Walk-in Covid testing site to open in Limerick on Saturday

The facility, which will be run by the HSE, will be at the grounds of St Joseph’s Health Campus, Mulgrave Street and operate run for six days.

The facility, which will be run by the HSE, will be at the grounds of St Joseph’s Health Campus, Mulgrave Street and operate for six days. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

A walk-in and drive-through Covid-19 testing site will open to the public in Limerick this Saturday morning.

The facility, which will be run by the HSE, will be at the grounds of St Joseph’s Health Campus, Mulgrave Street and operate for six days.

The five-bay facility, close to the city centre, will be operated from 11am to 7pm on Saturday, April 10 to Thursday, April 15.

This is an operation led by the National Ambulance Service and supported by HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare and Public Health Mid-West.

The testing service will be open to members of the public who live close by or within walking distance of the centre.

It is open for those who do not have Covid-19 symptoms and for people who are concerned that they may have been at risk of infection in the past two weeks.

Children can get tested if they are accompanied by a parent, a spokesperson for the Department of Public Health Midwest said.

“You must bring a photo ID with you and provide us with a mobile phone number so we can contact you with your results. We urge members of the public who have symptoms to consult their GP to arrange a test, and to not avail of the walk-in facility,” the spokesperson added.

Members of the public queue to get tested at the previous walk-in Covid 19 test centre at the GAA clubhouse in Lorcan O Toole Park, Crumlin, Dublin.

The walk-in facility is located in a central area of Limerick City with a significantly high population density and considerable ease of access.

Dr Anne Dee, Specialist in Public Health Medicine, at Public Health Mid-West said: “We welcome the opening of this testing facility, which is an additional tool in our armoury in the fight against Covid-19."

She added that while infections are dropping to manageable levels and there are no current trends to raise the level of concern, they are using this as an opportunity for "active case finding" in order to detect asymptomatic positives in the community.

“Though the daily numbers are low, we know the virus is still among us,” she added.

According to Dr Dee, finding these cases will allow Public Health Mid-West to identify their contacts with the aim of breaking the chains of transmission to prevent further cases and outbreaks.

“The location of the facility is also within close distance of a number of vulnerable populations who may not have easy access to transport, and our priority is to protect those who are most adversely affected by this disease. This is a great opportunity for people to protect their community,” Dr Dee concluded.