Tag Archives: Antigen

This morning.

Via Irish Times:

Barely half of the positive results from antigen tests carried out on close contacts of Covid-19 cases have been confirmed by further PCR testing.

An average of almost 4,000 antigen tests have been carried out on close contacts who are fully vaccinated and have no symptoms since the measure was introduced at the end of October.

In the first month, 31,850 antigen test results were reported by close contacts – 21,579 “not detected” or negative results, and 10,271 “detected” or positive, according to data presented at a National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) meeting this month.

0Just 5,741, or 54 per cent, of these positive antigen test results were confirmed positive with subsequent PCR testing.

Anyone?

Barely half of positive antigen test results confirmed by PCR testing (RTE)

Rollingnews

This morning.

Via RTÉ News:

Passengers arriving from Britain are being advised by the Government to undertake daily antigen tests for five consecutive days, beginning on the day of arrival.

The Government issued this advice last night after it received an updated public health assessment of the Omicron variant.

The latest travel advice was announced late last night and is aimed at encouraging people to take a cautious approach to international travel in light of the transmission of the new variant

Passengers arriving from Britain advised to take daily antigen tests (RTE)

RollingNews

Meanwhile…

Anyone?

Yesterday: “The House Is On Fire”


This afternoon.

Government Buildings. Dublin 2.

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe attempts  to explain the government’s position on antigen testing.

Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

Earlier…

This afternoon.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly is expected to secure Government approval to subsidise antigen testing…

…..Social Democrats Spokesperson for Children Jennifer Whitmore says:

“Discussions currently are focused on trying to design a subsidy scheme, which is entirely misguided. The building is on fire. We need to act now to put it out – not stand around and debate the cost of fire extinguishers.

“We are in an emergency situation and the most important thing we need to do is identify cases and suppress transmission. Free antigen testing would help us to do that. Given the huge surge in cases, it would be destructive to our efforts to manage this crisis if cost were to become a barrier to antigen testing.

“The government, and Nphet, have been dismissive of the public’s ability to correctly use antigen tests, but people are not stupid. They have followed all of the public health advice to the best of their ability for nearly two years.

“When this surge has abated, we can then discuss a subsidy. But the situation is too grave now for any further indecision or delay.”

Meanwhile…

Via Fintan O’Toole in the Irish Times:

…There was an extraordinary moment last June at a hearing on antigen tests held by the Oireachtas transport committee. One of the experts, Prof Mary Keogan, consultant immunologist and national clinical lead for pathology, held up two antigen tests, one negative and one positive. She announced that she had created the negative result by putting butter on the test. She produced the positive result with tonic water.
Worse than useless

The implication was clear – self-administered tests are worse than useless because people can cheat. This was very much in line with the description by Nphet’s chief modeller Prof Philip Nolan of a test being sold in a supermarket chain as “snake oil”.

What was not produced, however, was any evidence that lots of Irish people are in fact cheating on antigen tests. Perhaps to a certain kind of scientific mind it seems obvious that if people can do something they must be doing it.

That suspicion seems unshakeable. Even after the Government decided on Monday last week to move ahead with a wider use of antigen testing, its chief medical adviser Dr Tony Holohan continued to lobby against the policy….

Messaging on the pandemic has become just a mess (Fintan O’Toole, Irish Times)

RollingNews

This afternoon.

Navan, county Meath.

Meanwhile…

Mr Martin said that he would look with interest at how Austria implements its lockdown for those who have not availed of a vaccine.

However, he said that Ireland has a vaccine rate of 93% which places the country is a very different position, compared with Austria where 65% of people are fully vaccinated.

Mr Martin reiterated that the situation was “serious”, adding that vaccination levels meant the country was in a much different position than last year.

He also said the vaccine booster campaign was already showing promising results, with a reduction in serious illness among those in their 80s.

Lockdown for unvaccinated not being looked at – Taoiseach (RTÉ)

Earlier: Goodnight Vienna

This afternoon.

Earlier…

chief scientific advisor to the Government Professor Mark Ferguson said that while antigen tests are useful and provide an extra layer of protection, they are “not a solution”.

Although widely used in many European countries, antigen testing has been discouraged in Ireland as public health officials said the tests should be used in strictly controlled settings and warned individuals might receive “inappropriate reassurance” from a negative result.

Covid antigen tests ‘not a solution’, advisor says as experts ask why Ireland an ‘outlier’ (BreakingNews)

Getty

Tonight.

The Button Factory in Temple Bar will see 450 people in attendance for a pilot nightclub event

Digital Covid Certs and antigen tests will be required.

Anyone?

Pilot Nightclub Event (Button Factory)

Pilot Nightclub Event To ake Place In Dublin (98FM)

Pic: Button Factory

Update:

This morning.

DJ and spokesperson for Give Us The Night Sunil Sharpe and Button Factory promoter Will Rolfe spoke with Aine Lawlor.

Towards the end of the interview:

Aine Lawlor: “And can people, like, to put it bluntly, can they kiss?”

Will Rolfe: “So, in terms of our ventilation, everything has been checked and it will be checked, CO2 levels will be monitored on the night. In terms of people’s romance and enjoying themselves, we won’t be preventing anyone.”

Lawlor: “So, it won’t be like the nuns used to be going around at all those school discos…”

Rolfe: “Absolutely not.”

Lawlor: “Nothing like that.”

Good times.

This morning/afternoon.

Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications Networks.

Citing various studies, Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan said the use of rapid antigen testing, as a means to give people the “green light” to engage in certain activities, could pose several risks.

Meanwhile…

Meanwhile…

This afternoon.

The Dail at the Convention centre.

Fight!

Holohan warns antigen tests ‘not a green light’ (RTÉ)