Coronavirus: Test times must be down to 24 hours before lockdown eased, expert warns

A leading expert has warned that any efforts to ease out of lockdown must be matched by a reduction in the length of time it takes to test and trace the virus.

The lockdown was justified when it was introduced, said Paul Moynagh, Professor of Immunology and Director of the Human Health Research Institute at Maynooth University, but he would like to see a greater sense of urgency with regard to test times which he says need to be reduced to 24 hours

“That would support efforts to exit lockdown,” he told Newstalk Breakfast.

While he welcomed the road map announced by the government, Prof Moynagh said that any moves to leave lockdown must be supported by social distancing and testing and tracing.

Ireland is doing well in terms of the numbers being tested, but “it is not fast enough” he said, and he was very worried when he heard about aspirational turnaround times of three to four days “this needs to be 24 hours.”

Prof Moynagh said that a number of mathematical studies had been carried out internationally comparing the rate of decrease of transmission whether lockdown had been imposed or not. He had expected a lockdown to have had a greater effect.

Most of the benefits were due to social distancing and while there were arguments that social distancing would have been sufficient, the lockdown had been justified at the time, he said. Social distancing had worked in Sweden where there had been “very heavy” self-regulation.

It will be a big challenge to get testing times down to 24 hours, but the effort will be worth it, he said.

However, questions will have to be asked about the current testing and tracing times which will have to be looked at “really seriously.”