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THE HSE AIMS to have a 90% end-to-end turnaround time of three days on testing and contact tracing for Covid-19 positive cases by Monday, chief executive Paul Reid has said.
Reid was speaking at a HSE media briefing regarding Covid-19 testing and contact tracing at UCD this morning.
He confirmed that more than 270,000 coronavirus tests have been carried out across Ireland.
Reid acknowledged that the HSE has had “significant” challenges in the testing process, including supplies of swabs and personal protective equipment (PPE).
On Tuesday, it was reported that the median wait time between a swab being taken and contact tracing in a positive test result commencing was currently five days.
Contact tracing involves contacting anyone who met a Covid-positive patient – once their result is confirmed – and ensuring they self-isolate in order the limit the spread of the virus.
This should begin as soon as possible after a confirmed diagnosis, with five days being generally accepted as being too long a period.
Contributing to the delays are human errors of data collection and transcription, public health and hospital IT systems which cannot interact effectively, a lack of standardisation across departments involved in contact tracing and individual circumstances creating more complex cases.
Speaking this morning, Reid said the HSE aims to have a 90% end-to-end turnaround time of three days on testing being carried out and contact tracing being completed for Covid-19 positive cases by Monday, 18 May.
He said the HSE aims to complete 15,000 swab tests per day by Monday and that the aim is to get swab to test results down to two days.
The HSE has now met the target of completing 12,000 swab tests within the community, Reid said.
“We are ahead of the laboratory tests to deliver 12,000 and we have the ability to deliver over 15,000 tests,” he said.
“We set a target between two to three days for a swab to be completed, which has been met.
“There are two key aspects on how we improve capacity and turnaround times to deliver 100,000 tests a week.”
Challenges
Speaking of the challenges faced in the testing process to date, Reid said: “We faced significant backlogs which resulted in a poor experience for a lot of people.
“We have been rightly judged in that. I have never seen so much change happening so quickly, however we need to improve where we are at.”
Reid said a new model is needed for testing in the future.
“It is a process that will take time and we hope to have it completed in the autumn,” he added.
“On the government’s road map and the five criteria, we are monitoring the disease and the capacity of the health system, contact tracing and how we are managing vulnerable groups.”
With reporting by Cónal Thomas
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What wrong with single people having to share accommodation with multiple people. I had to do that for years and I never got any rent supplement
I’m entitled… the refugees get treated better… the government… Irish water. ..
So true, but were’t we glad to be done with it – jayus i just could not live with multiple people ever again
Sharing houses/apartments in fine in your student days, not so good when you’re trying to get a good nights sleep for an important meeting the next day and you’re listening to house-mates trampling around the place at 1am!
It’s not an easy option for everyone. A lot of places advertise for female only tenants for some reason too.
Plenty of lands around by the Dublin docks to build something like this: http://www.dezeen.com/2015/10/21/narchitects-my-micro-ny-modular-residential-tower-affordable-housing-new-york-usa-adapt-nyc/
Which would suit workers in the IFSC, colleges and couples starting off…
That’s true Joanna, and I have to wonder if it’s legal as it is after all, a business. I think that needs to be looked at.
I also think the upside to this shortage is that it will force unemployed people to find jobs if they want to live in their own home towns or cities. Nothing gets a person out to find a job quicker than the prospect of homelessness or Leitrim. To Hell or to Leitrim so to speak.
“Force unemployed people to get jobs” What jobs? I know people who have been sincerely trying to find work and can’t. This isn’t helped by the financial incentives offered to employers under some schemes to hire people under 25.
They didn’t specify that people weren’t sharing accommodation, just that people would be looking for accommodation as a single person. This is a problem across the board, even for those living in house shares.
God, how i hate that word ‘I’m entitled!’ usually said by people on welfare
Carrick-on-Shannon is a nice town. Good pubs, restaurants, cinema, shops, and plenty of parks.
Any jobs Tom?
Paul, that’s a tough question to answer because you might have to travel to Longford (30 min) or Sligo (40 min).
Paul the reality is that people that live in Leitrim and surrounding counties do have employment. So you may not get the job you want but hey that’s life.
Ha ha! Yea, train as a Computer programmer, work in Supermac’s! LOLZ!
