Fears are growing that meat and dairy processors will be left in limbo if the HSE is unable to deliver thousands of additional test results for workers in the industry.
Once a week, blanket testing is due to be focused on workers in the three lockdown counties before being rolled out nationally to facilities with over 50 employees, but the HSE appears to already be struggling to deliver results.
HSE documents seen by the Irish Farmers Journal told processors that workers could expect a three-day turnaround period on result delivery, but doubts have been cast on this model given that a large number of workers in Kildare Chilling have already been waiting over 10 days to get their results.
A national rollout of testing will see considerably more workers requiring results. Up to 15,000 meat workers and 18,000 dairy workers could have to be tested weekly under the proposed programme.
HSE documents show that test swabs of workers are expected to be taken on the same day once a week on each factory site.
But this could be complicated by different shift patterns and the capacity of the ambulance service to carry out thousands of additional swabbings.
It is understood that one of the main testers, Enfer Laboratories, will have no issue processing up to 12,000 tests a day but the delivery of the results is a major challenge for the HSE.
Negative results
In response to a question from this newspaper on factory testing delays, the HSE said negative results were generally texted to workers within 48 hours but acknowledged that phoning workers with positive results who needed a translator took “additional time”.
Sources close to NPHET have told this newspaper the delivery of test results will be a “major challenge” with a “tsunami” of tests and pointed to the limited capacity of COVID-19 call centres, many of which are manned by volunteers, to deliver results.
Speaking on RTÉ earlier this week, Professor Philip Nolan, chair of the NPHET epidemiological modelling advisory group, admitted that the system was already “under strain”.
Both the meat and dairy industry have given their full backing to the programme for testing but a number of sources are understood to be concerned.
Surprise
Many within the dairy industry are reported to be surprised by the inclusion of dairy processors in blanket testing, with little warning from the Government.
It is also unclear what system the HSE will use to determine if a factory should be closed if positive cases are uncovered. This is causing major concern, particularly in the dairy sector where the shelf life of the primary product is at risk.
Meat Industry Ireland has repeatedly called on the Government to ensure that test results are returned within 24 hours to factories.
The issue around the delivery of results for workers has also been criticised by SIPTU, which called it “erratic”.
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Fears are growing that meat and dairy processors will be left in limbo if the HSE is unable to deliver thousands of additional test results for workers in the industry.
Once a week, blanket testing is due to be focused on workers in the three lockdown counties before being rolled out nationally to facilities with over 50 employees, but the HSE appears to already be struggling to deliver results.
HSE documents seen by the Irish Farmers Journal told processors that workers could expect a three-day turnaround period on result delivery, but doubts have been cast on this model given that a large number of workers in Kildare Chilling have already been waiting over 10 days to get their results.
A national rollout of testing will see considerably more workers requiring results. Up to 15,000 meat workers and 18,000 dairy workers could have to be tested weekly under the proposed programme.
HSE documents show that test swabs of workers are expected to be taken on the same day once a week on each factory site.
But this could be complicated by different shift patterns and the capacity of the ambulance service to carry out thousands of additional swabbings.
It is understood that one of the main testers, Enfer Laboratories, will have no issue processing up to 12,000 tests a day but the delivery of the results is a major challenge for the HSE.
Negative results
In response to a question from this newspaper on factory testing delays, the HSE said negative results were generally texted to workers within 48 hours but acknowledged that phoning workers with positive results who needed a translator took “additional time”.
Sources close to NPHET have told this newspaper the delivery of test results will be a “major challenge” with a “tsunami” of tests and pointed to the limited capacity of COVID-19 call centres, many of which are manned by volunteers, to deliver results.
Speaking on RTÉ earlier this week, Professor Philip Nolan, chair of the NPHET epidemiological modelling advisory group, admitted that the system was already “under strain”.
Both the meat and dairy industry have given their full backing to the programme for testing but a number of sources are understood to be concerned.
Surprise
Many within the dairy industry are reported to be surprised by the inclusion of dairy processors in blanket testing, with little warning from the Government.
It is also unclear what system the HSE will use to determine if a factory should be closed if positive cases are uncovered. This is causing major concern, particularly in the dairy sector where the shelf life of the primary product is at risk.
Meat Industry Ireland has repeatedly called on the Government to ensure that test results are returned within 24 hours to factories.
The issue around the delivery of results for workers has also been criticised by SIPTU, which called it “erratic”.
Read more
COVID-19: marts exempt from new restrictions
COVID-19: meat and dairy worker testing in lockdown counties
COVID-19: up to 30 mushroom factory workers test positive
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