Capacity cut sees testing times for Covid patients

People travelled to neighbouring counties to get tested for Covid-19, as demand for PCR tests at Galway’s two self-referral clinics far exceeded supply over Christmas.

It comes as new case figures reveal that it was a ‘self-isolation Christmas’ for 2,000 local people – not including close contacts – who tested positive for Covid-19 in the lead-up to Christmas, meaning would have had to self-isolate for days including Christmas Day.

Meanwhile, booster vaccine clinics are now accepting eligible people aged 30-39, and vaccines are now being offered to children aged 5-11 deemed high risk.

Local test centres at Galway Airport and NUI Galway were operating at reduced capacity in the past week, and that coupled with a surge in demand due to the prevalence of the omicron variant in the community, meant PCR tests in Galway were snapped up quickly.

There was no PCR test availability in Galway on the HSE’s online booking portal at various times throughout Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

There have been several reports of people booking tests in Athlone GAA Club, Co Westmeath; Shannon Business Park, Co Clare; McHale Park Castlebar, Co Mayo and Castlerea Fire Station, Co Roscommon, because of a lack of test availability in Galway.

None of these centres had any availability on Wednesday morning, as the HSE conceded that the post-Christmas demand for testing was “extremely high”.

It prompted one Galway City Councillor to call on the HSE to reopen the Covid-19 walk in testing centre that was in operation temporarily at Forster Street in Galway City during the summer.

Fine Gael Councillor Eddie Hoare said: “In recent days we’ve seen a big increase in cases. Lots of people have been using antigen tests to detect the virus, are now isolating and have been unable to book a PCR test. Other younger people based in Galway City are finding it difficult to travel out to the Galway Airport site.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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