People should be taught how to properly use rapid antigen tests and interpret their results, a professor of virology has said.

Dr Gerald Barry, assistant professor of virology at UCD, said we need to acknowledge that people are using antigen tests.

He said the use of antigen testing in schools is a “very positive move”.

Home antigen kits cost under €10 in pharmacies and some supermarkets and can be self administered, delivering a result within 15 minutes. By contrast, it can take two days from booking a PCR test with the HSE until receiving a result.

“I think it’s a very positive move, I’m a very big advocate of antigen testing. I think as an extra layer of help to stop chains of transmission it can be very effective if used properly.

“So, I would very much look at antigen testing as something that can be very useful and should be communicated to people in that way, as an extra tool. But importantly, rather than telling people not to use them I think what we need to do is acknowledge that people are using them.

“I think people are very keen to identify if someone is infected and they want to know how to use these things properly, so we need to accept that people are using them and teach them how to use them properly and also how to interpret the results correctly,” he told RTÉ Radio One’s Drivetime.

Dr Barry said transmission of the virus is occurring in schools.

“We obviously know cases are happening in schools and we know that there is transmission in schools, yes they may be a lower risk environment but they’re not a zero-risk environment.

“The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) report that was quoted by Nphet today, just to take a line from that, it specifically says that measures should be taken, and it is vital to prevent transmission in schools.

“So ECDC are acknowledging the risk of in-school transmission and they say that that remains a high risk. They’re advocating the use of all measures to reduce that risk.

“Antigen testing is very good at picking up people that are infectious which means that they’re in effect the riskiest people in our community. So, antigen testing is very good at catching those people when used at the correct time in the appropriate manner,” he said.

Dr Barry said “best practice” in Ireland should include antigen testing.

“We need to put in place what we would call best practice and best practice should include antigen testing.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be used on a widescale basis but even as a targeted effect in a classroom where you have a case targeting contacts in that classroom is going to help pick up chains of transmission and generally overall give a better protection to kids in schools,” he added.

Speaking at the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) briefing today, deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn, said the HSE guidance still remains that any child with symptoms of Covid-19 should not attend school.

He also warned parents against using antigen testing for children with symptoms, as they may get a false negative and then send their child into school.

“They need to stay at home and get a PCR test and that will have a knock-on impact in terms of reducing RSV infections amongst younger children. It will reduce the spread of Covid in schools and it will also have an impact on reducing the spread of influenza over the coming weeks.

“Testing will never be a replacement for the core infection prevention and control measures that are in place.

“Ultimately there will be a limited role for antigen testing but the key message in all of that is parents in particular should not be using antigen testing as a green light test if their children have symptoms,” he said.