Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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559. To ask the Minister for Health the reason it is not possible to be referred for a Covid-19 test by the Covid-19 HSE information line which would save time and money; the reason only a general practitioner can refer persons for a Covid-19 test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8539/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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A GP is the best person to advise a patient if they are concerned that they have symptoms of COVID-19 infection and is best placed to make a clinical judgment as to whether a patient should be referred for a test.

The HSE advises that it now has the capacity to test 15,000 people a day. Turnaround times have continued to improve and the HSE continues to implement measures to further reduce turnaround times so as to its target to complete the testing process from referral to the completion of contact tracing within 3 days or less in 90% cases. The HSE continues to work intensively to further develop processes and turnaround times across the testing and tracing pathway and a range of further improvements will be rolled out in the coming weeks.

Significant progress has been made over recent weeks to scale up Ireland's testing services. Ireland's testing strategy has evolved as testing capacity has grown. A number of changes have been made to the case definition so that anyone presenting with acute respiratory infection comprising the sudden onset of least one of the following symptoms (cough, fever, shortness of breath) can be referred for testing. Our strategy is to target testing at those groups or populations where the virus is most likely to be and where it’ll do most harm.