Nphet considers extra testing of Covid blackspots struggling to keep case numbers down

Nphet are considering additional public health measures for geographical areas which are struggling with high virus cases.

While he declined to go into detail, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said that these measures would not be additional restrictions, but extra public health measures, like testing.

“What may be required in the coming while, however, is an enhanced response in some areas that are finding incidence particularly stubborn to get under control,” he said tonight.

“Are there additional things that we can do to try and bring down disease in areas that are finding it particularly stubborn?

“We are looking at things like testing and other measures,” he said.

Nphet is not currently considering having different restrictions for different counties as their focus is on the “national picture”.

“There are counties that looked good this week that won’t look as good next week,” Dr Glynn said.

He also said that while the HSE had mechanisms in place last December for retrospective, or backward, contact tracing, which would identify where cases originated from, this was put on hold during the Christmas surge.

He said that the HSE is looking to put this in place in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Chair of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group Professor Philip Nolan revealed data tonight showing where high cases are coming from.

After investigations, 24pc of cases are confirmed community transmission, cases where health experts cannot track the source of infection.

Some 60pc of cases occurred through close contact with a confirmed case and of those, one third are associated with a wider outbreak.

Additionally, 2pc of cases are travel related and 2pc are taking place in healthcare settings.

Half of transmissions are in workplaces or through social mixing and gatherings.

Dr Glynn said that antigen testing is in the process of being rolled out in a number of meat plants.

“Now we’re dealing with a much more transmissible virus, that remains a high risk location for transmission in the first instance and high levels of community disease.

“Unfortunately, it’s inevitable that we’ll continue to see outbreaks in those settings until the majority of the workforce are vaccinated,” he added.

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