No Covid-19 PCR testing available in Louth today

There are currently no Covid-19 tests available for self-referral in Louth, according to the HSE website.

The HSE Covid-19 test portal for Louth currently displays that there are no PCR tests available at the only testing site in Louth.

The centre, located at Saint Brigids Hospital in Ardee, has been the only permanent testing facility in Louth since the pandemic began, however, there have been pop-up sites in Dundalk and Drogheda.

Speaking to Morning Ireland, the HSE’s lead for test and trace programme, Damien McCallion says that the pressure is coming due to the amount of swabs that can be carried out in one day, adding that laboratories and contact tracing is still performing well.

“Where the pressure is coming from at the moment is the clinical referrals and close contacts, we’re still getting them same day or next day, they’re the first priority for testing,” said Mr McCallion. 

“It’s the swabbing where the pressure is.

“Our laboratories are performing well, contact tracing is under pressure but performing well.

He said that the access point of swabbing was where the main difficulties lay.

In the last week, over 200,000 PCR lab tests were carried out by the HSE, with almost 1 million people having a PCR test in the last six to seven weeks.

“When you think of our population, those are huge numbers.”