Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman for letting me back in. This has been a really useful meeting so far in getting the difference between PCR and antigen testing properly explained. As we talked about during the early stages of the pandemic, the perfect is the enemy of the good and speed is very important in the diagnosis of people who are infectious. Certainly, I have a much better impression of what antigen testing can do now versus PCR. It is incumbent on us as a committee to bring in the Chief Medical Officer, CMO, as soon as we can, to have a conversation with him about what we have heard today.

My last question, for whoever is most qualified to answer it, is, in the context of the vaccine roll-out, and it is fantastic it is being rolled out as quickly as it can be, the EU digital green certificate, the vaccine bonus and so many of the population being fully vaccinated, do we still need antigen or PCR testing for people once we know they have been vaccinated? More than half the adult population is now vaccinated with at least one dose. In three or four weeks that will be two doses. I am not trying to take away anybody's commercial opportunity, but it is hoped in the fullness of time we will not need to do antigen testing at all. Are any of the witnesses, possibly Dr. Power who is a medical doctor, able to tell us whether we need to do antigen testing at all once we have all been vaccinated? Will we still need to do it?