3,600 Covid test appointments offered in Athlone during first four days of year

The HSE said more than 3,600 appointments were offered for Covid tests in Athlone during the first four days of this year.

The demand for PCR tests rose substantially in the lead-up to the Christmas and has remained at a very high level, with many people struggling to find an available test slot online.

Figures provided to the Westmeath Independent by the HSE press office today showed that the test centre at Athlone GAA Club offered 6,221 appointments for tests during the week between Wednesday, December 29 and Tuesday, January 4 (inclusive).

There were 678 test appointments last Saturday (New Year's Day), followed by 927 on Sunday. Some 1,006 appointments were then offered in Athlone on both Monday and Tuesday of this week, the HSE spokesperson said.

These figures are for appointments that were offered, and do not take into account the number of people who missed the appointment they were given. The HSE told us information on the number of people who did not attend their test appointment in Athlone was unavailable.

"Any cancelled appointments are offered to another person when appointments are cancelled in advance," said the HSE spokesperson.

Earlier this week, changes were made to the eligibility rules for PCR tests in an effort to ease the current pressure on the system.

People under 40 who are experiencing symptoms of Covid-19 are now being asked to self-isolate and to order antigen tests from the HSE. They are being asked to only book a PCR test if they have a positive antigen test result.

People aged 40 or over with symptoms of Covid-19 are being advised to self-isolate and book a PCR test directly.