Schools may get Covid-19 testing capacity at the expense of other settings
The HSE is planning to leave spare testing capacity within its weekly limit of 100,000 Covid-19 tests for cases in schools and will, if necessary, reduce mass testing in high-risk settings.
Serial testing is being carried out of staff at nursing homes and at meat processing and food production plants inHealth officials plan to leave spare capacity available over the coming weeks as schools reopen to ensure there is sufficient testing to be able to respond to possible outbreaks in schools.
Sources said serial testing to understand the spread of the disease through asymptomatic transmission would be reduced to free up additional capacity for cases in schools and priority would be given to serial testing of symptomatic or vulnerable people in congregated settings. Health officials tested 13,000 people last Friday, a record since the coronavirus pandemic began in March and 2,000 tests short of the daily limit. It is expected a weekly record of tests will be reached this week.
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