Reid: HSE completes deal to have Covid-19 testing carried out at European laboratory

“We have scaled up in a way like never before in the history of the State.”

The HSE has a three-pronged approach to tackling the backlog of testing. One strand is “transferring some of the queue” to a “reputable organisation in Europe.” That will help to address the queue, he said.

Priority testing will continue in Ireland for priority cases such as health workers and patients in hospitals.

The second angle is the tracing of extra testing kits, with the assistance of the IDA, which should arrive in the next week to 10 days. However, he added the caveat that the reliability of Chinese test kits will need to be validated when they arrive.

The third angle, he said, is working with Irish pharma and bio-pharma companies and third-level institutions to determine their capacity to “ramp up” testing.

We are in the top tier of the world in terms of testing. We are in the top five. We are working around the clock and are at a squeeze point now.

Mr Reid pointed out that there has been a 1,000% growth worldwide in the demand for the reagent used in testing. This is a worldwide pandemic with other countries also facing “choke points” in relation to test kits and PPE.

Ireland has gone from zero test centres to 50, from 36 contact tracers to 1,400, a figure which will rise to 4,000 and from one laboratory to 19, he said.

Mr Reid said he wants to get to the stage where there are between 10,000 to 15,000 tests being carried out per day, but that will not happen in the next week, he warned. At present 2,600 tests per day are being carried out.

“We will significantly ramp up, but it will take us longer to reach 15,000. We will be working around the clock to reassure the public.”

Using laboratories abroad to carry out testing will be significant, he said.

Mr Reid stressed that the most important thing the public can do is to adhere to the guidelines with regard to hand hygiene and to stay at home. “It is so important.

“It is early days, but there are good signs that the public sacrifice is helping us to ensure that we don’t have a massive peak one week. “

There will be an extra 7,000 beds in the health system shortly, he said, that is comprised of 2,200 public beds, 2,000 private beds, with 1,200 created in City West and a further 1,200 in a similar vein will be introduced.

The primary focus of every health care worker will be fighting Covid-19, he said.

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