Have you been tested?

Hotdiggity

...they are working to establish a community testing lab with a max capacity of 8k tests per day. Like any new lab setup, equipment numbers needs to be purchased, installed/qualified, suitable staff hired/trained and kits available. This lab will start testing imminently at a lesser rate and scale up as the previously mentioned actions are completed. Supply of kits is being addressed.

wellwhynot

Topdolla

Sorry if I missed it but can you give a rough timeline of your symptoms. Am I right in estimating you are on week 4?

boetstark

I felt pretty OK apart from a blocked nose and a bit tired. Mentioned to a neighbour who is a nurse that I had headcold but cannot taste or smell.
Within 3 hours had phonecall from gp and referred for test. Seems this is a tell tale sign in younger patients. Very surprised

STB.

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

Probably a bit of both.

The number of test kits is probably pitched at the lab capability.

If they can test 2,000 a day then there's no panic over the number of test kits. If they suddenly trebled their lab capability the test kits would run out faster and they would panic about test kits.

If someone with one symptom can't be referred for a test now why wouldnt you remove someone already referred from the que?

Unfortunately community testing is limited by the facilities available. There's a reason why so many countries are abandoning community testing. They don't have the capability as the numbers infected ramp up.

We have known about this for months.

We carried out 10-13,000 tests in the last 3 weeks.

Why aren't there enough kits now ?

Why have we a backlog of people waiting for testing (in some cases two weeks according to this thread).

40,000-50,000 people who had been self isolating previously, then referred by a GP BUT are still waiting. It is any wonder our published numbers have went down.

WHO are very clear on the requirements to fight this. Test Test Test and isolate those affected. Rinse and repeat. This is the South Korea model with the added requirements monitoring everyone coming in and out of the country, and patient followup.

And we can only process 2000 cases per day in the lab. Well our medical system has fallen at the first hurdle.

What are the commercial labs and university hospitals labs etc doing ?

Martina1991

STB. wrote:

We carried out 10-13,000 tests.

It's around 18,000 as of today.

STB. wrote:

Why aren't their enough kits ?

Because a lot of countries are also trying to acquire them and manufacturers can only produce so many a day.

STB. wrote:

Why have we a backlog of people waiting in some cases (two weeks according to a boards thread here).

The criteria went from being strict to being too loose overnight.

Now thousands are looking to be tested no matter how mild their symptoms.

STB. wrote:

What are the commercial labs and university hospitals labs etc doing ?

Commercial labs dont have the necessary equipment or qualified staff to perform testing. More hospital labs will start providing testing in the coming weeks/ months.

Danye

bennyl10 wrote: »

So a dry coughs aNd shortness with no fever means no test?
What if you’re currently in the que for a test?

Hi guys,

Sorry for jumping in here but I’m in isolation awaiting testing but I’ve no fever. Sore throat, blocked nose, a cough that’s got progressively worse and a lost of taste.

Has it being confirmed that anybody without a fever won’t be tested or will this apply to cases from now on?

STB.

Martina1991 wrote: »

It's around 18,000 as of today

.
I'd be grateful for a source for that, not that I am doubting you. So just a backlog of 45k to be long fingered even more.

Martina1991 wrote: »

Because a lot of countries are also trying to acquire them and manufacturers can only produce so many a day.

We have known about this for a long time. The first thing you check is whether you have enough test kits for obvious reasons. Thought you told me previously there were loads of kits available.

Martina1991 wrote: »

The criteria went from being strict to being too loose overnight.

You mean the part were the "where you in Italy" requirement was dropped on Friday 13/3. Yes, it was based largely then upon GP's recommendations depending on symptoms criteria for referral given it was now at "community level".

There are 40-50,000 people many self isolating and still waiting.

Martina1991 wrote: »

Now thousands are looking to be tested no matter how mild their symptoms.

You mean those that don't collapse on the floor from lack of oxygen. They still require testing to isolate and contain, however "mild" their symptoms, given the virus can be asymptomatic anyway.

Martina1991 wrote: »

Commercial labs dont have the necessary equipment or qualified staff to perform testing. More hospital labs will start providing testing in the coming weeks/ months.

Commercial labs don't have the equipment ?

The hospital labs will be ready in the coming weeks or months! Are they busy doing something else ? Thought you told me previously there were 12 labs.

We don't have weeks nor months.

In order to fight it, we need lots of tests and lots of isolation and we need to do it quickly. In order that it doesnt spread to a stage that it overwhelm the medical system at bed and ICU/ventilator level. That is the South Korea model. Its not what we are doing.

