Criteria for who can be tested for Covid-19 likely to be broadened

The criteria for who can be tested for Covid-19 is likely to be broadened later today.
Criteria for who can be tested for Covid-19 likely to be broadened

Additional reporting by Cianan Brennan and Paul Hosford

The criteria for who can be tested for Covid-19 is likely to be broadened later today.

The National Public Health Emergency Team meets this morning to assess the country's response to the pandemic, and to consider how any of the current restrictions could be lifted next month.

The death toll from Covid-19 has risen to 794 after a further 28 patients died.

A further 936 new cases have also been detected, which is the highest daily increase, and brings the number of positive tests to 17,607.

Chief medical officer Tony Holohan says today's meeting will look at increasing testing.

He said: "Among the things we're going to look at will be the case definition, and what the nature of that change in case definition might need to be as we move towards a plan to increase capacity to detect cases more readily in a circumstance where we've driven down the rates of community transmission.

"In other words to make the case definition more sensitive, more likely to pick up a case were a case to occur"

Meanwhile, lockdown restrictions look increasingly

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Despite the spread of the coronavirus being “effectively suppressed”, concerns about increased transmission mean that health officials remain cautious about potentially lifting the measures, which are due to remain in place until May 5.

Dr Holohan said if the call was made today, health officials “would not be recommending the loosening of restrictions”.

He said it is “really important” that people do not “expect” a loosening of the lockdown, which has been in place since March 27, but denied that the authorities’ message to stay at home is beginning to be ignored by a majority of the population.

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