David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

945. To ask the Minister for Health the guidelines for persons when a member of their household displays symptoms of Covid-19; if they should self-isolate until a negative test is returned; if his attention has been drawn to HSE guidance being issued to persons that says a member of a household is not required to isolate while their household member with symptoms is waiting for a test; his views on whether this is not the appropriate guidance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27118/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy may wish to note that the public health advice relating to Covid-19 is kept under continuing review by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), by the Department of Health and by the Government. The measures in place and the public health advice have been adapted to the changing circumstances and this will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future.

If a person has any common symptoms of COVID-19, they should self-isolate and phone their GP immediately to get a COVID-19 test.

Common symptoms of COVID-19 include:

- a fever (high temperature - 38 degrees Celsius or above)

- a cough - this can be any kind of cough, not just dry

- shortness of breath or breathing difficulties

- loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

It can take up to 14 days for symptoms to show, and the symptoms can be similar to symptoms of cold and flu.

The latest public health advice is available at the following links and is updated on a regular basis:

With particular reference to the question that the Deputy has raised with regard to guidance for someone who is living with a person displaying the symptoms of Covid-19, I would draw his attention to the following, which sets out that such a person should restrict their movements until the outcome of a test for Covid-19 has been received:

As the Deputy will note, there is a difference between advice to "self-isolate", where people are required to stay indoors and avoid contact with others completely, including those from the same household, and "restricted movement", which involves avoiding contact with other people and social situations as much as possible.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

946. To ask the Minister for Health the locations in which his Department believes the increase in Covid-19 cases in County Wicklow is arising from, that is community transmission, foreign travel and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27123/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Since the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) met for the first time, a commitment was given to collect and publish as much relevant data as possible while ensuring individual patient confidentiality is maintained at all times. While the nature and scale of the Covid-19 pandemic has been unprecedented, the collection of timely and comprehensive data has been instrumental in developing the health service response to Covid-19 and to the advice provided by NPHET and the Department of Health to assist Government decision-making in the wider response to the disease in Ireland.

Comprehensive national statistics, information and data about Covid-19, including a timeline of confirmed cases by date, is published on a daily basis on the Department of Health website at https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-health/ and on the Covid-19 Data Hub and Dashboards available at . The published data are based on official figures provided by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) and the Health Service Executive (HSE).

All datasets, charts and maps are updated on an on-going basis and in line with newly published data.

The Deputy may wish to note that the COVID-19 Data Hub now offers regularly updated Local Electoral Area (LEA) data.  However, care is required to ensure patient confidentiality is preserved and that no potential identification of individual cases arises. As a result, the data relating to confirmed cases by LEA is published weekly on a Thursday, reflecting new cases notified in each LEA for the 14-day period up to midnight on the previous Monday.

The Deputy may also wish to note that a range of data on the epidemiology of Covid-19 in Ireland, including data on county incidence levels and trends in transmission, is published in the daily report by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) available at: , while a daily report on the last 14 days in cases available at: