Coronavirus test results slow to come through

DELAYS surrounding laboratory analysis of Covid-19 tests conducted in West Kerry means it is impossible to say with any accuracy how many people in the area have been infected with the virus.

Although the nationwide programme of Covid-19 testing has been stepped up in the past week, Dr Conor Brosnan in Ionad Leighis an Daingin told The Kerryman this week that test results are “very slow coming through”. Dr Peadar Ó Fionnáin in Clinic Cois Abhann on the Spa Road has had a similar experience, but added that the slow return of test results can be a good sign.

“Positive test results are issued very quickly so we can generally assume that if results don’t come back they are negative [meaning a patient doesn’t have the virus],” he said.

However, Dr Ó Fionnáin said the downside of the slow return of test results is that local GPs don’t have real-time information on the overall level of coronavirus infection in the local community.

He added that while no patients of

Clinic Cois Abhann have yet tested positive for Covid-19, “it’s a certainty that there are cases of Covid-19 in West Kerry”.

Meanwhile, Dr Brosnan said that because of a shortage of test kits and a nationwide situation where 94 per cent of Covid-19 tests were turning up negative, the criteria for conducting tests had been tightened up considerably. Patients now need to have multiple symptoms such as fever, a cough or shortness of breath and/ or contact with a confirmed Covid-19 case in order to qualify for a test. He added that the current procedure is for patients to self isolate if they have had any possible contact with Covid-19.

Conor added that while people in West Kerry are naturally concerned about the health risks and are adhering to the advice from government and health officials to avoid infection, there is no sense of panic. “People here have a lot of resilience, stoicism and common sense… There’s a kind of independence and self reliance that gives people confidence we’ll get over this,” he said.