Dr. Colm Henry:

The lessons we learned from having to respond very quickly the first time was about having a capacity to deal with a number of potential positive and suspect cases, as well as targeted strategies among healthcare workers or nursing homes or otherwise.

Echoing what Professor Mallon and others said, the turnaround time, the response, is important. This is reducing all the time. In mid-April, when we had significant problems with each step of the testing pathway through shortage of swabs or reagent, we had to compete in a very tightly competitive international market to secure the swabs and reagents to allow the pathway to continue. Through those contracts, thanks to my colleagues in the HSE some of whom are here today, we have secured those different things which enable each step of the pathway.

The turnaround time in the community is a second thing. It is already at one day in most hospitals because of the nature of the patient being there. The second lesson for a second surge, whenever it comes and whatever form it takes, is how quickly we respond to cases, how much we increase awareness among the public about the importance of presenting early with symptoms and how doggedly we pursue close contacts of each known case to test them also.