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APPOINTMENTS FOR COVID-19 TESTING AT WICKLOW CENTRE HAVE GROWN CONSIDERABLY IN RECENT WEEKS, WRITES
THE Coronavirus Testing Centre operating out of Wicklow town has been open since St Patrick’s Day and currently tests on average over 100 people a day.
The centre is being run out of the Wicklow Day Care Centre on Glenside Road, with admin support from the neighbouring Local Health Office.
Six to seven staff work on each shift, with appointments generally taking place every five minutes.
Elaine Hickey, Assistant Director of Public Health Nursing, said the number of appointments taking place each day has grown considerably since the Test Centre opened its doors on March 17.
‘You can’t come to the test centre unless you have an appointment. We are generally taking appointments every five minutes, where as to begin with it was every ten minutes. It’s full steam ahead at the moment and we are testing well over 100 people a day.’
People will not be seen at any of Ireland’s 46 test centres unless they have an appointment. They can phone their GP to be assessed if they have a fever or cough, or a fever and shortness of breath.
Priority groups for testing include people with specific symptoms of coronavirus who have also had close contacts of a confirmed case, healthcare workers who are in the frontline and have regular patient contact and those most at risk of severe infection such as people with diabetes, immunosuppressed, chronic lung disease, chronic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic renal disease, chronic liver disease and smokers.
Do not go to a GP, as the GP will assess people over the phone.
If a GP decides a patient needs to be tested, they will arrange a test. People will need to self-isolate while they wait for that test and will get a text message with the time and location of the test a few days after the GP arranges it.
‘We will have one or two staff members in the car park awaiting any appointments,’ explained Ms Hickey.
‘ They will direct the service user in and check your number is down on the list. The staff member will be wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) gear, including a gown, mask and goggles. You will then be issued with an information pack, which includes tissues, a mask and fact sheet. You will be asked to use the tissue to blow your nose in the car to minimise any risk. You have to put the mask on and you will be asked to wash your hands with sanitizer on your way into the centre. One health care worker will take down your details and check your reference number again, while another will take a sample from inside your mouth and nose with a swab. It only takes three seconds in both. The swab is then packaged into a tube and sent off for testing. We ask everyone to self-isolate until they get their results.’
If a test is negative, the person will get a text message from the testing service. A Public Health representative will phone someone if the result is positive and ask them to identify any people they may have been in contact with.
A team of health professionals are present at the Test Centre, including Public Health Nurses, medical officers, dental staff and nurses, speech and language therapists and occupation therapists and physiotherapists. Efforts will also be made to address the needs of the patient on an individual basis.
Health practitioners are also anxious that anyone suffering from symptoms or other conditions not related to coronavirus to make sure they get medical advice and attention, if required, including anyone who is feeling symptoms synonymous with a stroke or heart attack.