Holohan.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar echoed this sentiment on Monday when he raised concerns about how LIDL had marketed their antigen testing kits, saying it sent out the “wrong message”.
Varadkar said Government supports the wider use of antigen testing as Ireland reopens, and that guidelines to businesses carrying out rapid antigen testing would be issued shortly. But he said that the public should be aware of its limitations.
With reporting by Nicky Ryan.
Well, they clung on for long enough, who would have known they would be burying themselves? The worst possible leader given the parties absolute disconnection with its base.
@Local Ore: that’s the party though – he just reflects what they stand for or rather that they stand for nothing.
@Peter McGlynn: Bacik is the worst potential leader possible for Labour. Labour’s grass routes organisation needs to go back to the people and their members and ask them what they Labour to be? They need the most dramatic reset in the history of politics in the state if they are to survive because Bacik represents everything they should not, and should never, be. Self serving, self righteous and out of touch with the people who were once their base. If Labour is to exist in the future, as they won’t survive her leadership, they need to get rid of people like her – Joan Burtons biggest supporter – and reset with proper, working class, centre left people
@Local Ore: Bacik is one of the most competent parliamentarians in Dail Eireann. I’d imagine we’ve passed the low point for Labour, and they will be seen by a lot of people as a safe place for a protest vote compared to SF, or the greens.
Their attempt to curb the worst excesses of FG in the previous administration backfired on them, and SF in particular managed to heap the blame for any cutbacks on Labour despite them being a minor partner in that coalition. Labour will do a SF on it next time, sitting safely in opposition where they won’t have to make decisions.
@John Mulligan:
Her solution to just about everything is more abortion.
I suppose she’s right in a way. There’s less problems to deal with if nobody is left around.
What an inspiring woman.
@John Mulligan: John, I was a Labour supporter for years, for my shame, and I met the woman while she was with Joan Burton. To describe a person who has failed to be elected in more than two thirds of their attempts running for political positions, who spent 15 years in the Seanad – a completely irrelevant body – and has been a TD for less than year as one of the most competent parliamentarians in Dàil Eireann is ludicrous in the extreme! Are you basing that on her few months in the Dàil? Are you basing it on her ineffectual time in the Seanad or what are you basing it on? Completely ridiculous claim to make. I would say she is a competent and intelligent politician but has no connection, at all, to the core values of what Labour used to be or should be. Your statement is ridiculous
@Credalytics ☘️:
That’s so unfair, she’s for Euthanasia too. Another Millionaire “Socialist ” Skumbag.
The open road to the leadership of the Labour party with Ivana Bacik will ensure the Labour party will follow the PDs into the dustbin of history.
@Donal Desmond: And they don’t see it all, the handful of them remaining think this is a progressive step…. I, like many others, once voted Labour, I’m ashamed of what they have become and can’t believe there is anyone left in that party that could ever support a Joan Burton acolyte as leader in 2022
@Donal Desmond: You never know. I can see Bacik transform the party from low single digits to, well, slightly higher low single digits..
@Toon Army: Agree, That’s as good as it will get.
@Local Ore: there are none so blind as them that won’t see.
If Bacik is leader will she have to speak to any poor people or will she have an interpreter for that?
From one dose to another…
@Roland Tarrant: If Alan Kelly is as clever as he is given credit for, he will join FG or FF or whatever before that absolute dose is announced leader. There cannot be another TD with a brain cell that would support JB2.0 as leader? Surely?
Disconnected from the working class years ago so who cares who the leader is.
Why does it still insist on calling itself the ‘Labour’ Party? These people live in a political fantasy world. They have zero affinity with the working people of this country and Ivana Bacik exemplifies that absurd disconnect from reality…
If that’s the direction that Labour are heading, they might as well fast track a merger with the Social Democrats ASAP. Absolutely pointless having two identical parties and they are far removed from the once respectable Labour party who actually represented the interests of the common man and woman.
@Longlin: why would the Soc Dems want or agree to that???
@Graham Manning: Could you outline the major ideological differences that would warrant Ivana Bacik and the like of Holly Cairns being in different parties? Looking on from the outside, I would think that they weren’t far off being identical.
Bacik as leader is a death sentence for Labour.
You couldn’t make this up. Whatever chance you had of getting a no. 2,3,4 vote from the left leaning voter, you’ve none now. Truely astonishing selection.
This is will see the end of the Labour Party. I voted Labour up until they entered government in 2011 and turned their back on their traditional voters. I was delighted to hear that Alan Kelly was no longer going to be leader, however when I heard that they were considering Ivana Bacik as leader I realised that they have learned nothing.
Ms Bacik was one of the elite that was at the party in celebration of the awarding of a Government job to Catherine Zappone.
I wish they would look back to their routes and realise that their traditional voters don’t want a party that cozys up to FF and FG.
I don’t want a right wing labour party, looks like I will never again vote for Labour
I suppose its akin to inheriting a set of fine bone china tea cups with no handles. They only look good from a certain angle.
@Charles McCarthy:
Beautiful, I hope you don’t mind if I use this.
Labour pressed the self destruct button a long time ago.
Consigned to history.
The kiss of death from Varadkar!
I see Ivana Bacik is the favourite,they are welcome to her it seems to me that she is anti everthing that is good
They must have scraped all the way through the bottom of the barrel now, and turned it into a big tube.
Another party down the drain, Old enough to remember dick spring and the difference now
@Hugh Mc Donnell: imagine what he thinks of the party nowadays.
@Seamus Mac:
Probably proud, himself and Millionaire Fergus Finlay dismantled the Labour movement.
Wow is this still news.
Oh dear just another lamb to the slaughter.
Surprised to hear Alan Kelly Got Emotional when he was resigning. He wasn’t very emotional when he was threatening to cut people’s water off ten year’s ago GUUD LUCK *ank stain
god help us
Maybe I misheard; the reason for the heave against Alan Kelly was because of his association with the antics of the 2011-2016 government and in particular, the push to levy water charges. Then it was announced that the front runner to replace Mr Kelly is Ivana Bacik. But Ms Bacik was part of that government too and voiced strong support for water charges stating during the debate in the Seanad “we must incentivise to avoid excessive usage” The “conservation” malarkey was the same excuse being used by members of Fine Gael for the introduction of the charges. Is there a pointer here as to what Labour’s real problem is? Maybe too many of the senior active members are actually in the wrong party?
@Jim O’Sullivan:
Thanks Jim, well said.
What about God Nash probably the one Labour TD with real legislative achievement i.e. increasing minimum wage and Construction Contracts Act among others. Down to earth with excellent communication skills.
Communication skills? Talk Bolloks an convince everyone you are sincere.
@Liam Byrne: I assume Liam you are referring to God Nash
This is doomed to failure ,–AGAIN -’Another one to end in Tears.
Jaysus a lot of angry people posting these comments
have your say