Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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517. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated monthly cost to the Exchequer of providing universal free antigen tests. [45628/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I have accepted updated advice from the interim Chief Medical Officer relating to COVID-19 Testing, Tracing and Surveillance which has also been approved by the Government. The public health advice does not include a scheme such as the one referred to by the Deputy so no estimate of the likely cost of such a scheme is available.

From the autumn, the HSE will be adopting a more targeted approach for COVID-19 testing which will be based on a clinical assessment where a clinician requires the result to contribute to the diagnosis and management of an individual patient, or where deemed necessary by Public Health in relation to the management of an outbreak or specific public health risk. It also means that we can target treatment interventions where they will be of benefit. The approach to COVID-19 testing is facilitated by the high level of vaccine-induced and naturally acquired population immunity in Ireland. This is mitigating against the worst impacts of infection.

The HSE is also enhancing existing infectious disease surveillance systems so that we can ensure effective monitoring and signalling of what is happening with the virus at population level, and so that we can understand disease transmission and severity along with population immunity and risk.

The pandemic is not over and COVID-19 is still a concern so testing remains an important part of our ongoing response to the disease for individuals vulnerable to its effects and for whom testing is indicated. For everybody, continuing to follow our public health advice available on hse.ie is still important. Anybody who has symptoms of COVID-19 should self-isolate until 48 hours after the symptoms are mostly or fully gone.

Anybody who has concerns about an underlying condition or their level of risk in relation to COVID-19 is advised to seek advice from their GP or treating clinician.

My Department, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) and the National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL), overseen by the interim Chief Medical Officer, continue to review the COVID-19 epidemiological situation in Ireland and internationally. This includes the on-going close monitoring of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and assessment of any potential threat to population health.