Stop the Spread of Covid-19
Timing is critical
Timing to test.
Timing to get the results.
Timing to put these measures in place.
I believe that NPHET should make clear recommendations on measures needed to stop the spread of the virus.
4 Measures Needed:
- Provide widely available testing in all areas of the country open 7 days a week
- All test results to be given back to person within 24 hours
- For people who come for testing… if they have any visible symptoms… then act immediately to contact their close contacts at the time the person presents for testing and not wait until test results returned
- Identify all close contacts, and communicate to all those contacts within 4 hours, and request that they self isolate immediately for 24 hours.
- Follow up with these contacts after 8 hours to check where they are self isolating.
- Keep a record of these close contacts, and keep a record of who is the person assigned to follow up on each contact.
- For everybody coming into Ireland, administer a test upon entry
- If any symptoms found, then send them to special holding area for at least 24 hours until test results available. This may be a series of hotels or otherwise. Also communicate back to the local areas in the country they travelled from informing them that one of their constituents presented with symptoms
- Do not let people entering the country wander all over the place coming in contact with people living in this country… claiming it is the responsibility of the traveler to check their own health.
- For people crossing in from Northern Ireland… where there is currently an extremely high incident rate, all be tested and apply same stringent measures to protect our people.
Present relevant figures in the News
In the News, present relevant figures related to these measures
- Numbers of people tested today
- Length of time taken to give each of them their results
- Number of people tested who you failed to give test results within 24 hours
- Number of close contacts, contacted within 4 hours
- Number of close contacts failed to contact within 4 hours
- Numbers of people entering the country today giving breakdown of
- By plane
- By Ferry
- From Northern Ireland
- Give numbers of these people who you failed to test
- Give numbers of these people who presented with any symptoms
and who have been quarantined for 24 hours until their test result becomes available
Of the measures listed above, I believe that there are 3 critical measures needed:
- Provide widely available testing in all areas of the country open 7 days a week
- All test results to be given back to person within 24 hours
- Administer test to everybody entering the country, and if any symptoms present, isolate them in secure accommodation and don’t leave the responsibility up to the possibly infected person
Don’t shut down the country
Please don’t shut down the whole country to cover up for inadequate testing and prompt reporting, and the necessary accompanying follow up procedures.
The Government can’t shirk their responsibility to protect the people of Ireland from this virus… and cannot be allowed to avoid it by saying that it is up to each individual person to act responsibly.
The Government must ensure they provide proper testing and prompt test results, and the necessary checks on people entering the country, as well as prompt contacting within 4 hours of close contacts of people presenting with symptoms.
It is our responsibility to lobby the Government to act as soon as possible to implement these measures.
A concerned citizen,
Dave Brocklebank
Reviewed 14th March 2019