Between this and not enough PPE for frontline staff, I've just about heard it all at this stage. And we are only starting this fight.

amadangomor

Martina1991 wrote: »

It's around 18,000 as of today.


Because a lot of countries are also trying to acquire them and manufacturers can only produce so many a day.


The criteria went from being strict to being too loose overnight.

Now thousands are looking to be tested no matter how mild their symptoms.


Commercial labs dont have the necessary equipment or qualified staff to perform testing. More hospital labs will start providing testing in the coming weeks/ months.

What medical training do you have? How are you the arbeiter of who should be tested and who shouldn't be? Unfounded opinions from internet 'experts' like you is unhelpful and potentially dangerous.

digitaldr

Coming up with a case definition is not an exact science particularly with a new pathogen. It is normal for a case definition to change as more information becomes available.

Originally we based ours on the ECDC one but they were very slow to update the countries with significant ongoing community transmission. Eventually they stopped including specific countries and just referred to the WHO figures for community transmissions without specifying any rate that they would consider significant. As time went on and people stopped travelling we removed the travel part of the definition entirely to reflect the higher rates of local and community transmission. Tony Houlihan admitted tonight that the case definition we were left with was too loose (hence only 6% positivity rate) and that's why we moved to the WHO one. Undoubtedly there will be a small percentage of people without fever who have COVID-19 and that's why Tony Houlihan still advised anyone with cough etc and no fever to self isolate. It would be interesting to see what percentage of our cases to date had self reported or confirmed fever - I think this data should have been collected during the routine enhanced surveillance interview with every confirmed case.

Experience from China

based on 55924 laboratory confirmed cases, typical signs and symptoms include: fever (87.9%), dry cough (67.7%), fatigue (38.1%), sputum production (33.4%), shortness of breath (18.6%), sore throat (13.9%), headache (13.6%), myalgia or arthralgia (14.8%), chills (11.4%), nausea or vomiting (5.0%), nasal congestion (4.8%), diarrhea (3.7%), and hemoptysis (0.9%), and conjunctival congestion (0.8%).

(From WHO-China joint mission report).

amadangomor

Danye wrote: »

Hi guys,

Sorry for jumping in here but I’m in isolation awaiting testing but I’ve no fever. Sore throat, blocked nose, a cough that’s got progressively worse and a lost of taste.

Has it being confirmed that anybody without a fever won’t be tested or will this apply to cases from now on?

Don't listen to the stuff being spouted here, look up the HSE website or talk to your GP in the morning.

GaGa21

ax530 wrote:

New criteria for testing had 'and fever' had been or But if you have any symptoms act as if you have Corona isolation ect just won't be tested 6-7% tests positive so by changing criteria they focusing more. Press conference was on rte news now they very informative

So they're going to leave people with a fever waiting 1-2 weeks to be tested?
Some confirmed cases have not had fevers. For others, it may not be a symptom at the start of illness.
If someone has all other symptoms of a dry cough, sore throat, aches, fatigue, shortness of breath, they don't get tested?
This will not be good....

A big problem is that people with a stuffy nose will want to be tested. They’ll bend the truth of their symptoms to secure a test. GP’s are terrified of getting sued so will likely put you forward if you push it.

Test comes back negative because you just had a stuffy nose.

Obviously not all 40000 waiting, but probably a percentage at least

STB.

GaGa21 wrote: »

So they're going to leave people with a fever waiting 1-2 weeks to be tested?
Some confirmed cases have not had fevers. For others, it may not be a symptom at the start of illness.
If someone has all other symptoms of a dry cough, sore throat, aches, fatigue, shortness of breath, they don't get tested?
This will not be good....

No it won't. They'll know when people start dying at home or presenting in a bad way in ICU's and fairly soon. The percentage of that 40-50k possibly infected who have been self isolating already then playing the waiting game having been referred by GP's are now being long fingered even further and could wreck communities if whole families/houses didn't self isolate pending tests.

The failure of the testing regime at an early stage has now undermined the WHO guidelines. Test and isolate. Otherwise you are fighting blindfolded not knowing who is infected.

JP Liz V1

I would assume if your GP referred you for a test after consult no matter the criteria changes today you will be tested when available

Good Luck Everyone

babybuilder

So much for Harris saying every thing was under control the three weeks back and that the planning had been done. Problem with this country is the deferential arse licking and I'm alright jack attitude. It's obvious we're way behind the curve and we're in for a huge increase in numbers. If Europe, Britain and the rest get hit harder how secure are our food supply chains, medicines supplies etc?

calfmuscle

GaGa21 wrote: »

So they're going to leave people with a fever waiting 1-2 weeks to be tested?
Some confirmed cases have not had fevers. For others, it may not be a symptom at the start of illness.
If someone has all other symptoms of a dry cough, sore throat, aches, fatigue, shortness of breath, they don't get tested?
This will not be good....

