Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, to answer the question about people who are housebound.

I fully agree with the Deputy on testing and tracing. It has been, and remains, an essential part of our response to Covid and it has increased in the past number of days and weeks. In the seven days to 3 May, 124,000 tests were done. Some 4.5 million tests have been completed to date. The positivity rate at the moment is 2.7%. Some 94% of referrals are getting a test appointment in less than 24 hours, which is positive. Testing has restarted in schools, special education facilities and childcare settings. There are now 788 swabbers and 960 contact tracers hired and retained. The Deputy will be aware that serial testing is ongoing in nursing homes, mental health facilities, food production facilities and now in mandatory quarantine sites.

The Deputy will also be aware that we have launched the walk-in PCR testing centres, which have had a really strong response. No appointment is necessary. They are free and very fast, and people get their results back very quickly. Essentially, they are for people who are asymptomatic. If a person is symptomatic, he or she is still meant to go to via his or her GP.

Areas included are Letterkenny, Castlerea, Nenagh, Dunmanway, Tralee, Youghal, Waterford, Newbridge, Edenderry, Mullingar, Tullamore, Blanchardstown, Ballymun, Galway Airport and Castlebar. Three new centres opened this week in Milford, County Donegal, Cavan and Ballina. We announced another two centres for Donegal earlier. The locations are changing but it has been going down very well.

Genome sequencing is playing a bigger part. It was initially used to try to track down source identification for major outbreaks. We are using it now, obviously, for variants of concern. We were doing approximately 1% of all positive tests. We are now doing 20% of all positive tests, including the cases coming into the country. It has, therefore, been really useful. As the Deputy will be aware, we have also had a big push on rapid testing. On 1 April, a report was launched, and I am now working with colleagues across government to roll out projects in the different sectors. It has, therefore, played a big part. We are doing new things such as rapid testing, much more genome sequencing and the walk-in centres ,and it will continue to play an important role.

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