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THE HSE IS continuing to expand on its Covid-19 testing capabilities, with tens of thousands of people calling to seek a test for the virus.
At today’s HSE briefing, officials urged people not to call the emergency line 112/999, warning that over the weekend people were “clogging up” the service.
“This is a real concern for us,” HSE CEO Paul Reid said.
He urged the public to instead contact their GPs by phone. A new online system which went live yesterday allows GPs to arrange tests for patients after they have assessed their symptoms. The system crashed when it first went live but HSE officials said today that this “glitch” had now been fixed.
There is currently a delay of several days for testing as healthcare staff work through the backlog. After the HSE widened the criteria for testing last week, there was a huge surge in calls and requests for testing.
Reid said the HSE’s call centre, which would usually handle 500 calls a day, received 124,000 calls on Saturday alone.
To expand their capabilities, Reid said a number of options for both testing and self-isolation facilities are being looked at, including the use of naval ships as testing centres.
Officials pointed out that members of the Irish Navy have “considerable experience” with this kind of work in the Mediterranean and would be well equipped to handle it.
By the end of this week more than ten hospitals across the country will be processing the tests. There are now 19 community testing centres in operation around the country - Croke Park is now being used as a drive-through testing centre.
More are being added to this, including schools, garda stations and community halls.
In the meantime, HSE officials are asking people to be patient as they roll out additional resources and to self-isolate while they wait for their tests and their results – even if this is for a number of days.
Reid also gave an update on procurement, telling reporters that a “very significant” contract for personal protection equipment (PPE) is in the final stages. He said this would involve a large order that would be delivered every ten days.
Michelle Hennessy / TwitterCEO of the HSE Paul Reid said by the end of this week there will be 1,200 in total people working on the contact tracing process.
— Michelle Hennessy (@michellehtweet) March 17, 2020
The HSE has already secured 300 additional ventilators, with more than 100 each week to be added to this number. Discussions are also taking place with private hospital groups about how their capacity could be used.
Anne O’Connor, Chief Operations Officer for the HSE said it is a possibility that the country will run out of tests this week but a delivery of 30,000 swab tests is due on Thursday, with further deliveries to follow as testing continues.
Dr Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer, said it is important for the general public to understand that there is “no value” in testing someone who is worried but is showing no symptoms.
He said testing people who have no symptoms would “deplete a valuable resource”.
O’Connor said the next step for the HSE will be to establish what she described as “community assessment hubs”, where patients who have a confirmed Covid-19 diagnosis can be assessed if their symptoms get worse while they are recovering at home in self-isolation.
The aim will be to keep as many people as possible out of the acute hospital setting.
This, similar to the testing, will be an appointment based system – they will not be walk-in clinics.
“We don’t want anyone going anywhere without an appointment,” O’Connor said.
“When you are referred for a test, you receive a message with a date, time and location of a test centre. Please do not turn up anywhere without an appointment, you won’t be seen.”
Maybe stop worrying about their human rights and ban visits and block phone signals,add 5 years for every time a phone is found in thier cells
Death squads, we need death squads.
How much would that additional sentence cost the tax payer Ciaran and over crowd the prisons so that people with many convictions for minor crimes would continue to walk from court with a slap on the wrist as there’s no space for them in prison
There is technology to ban mobile phone signals and they should visiting from those with criminal convictions. I’d imagine that would hamper gangs massively
Wasn’t that tech to block mobile signals supposed to have been rolled out 2 years ago or is it my imagination? No doubt claimed as another ‘achievement’ in government by the coalition, that actually never happened!
Actually touted last year
Just like the US only over here the gangs don’t ever do hard time
Regulate the drugs market and they will feel it in the pocket.
For Jasus sake will you go away out of that with your auld common sense.
Solitary or wings/areas just for members of infidelity gangs. This would provide security for weaker prisoners, prevent gang members attacking one another (and remember when that happens prison officers have to go in) there is a very good chance that gang members would attack their own members which isn’t a bad thing either. Finally keep them banged up in cells and only allow out for one hour a day, food brought to cells and eaten in their if it’s gone cold by time trolly gets to them tough. Slightest infringement of prison regs loss of privileges eg no TV or radio, no sweets, chocolate, cigs, tobacco, tea, coffee except when served at mealtimes. Solitary exercise. In short incentive s to behave
Exactly this isn’t new news, Most on phones and these guys are safer in jail. Building up a fortune to hit the sun when they get out.
If you are in jail for crimes that infringe on the human rights of others then part of the punishment should be an infringement of your own rights. I don’t mean torture or anything extreme but as it stands you can’t breath on these criminals without fear of violating their rights.
Build prisons in the arse of nowhere, should stop drugs and phones getting in
Reopen Spike Island.
Tell us something new!
I think those gangs in jail watched the movie goodfellas to many times
And this is news? The dogs on the street are even aware of this and only short of building a proper and purpose built prison will it end, patching up Victorian institutions is pointless.
Reap what you sow. Years of appeasement and a policy of keeping them happy to avoid trouble. This country is too soft.
Solitary or wings/areas just for members of infidelity gangs. This would provide security for weaker prisoners, prevent gang members attacking one another (and remember when that happens prison officers have to go in) there is a very good chance that gang members would attack their own members which isn’t a bad thing either. Finally keep them banged up in cells and only allow out for one hour a day, food brought to cells and eaten in their if it’s gone cold by time trolly gets to them tough. Slightest infringement of prison regs loss of privileges eg no TV or radio, no sweets, chocolate, cigs, tobacco, tea, coffee except when served at mealtimes. Solitary exercise. In short incentive s to behave
The problem here is Prison staff are afraid of the prisoners instead of the other way around so they close their eyes to a lot of the activities. When a prisoner leaves Jail he should be so terrified of the place that he will never reoffend but it’s like a holiday home for these guys .The wardens need to be retrained for the job and if they can’t hack it send them packing .
Donal. On the contrary the vast majority of Prison Officers have no fear of inmates. It is the way the system is currently designed that is the problem. Officers can only do so much where the system is out of balance in favour of the inmate. It suits nobody if the system is out of balance in either direction. What has been lost over the decades is that one is sent to Prison as punishment and as such the loss of many rights and privileges enjoyed by those on the outside would have been standard. The Prison System itself is not solely at fault for this but the entire Judcial system. A prime example of this is the Prisoner Complaints system. An inmate can make a complaint of serious misconduct against any Officer without fear of any meaningful punishment if that complaint is found to be false and malicious. Another (which may seem small and insignificant to many) is the inmates right to wear there own clothes. For inmates this is huge. For them wearing the latest designer fashions is a way for them to show off to one another and provide them with a sense of individuality. Decades ago Prison Uniform was standard for all inmates irregardless of their status. Every inmate had the same stuff in their cell in the same quantity and quality as everyone else. Today that has all changed. In the drive towards inmates welfare and rights, discipline, order and conformity has been left sorely lagging behind. So for the system to work effectively that balance needs to returned.
Mick you hit the nail on the head thank you for your comment that makes more sense ,the balance seems to be with the criminal. The prison uniform should be highlighted more but of course the government will have to spend money and we know that won’t happen.
As a quote from The Wire states,
“If you can’t win the war against drugs in a prison, what chance do you have of doing it on the streets. ”
Slightly unrelated but it still speaks volumes.
Lots of space in The Curragh
Time to start contemplating privitizing the prisons. More spaces would lead to more time being served. Then sort out the crap sentences.
Unknown. Private Prisons have proved to be an utter disaster for staff, inmates and taxpayers where they have been tried. Ever wonder why the majority of countries in the world don’t use them?
Explains their mobiles so? lol.
have your say