Why?

Testing, as stated constantly on the daily updates does NOT dictate treatment. If you are unwell liaise with your gp and if necessary attend hospital. Tests do NOT dictate treatment. Symptoms DO! 🀦*♀️

STB.

calfmuscle wrote: »

Why?

Testing, as stated constantly on the daily updates does NOT dictate treatment. If you are unwell liaise with your gp and if necessary attend hospital. Tests do NOT dictate treatment. Symptoms DO! ��*♀️

They dictate isolation, which in turn triggers contact tracing and further testing an isolation of the clusters of infection, preventing further transmission.

We cannot flatten the curve if we start choosing who to test because of a failure in the testing regime.

The other hospital labs need to concentrate on clearing the backlog, rather than concentrating on repeat testing of those already infected.



Surely, there are loads of virology and chemical company labs suitable in Ireland for gen seq testing ?

calfmuscle

STB. wrote: »

They dictate isolation, which in turn triggers contact tracing and further testing an isolation of the clusters of infection, preventing further transmission.

We cannot flatten the curve if we start choosing who to test because of a failure in the testing regime.

The other hospital labs need to concentrate on clearing the backlog, rather than concentrating on repeat testing of those already infected.



Surely, there are loads of virology and chemical company labs suitable in Ireland for gen seq testing ?

No a test does not DICTATE isolation!

SYMPTOMS do as well as CONTACTS!

If you have any symptoms of cold or flu you must self isolate

If no symptoms and no recent contact you must social distance.

The information shared from government are very clear on this.

The test will come but might be delayed.

BUT ANY SYMPTOMS YOU MUST ISOLATE AND CONTACT YOUR GP.

REGARDLESS OF TESTING IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING LOOK FOR MEDICAL HELP.

YOU DO NOT NEED A POSITIVE TEST TO GET HELP. OUR HEALTH SERVICE IS OPEN FOR YOU.

GaGa21

calfmuscle wrote:

Testing, as stated constantly on the daily updates does NOT dictate treatment. If you are unwell liaise with your gp and if necessary attend hospital. Tests do NOT dictate treatment. Symptoms DO! 🀦*♀ï¸

Ah sure why bother testing at all then! Let's all do that so and see how it goes.

There's testing for a reason, it's not for a cure but it is for prevention and preparation.

STB.

calfmuscle wrote: »

No a test does not DICTATE isolation!

A positive test does dictate isolation. It also triggers contact tracing and any further spreading, especially in clusters.

It is WHO's recommendation for slowing down/or elimination of the pandemic.

Test & Isolate. Rinse and repeat.

We have 40-50,000 people waiting having passed the crieria for referral by GP's. Some of those waiting with symptoms are told they are being long fingered even further. That is not good enough.

I deleted the rest of your post as its just a rant about nothing.

Martina1991

amadangomor wrote:

What medical training do you have? How are you the arbeiter of who should be tested and who shouldn't be? Unfounded opinions from internet 'experts' like you is unhelpful and potentially dangerous.

I'm not a dr. I'm not giving advice. I'm just giving my opinion, like everyone else here.

I'm a medical scientist, just trying to explain the testing process if i can.

No one has to heed what i say.

calfmuscle

GaGa21 wrote: »

Ah sure why bother testing at all then! Let's all do that so and see how it goes.

There's testing for a reason, it's not for a cure but it is for prevention and preparation.

Totally agree and is a hugely important part of our fight against this virus.

calfmuscle

STB. wrote: »

A positive test does dictate isolation. It also triggers contact tracing and any further spreading, especially in clusters.

It is WHO's recommendation for slowing down/or elimination of the pandemic.

Test & Isolate. Rinse and repeat.

We have 40-50,000 people waiting having passed the crieria for referral by GP's. Some of those waiting with symptoms are told they are being long fingered even further. That is not good enough.

I deleted the rest of your post as its just a rant about nothing.

I'm trying to highlight that identifying symptoms and isolating based on those is far more important than waiting on test results.

Yes as stated this evening by our chief medical officer unfortunately that testing criteria was too broad hence reducing it.

Also very important ppl access healthcare when needed and not be afraid that they cant access as they do not have a test results

Is there a link to the symptoms you need to have before they'll test?

CIARAN_BOYLE

STB. wrote: »

A positive test does dictate isolation. It also triggers contact tracing and any further spreading, especially in clusters.

It is WHO's recommendation for slowing down/or elimination of the pandemic.

