.@HSELive media briefing re #covid19ireland. Paul Reid, CEO of HSE, encourages social distancing. "It really does matter that much". Says people blaming the young doesn't help. "That won't win hearts and minds"
Reid says the HSE has had "really good dialogues" with the private hospital and hotel industries regarding sourcing space to manage the virus
There are now almost 1,200 people working on contact tracing of those with the disease. Just 40 people were doing so at the beginning of the crisis
"We knew this was going to be very difficult, but we have made very good progress." Almost 40,000 test kits are now being distributed, with a further 35,000 due for delivery next Wednesday
Between public and private hospitals, ICU spaces with ventilators will total 500, Reid says. For reference, there were 13 people with Covid-19 in ICU yesterday #iestaff
Total spend on procurement for crisis equipment will shortly be almost €240 million. In a normal year that figure is €15 million, Reid says
Chief operating officer Anne O'Connor says that Pairc Ui Chaoimh testing site is to go live later today. It will be the largest such Covid-19 test site in the country, running 1,000 tests a day. It's the 35th such site in the country #iestaff
Last week the HSE was testing 2000 people a day. From Monday that figure will jump to 4500, which doesn't include the people being tested in hospitals
Six more testing sites will be coming into operation in the coming days, she says
O'Connor says that priority this week has been to develop "very specific guidance" for nursing homes to ensure that they can prioritise people who have tested positive. Other priority groups include the Traveller community, the homeless, and those with addiction problems
Sarah Doyle, specialist in public health medicine, now speaking
Very large contact tracing programme now being rolled out, she says. That means that in the coming weeks you may receive a call from someone who is not a public health professional, but who has been fully trained in the process
She says that, ideally, if someone thinks about their close contacts they should list only those in their own household
"We know that people are at home and they're concerned. If you have symptoms you need to self-isolate, and ppl in your household should also be restricting their movements. If you're having trouble breathing, that is the time to reach out for clinical care."
"If you don't have such symptoms, a positive test will not change anything"
Regarding going outside: "It's ok to go out in twos and threes. If you're sick, stay home. If someone in your house is sick, stay home. Wash your hands frequently, though I think everyone is doing that anyway"
"In the coming weeks we will learn from this, and if we are doing well we will see less people becoming sick every day. Everything that everybody does can impact on that. So think what you can do to protect ourselves"
On to the virtual questioning (journalists submitted their questions in advance in lieu of attending the briefing). Reid acknowledges that the market for PPE (personal protective equipment) has been "difficult", but that significant progress has been made in terms of procurement
There is a delay in testing, acknowledges Dr Doyle. Some people have been waiting for up to a week for a test
Currently a "large" number of people are awaiting testing, 40,000 people plus, O'Connor says
Reid says that the fact the numbers were lower yesterday compared to Friday is "absolutely not" a cause for satisfaction. "We take no comfort just now. We are at the very beginning."
"Surveillance is about trends and seeing how the outbreak evolves over time," Dr Doyle says. Absolutely no sugar-coating from the HSE, which is good you'd have to say. Very serious situation we are all in
Re social distancing in supermarkets, Reid says the effort across the country has been "very commendable". Can it be enforced in outlets that are not observing strict distancing? That's a matter for the public health emergency team, Reid says
We don't know how close to the curve's peak we are, says Dr Doyle.
"The evidence we have is that the chances of contracting the virus are still low, but rising," says Doyle. Says if you have mild symptoms it is still most likely something else. But that is likely to change very soon
No plans to test asymptomatic people at present
The mobilisation of the LE Samuel Beckett represents the "immediate availability" of a trained workforce, says Reid
Under 30 people are in ICU at present with the illness. But that is set to change, O'Connor says
Fairly sure this figure is 13 actually. The hazards of a streamed media briefing...
