VIDEO: Inside a Westmeath COVID-19 testing centre

A testing station for people with suspected Corvid-19 coronavirus infection has been set up in Mullingar as the country mobilises to combat the greatest threat to public health in more than a century.

Located in a tented complex at St Loman’s hospital, the testing centre is not a drop-in or self-referral clinic.

Here's a video posted online of the centre:

 

 

“The testing is done by appointment only following referral by a GP or public health professional,” a spokesperson for the HSE explained, stating that the decision on whether someone should be referred for a test is a clinical decision.
There is a waiting time for results after a patient has given a swab: “Realistically the timeline from referral to testing to results will be 2-3 days but all parts of the HSE are committed to progressing this as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said.
She added that during the waiting period before the results arrive, patients should continue to self-isolate.”