Pat’s plan to unlock Ireland from COVID-19

A CORK businessman with a base in Killarney has ‘opened a conversation’ about distributing a scientifically proven test to everybody in the country which would give a COVID-19 result within 15 minutes as a significant step towards declaring Ireland ‘virus free’.

Pat Phelan – a tech-oriented entrepreneur who set up two start-ups before selling them and now is a partner in a chain of clinics with bases in Killarney, Cork, Limerick and Dublin – believes that the test, which has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, could be acquired at a fraction of the cost of other measures being adapted to fight the spread of the illness.

The testing kits, which cost €10 each, are being used by Emirates Airlines on their passengers and crew.

Passengers are tested in the departure gate lounges before they board the plane.

The results are available within 10 to 15 minutes, and the test received its USFDA approval at the weekend.

The FDA had previously rejected more than 120 other tests purporting to give results as to whether or not someone was COVID-19 positive or not.

The entrepreneur made his case in a post on the internet journalism site, medium.com, at the weekend.

“I have been testing with these kits for a while now and whilst it’s a non-clinical test, it is an absolute indication and gives you a positive or negative much like a pregnancy test from a very simple finger prick,” he said.

“I’m not a doctor or anything like that, just an ordinary decent citizen, looking for practical ways to help get Ireland going again.”

His proposal, which he wants to spark a public discussion, is to send one of these tests to every citizen in the country over the next two weeks.

“They take their own test, the result is then entered into the contact-tracing mobile App which is coming shortly.

“This means we could do this almost immediately and at relatively little cost.

“With the test we will be able to see where we really are in real time when combined with the contact tracing app being developed now,” he said.

“This is doable within a couple of weeks.”

Prominent TCD epidemiologist, Professor Luke O’Neill, said the proposal was well worth considering.

However, he moved to caution against viewing the test as a conclusive indicator that would bring about a lifting of the current restrictions.

He said other measures would also have to be used before restrictions could be lifted.

“As long as the test is robust and well validated, why not,” he said.

The SISU clinics which are part-owned by Mr Phelan with two doctors are aimed at aesthetic therapies.

The testing kits which could be a significant tool in COVID-19 fight.