2,211 Covid-19 tests done at drive-in centre
THERE’S been mixed reports of activity at Wexford’s drive-in Covid-19 test centre in the Whitemill Industrial Estate over the past couple of weeks. While on certain days and at certain times, there seems to be a flurry of activity, on other day’s the centre seems all but closed up.
The HSE has now stated that a total of 2,211 tests have been carried out at Wexford’s drive in test centre since it opened on March 23 and that, as of Friday, there was no waiting list for tests anywhere in the South East.
In terms of the region, Wexford’s testing figures put the county behind only Kilkenny where 2,761 Covid-19 tests were carried out. In Waterford, 2,090 tests were carried out across three community testing centres, while there were 1,085 tests in Clonmel and 379 in Carlow over similar periods.
The last update received from the Wexford centre on April 20 stated that 774 tests had been carried out in the 23 days previous, which would imply that somewhere in the region of 1,400 tests have been carried out in the past six weeks.
A spokesperson for the HSE was also keen to stress that testing was not just confined to the drive-in centres.
‘In parallel to community testing, the HSE has also undertaken a mass testing programme in respect of staff and residents in both public and privately run residential care centres and nursing homes,’ they noted.
‘In the South East, a total of 11,403 have been tested as part of this programme (6, 863 in Older Persons, 2,915 in Disability, 1,403 in Mental Health and 222 others). Also acute hospitals continue to test patients as required.’
Speaking on an apparent slowing down in traffic passing through the Whitemill test centre, the spokesperson added: ‘Testing hasn’t slowed down; if anything it has ramped up in recent weeks as we’ve branched out to care centres and nursing homes. It would, however, be fair to say that things have slowed down at the test centre in the last week or two.
‘I know there are test centres that are now closing around the country, some of whom have had higher numbers than Wexford.’
While the spokesperson refused to speculate on whether discussions were ongoing to close down the Wexford test centre, he did say that ‘it would be everybody’s hope that these are not permanent structures’.
While at one point the HSE were said to have been looking at the possibility of installing test centres in Enniscorthy and Gorey as well, thankfully, Wexford seems to have weathered the storm with just the one community test centre.