Results 9,821-9,840 of 26,357 for speaker:Kieran O'Donnell

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: I welcome Dr. Mina to our session. I thank him for taking the time to join us so early in the morning in Boston. He is well known in Ireland in that he has contributed very much to the antigen–PCR debate. Our committee is discussing this. I am aware that Dr. Mina has interacted with Professor Ferguson on his contribution here. What we really want is Dr. Mina's overview on the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: I am obliged to read a note on parliamentary privilege. Witnesses are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person or entity by name or in such a way as to make the person or the entity identifiable, or to otherwise engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name to the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: I will go back to Senator Horkan. We are very tight on time so I ask him for a very quick question because others have to come in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: I will not put the professionals on the spot, but I will ask Professor Mina, who is the authority as everyone knows. Will he address that point? When the population is fully vaccinated, will there be a requirement for antigen and PCR testing in terms of travel?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: We will invite Dr. Tony Holohan, the CMO, to our committee. I ask him here publicly to engage with our committee and put his arguments on antigen testing. The purpose of the committee is to get to the facts. The missing piece of the jigsaw at this stage is that we need the CMO to appear before the committee to give his views on antigen testing. I ask for that to happen very shortly. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: Antigen testing could be introduced in Ireland for air travel and sporting and cultural events. Dr. Mina has published academic papers on this area. Has he carried out empirical work to show what it would do to reduce the rate of transmission among the general population in Ireland? This feeds in to public health.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: Antigen testing helps that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: I thank Dr. Mina.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: I must ask our guests to be brief in their responses because our time is limited.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: I will put the Deputy's question to Dr. Power first because it relates to her field, aviation. How quickly could a pilot antigen testing scheme be set up, for example, on a moderately busy route from Ireland to the UK?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: I have a quick question for Dr. Mina. For asymptomatic people, is PCR or antigen testing more effective?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: When looking to live in a world with Covid, does Dr. Mina believe antigen is a far more effective public health tool than PCR testing?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: Absolutely.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: Will Mr. O’Brien and Mr. O’Grady write to the committee giving us copies of the correspondence so we can follow up directly and put this firmly on the agenda? We reiterate our invitation to the CMO, Dr. Holohan, and his colleagues to come before us. We will follow up with them. This matter requires public discussion on a factual basis to justify why antigen testing is not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: Dr. Mina shared his contribution on social media and we thank him for that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: Yes. I will go back to Mr. O’Grady from Dualchem. We face into the GAA championship, a huge social and cultural event for all things Irish. My question relates to putting in place what Mr. O’Grady spoke about. If it was done on the basis that the antigen test had to be monitored, rather than self-administered, could it still work or is it too cumbersome or costly a system...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: Would it be fair to say that if the Department of Health, the HSE and Dr. Holohan, Dr. De Gascun and their colleagues moved into this space to regulate antigen testing properly, Mr. O’Grady would not have an issue with that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: Will Dr. Mina comment on the self-administered as distinct from the monitored antigen test? We did not discuss it but Professor Ferguson is keen on sustained rapid antigen testing. His model was to have people who have travelled from abroad isolate at home with rapid antigen tests being done every second day. Self-administered antigen tests would cut down on tests considerably compared with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rapid Antigen Testing for Aviation and Travel Sectors: Discussion (9 Jun 2021)

Kieran O'Donnell: We have discussed using rapid antigen testing over time so that people do not have to quarantine or can self-isolate at home. What structures for the regulation of antigen testing could we have here? That would bring much certainty and confidence to this among the public. What do the witnesses believe should be done for public health in that area?