Case Study
A Dublin man says his daughter has been waiting since last Monday for a test for coronavirus.
His daughter, who is in her 40s, returned recently with a group from Austria. She was then contacted by HSE public health staff who told her one of the group had tested positive for Covid-19 and that, as a close contact, she also needed to be tested and should make herself ready.
At 6am on Saturday, she received a call asking her to confirm her phone number. “Apart from that, she’s heard nothing. Here we are a week later and she still hasn’t been tested. It’s extraordinary,” says her father.
“We are being shown pictures of testing centres being set up in football stadiums and naval boats but I suspect the reality around testing is somewhat different, and we’re not hearing about it. But, on the other hand, we’re being told testing is absolutely crucial in limiting the spread of the disease.”
Others in the group considered to be contacts were also advised they needed testing, and some have been tested, but none had yet received results, he said.
The man says he is not worried for his daughter, who has only mild symptoms and is currently self-isolating with her partner and child. “She’s fine and being responsible, but is everyone else who is forced to wait?”
