‘No current plans’ to close local Covid testing centre

The HSE said it has no current plans to close the Covid-19 testing and vaccination centres in Offaly, but that opening hours at the sites were "being scaled back" at present.

Responding to a query from the Offaly Independent about the future of the Covid test centre in Clonminch and the vaccination centre in Mucklagh, HSE spokesperson Dymphna Bracken said: "There is no plan to close the testing or vaccination sites at the moment.

"Opening hours are being scaled back as demand is low in both sites," she added.

Earlier this week the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan, told an Oireachtas committee that changes to the current testing and contact tracing systems were likely in the near future.

He indicated that he did not foresee a need to continue testing every individual irrespective of the severity of their symptoms or their level of vulnerability to the disease.

A total of 11,363 Covid tests were carried out at the Offaly test centre in Clonminch during the month of January, according to figures released by the HSE.

The Omicron wave meant a very busy first fortnight of the year at the centre, with more than 800 people getting tested on certain days.

Thankfully, there was a sharp decline in the the number of people needing to come forward for a test after that, with the daily test numbers remaining between 100 and 200 towards the end of the month.

Some 193 people attended for testing at the Offaly centre on Tuesday of this week, February 1.