Carrick is a good town, but make sure you live on a high location away from the Shannon flood zone.
Why should the state increase rental supplements ? If a single person cannot afford to live alone move into shared accommodation !
Perhaps they want to feel like human beings.
We promote a social housing society. It’s wrong.
How? Social housing has been decimated in the last 5 years.
That’s good news Gearóid, there will undoubtedly be short term pain for a lot of people but if it gets the message across that the state is not going to look after you for your whole life because you’ve decided not to work then it is a good thing in the long term. I simply cannot believe that there are over 100K people looking for social housing, it’s crazy that we as a society allow people to become so dependent on other peoples hard work.
….
Bill, Ted.
you forget that every effort has been made in the last decade to ensure the cost of buying or renting has skyrocketed. When two average industrial wages cannot house a couple… the system is broken. Victim blaming is wrong!
2nd time trying to post
The headline should read “Earning less than €40,000 a year and flying solo…………”
Unless you want to live in a pre-’63 bedsit or in a dodgy area in Dublin then you’ll pay a minimum of €1200 a month for something of reasonable standard in Dublin… Add on broadband/tv, water bills etc and you’re up to about €1500 a month before you buy the basics such as food, clothing and travel….
€40k a year minus your living expenses means you’ll be living on €375 per week, hardly f’ing rolling in it!
My wife would earn 40k a year part-time and I’d earn 50k part time. We still find it difficult enough to make ends meet . I mean, we are not struggling. The bill are paid and paid on time. But we can;t afford holidays at the moment.
Large car insurance hikes, huge car tax we both pay on our vehicles, and taking out private health insurance thi year for the first time has made any holiday this year a no go area.
Papa smurf I don’t know if you’re joking or not!:/ but if you’re not.. There are really people in worse off situations! Don’t get me wrong we all would like a nice house, cars, and holidays but some people are facing losing their home so not getting a holiday this year is not a major poverty case.. Apologies for being harsh but perspective needs to come into play here! Why not take a few days off and stay home with movies, good food, music etc and make a new holiday if you need to get away from the world for a few days!
Is this a new version of Cromwells to hell or to connaught policy?
‘Anti-homeless’ bars placed at Tanaiste Joan Burton’s office leaves charity director ‘disgusted’ http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/antihomeless-bars-placed-at-tanaiste-joan-burtons-office-leaves-charity-director-disgusted-34396128.html meanwhile our I phone Joan wants to close the curtain to her windows on austerity and tells the nation about ‘recovery’
What a stupid headline and article, it’s not her office. These are social welfare offices on Amien Street. Doubt if iPhone Joan as ever been near the place!
What needs to be done ? Jobs all round….no more freebies
Hey sound guy, fingers crossed you don’t get made redundant
get another job……
Most people including the Simon community are missing the point here
The HAP payment is a supplement ie: something added, make up a deficiency or to add or strengthen a whole amount.
Not to pay for the whole thing so our scrounger society don’t have to put their hands in their pockets again.
Here’s some info on Leitrim for those who haven’t been http://m.independent.ie/life/travel/ireland/10-great-reasons-to-visit-leitrim-30739767.html
People who work and aren’t getting social are just as bad off, worse really as the government isn’t subsiding their rent.its a real struggle to pay rent and the new capping laws are silly.have spoken to many people lately who’s landlord has increased rent now, before the rental freeze kicks in.
No jobs in leitrim though that’s why rents are so low
Jaysus….
“Single? Can’t afford the rent?
Things can always get worse.
Come live in Leitrim!”
Where is Leitrim? Never heard of it. Is it in Ireland?
It’s on planet 9.
Leitrim is a state of mind, not an actual place. It is the feeling between depression and hopelessness made corporeal. When people say I live in Leitrim or I’m going to Leitrim it is a cry for help. Take heed and give them an ear and a cup of tea.
I wouldn’t start from here.
I take it from your post that you won’t be visiting us in Leitrim Patrick.
This is excellent news.
I’m only messing with ye.
Grow up.
And not far from the Border!
why isn’t there an incentive for startups or small business to move to Carrick or somewhere in Leitrim in a business park or similar. Some sort of tax break, grant or even government support.. No? thought not..
What about helping single people to help themselves?
have your say