‘Tourists must be checked daily’
VISITORS to Ireland should be checked ‘daily or twice daily’ by the authorities to ensure they are self-isolating for two weeks after their arrival, RCSI infectious diseases expert Sam McConkey has said.
The Department of Transport in the UK is piloting a Covid-19 testing scheme in Heathrow Airport where passengers can pay between £100 and £170 for a test to avoid quarantining for 14 days. The test needs to be booked in advance of arrival and is only available to those landing in Terminal 2.
The creators of the test, Collinson, have claimed it is ‘the gold standard’ in testing and detects the virus in people who are asymptomatic. The individual must isolate while they wait for results which can be turned around in 24 hours. If the test is negative, it’s hoped the individual won’t have to isolate for 14 days.
Irish experts say theoretically this is a good idea but that testing isn’t foolproof and given that overseas travel will be the biggest threat to our Covid-19 numbers, repeated testing over 14 days along with self-isolation would be a better option than a single test.
Dr McConkey told the Irish Mail on Sunday that ensuring people are self-isolating and regular checks on where they are staying are crucial.
‘Theoretically this test seems like a good idea however, there are a number of issues,’ he said.
‘Firstly, a negative Sars
CoV2 PCR test on a nasopharyngeal swab at the airport does not exclude with 100% certainty that the traveller is infected and still incubating Sars CoV2 in the early pre-shedding stage and it could start to spread in around in the next seven to 10 days. The negative predictive value of the test in this context is not known at present.
‘If we knew that this test had a very high negative predictive value at this time, then what you have proposed would be good. ‘We should be doing an evaluation of the merits and value of this test, and perhaps also of nasopharyngeal swabs tested also at day three, five and seven after arrival. ‘Secondly some people may object to it.
‘Thirdly is cost, which is a bit high. While in theory it might work, in my view we should evaluate it thoroughly first before relying on it. So far we have not been doing enforced quarantine in Ireland yet for Covid-19.
‘The strict meaning of quarantine is to completely and forcibly exclude people from circulation, for example, to remain on Spike Island for two weeks after arrival would be quarantine.
‘On the other hand in Ireland we have a Government-recommended 14-day period of self-isolation after arrival, which is different from quarantine.
‘We should have daily or twice daily physical checks on some travellers at their place of selfisolation to ensure they are complying with recommendations, and if many are not complying then we should have more forceful measures to increase the isolation.’