More than 40,000 people are waiting to be tested for Covid-19 – which the HSE says it is trying to work through.
It says it may take up to five days for people to be checked – but is reassuring people by saying more testing centres are being opened in the next couple of days.
The HSE says 60,000 testing kits will be in the country by Thursday and 100,000 a week after that.
CEO Paul Reid says people will be treated as per their need.
“I know there’s a lot of people concerned with the delay in their tests. They’re isolating, they’re doing the right thing.”
“People should separate the clinical need – people become very sick. The normal rules apply in terms of hospital care or treatment of care or GP care. People should do the right thing – isolate.”
“If there’s a delay in their test an =d people become clinically sick, the normal pathways in our hospital care and GP care prevail.”
It is understood in the region of 10,000 tests were carried out in the last week with that figure set to rise to around 6,000 daily in the coming week.
Meanwhile, The World Health Organisation says a vaccine for Covid-19 is “at least” a year away.