Test & Isolate. Rinse and repeat.

We have 40-50,000 people waiting having passed the crieria for referral by GP's. Some of those waiting with symptoms are told they are being long fingered even further. That is not good enough.

I deleted the rest of your post as its just a rant about nothing.

According to the press briefing today the case definition is being aligned with the who case definition.

The WHO says test test test. Do the WHO say who to test?

Test the hyperchondriacs? What about the asthmatics who are coughing as normal? Or the people with colds?

No the WHO issue a case definition to define who should be tested. We are adopting that with the change in policies. We had a wider definition before that led to the testing services being unable to cope.

No country can test everyone. If we test the people with a one in ten chance of having the virus and don't test the people with a one in 30 chance of having the virus we are more likely to find cases.

STB.

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

According to the press briefing today the case definition is being aligned with the who case definition.

The WHO says test test test. Do the WHO say who to test?

Test the hyperchondriacs? What about the asthmatics who are coughing as normal? Or the people with colds?

No the WHO issue a case definition to define who should be tested. We are adopting that with the change in policies. We had a wider definition before that led to the testing services being unable to cope.

No country can test everyone. If we test the people with a one in ten chance of having the virus and don't test the people with a one in 30 chance of having the virus we are more likely to find cases.

Yes they do. There are clear symptoms to check, High Temp being an obvious one. Its a worldwide poster.

Given GP's have been given responsibility as the gatekeepers, I'm sure they know their arse from their elbow.

Regardless, the criteria was set initially at "have you been in Italy". That changed on 13/3 when community transmission was already evident.

Not everyone has presented themselves for testing. Sick people presented themselves to their GP's. You don't change the criteria after the event because your system has failed, due to incompetence or lack of gear. You are no longer following WHO guidelines anymore.

Whats happening here of course is that the NVRL has been given exclusive reponsibility for community testing and they are not capable of the numbers.

Given the virus can be asymptomatic, you don't ignore people with symptoms. You identify them and you isolate. You certainly dont gamble.

If you have problem with lack of kits or not enough labs, you fix that. Don't try and bluff me.

JP Liz V1

wellwhynot wrote: »

Topdolla

Sorry if I missed it but can you give a rough timeline of your symptoms. Am I right in estimating you are on week 4?

Yes OP any update you'd like to share?

Martina1991

STB. wrote: »

.
I'd be grateful for a source for that, not that I am doubting you. So just a backlog of 45k to be long fingered even more.

We have known about this for a long time. The first thing you check is whether you have enough test kits for obvious reasons. Thought you told me previously there were loads of kits available.

You mean the part were the "where you in Italy" requirement was dropped on Friday 13/3. Yes, it was based largely then upon GP's recommendations depending on symptoms criteria for referral given it was now at "community level".

You mean those that don't collapse on the floor from lack of oxygen. They still require testing to isolate and contain, however "mild" their symptoms, given the virus can be asymptomatic anyway.

Commercial labs don't have the equipment ?


The hospital labs will be ready in the coming weeks or months! Are they busy doing something else ? Thought you told me previously there were 12 labs.

In order to fight it, we need lots of tests and lots of isolation and we need to do it quickly. In order that it doesnt spread to a stage that it overwhelm the medical system at bed and ICU/ventilator level. That is the South Korea model. Its not what we are doing.

Between this and not enough PPE for frontline staff, I've just about heard it all at this stage. And we are only starting this fight.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/health-news/coronavirus-ireland-nearly-18000-covid-21748699.amp

Over 14,600 as of today. That should be around the 18k mark by tomorrow.

There is a constant supply of swabs.
There is also a need for testing kits and reagents for lab analysis. There may be issues with supply of these down the line.

I can absolutely see the benefit of trying to test everyone we can but i think the testing criteria should have been extended bit by bit to those with more severe symptoms or contact with a confirmed case and then extend the criteria to anyone who wishes to be tested when we can keep up with demand.
That's just my opinion.

Yes busy doing their routine work for hospitals, clinics and GPs.
Smaller hospitals with fewer staff will take longer to implement the service. The service is running in hospitals in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway atm.
Staff are now rostered in teams to prevent staff mixing together. That means the number of staff in is reduced and people are stretched.
I got the number 12 on twitter from the past president of the ACMLS Irene Regan.

There are already many plans in place for preparation and more to come. Our hospital ICU has gone from having 6 beds to having 24 if needed.

There is a lot of work being done behind the scenes that isn't reported in the media.

wat24

More info here on new rules. It also seems people waiting for test may not be tested now if they don’t fit this criteria

https://twitter.com/fergalbowers/status/1242707139728113664?s=21

wat24

.