Top Trinity immunologist Luke O’Neill has said that introducing widespread testing for coronavirus in Trinity could cost as much as €1 million.
On Saturday, the Irish Times reported that Trinity is considering introducing widespread coronavirus testing in College, and will make a decision on whether to push forward with the plan this week.
A working group set up to discuss the reopening of Trinity are said to be discussing the installation of “self-testing booths”.
Speaking to Pat Kenny on Newstalk this morning, O’Neill said that €1 million was one estimate of the cost, “if you do it properly”.
“The idea”, he said, “is that it’s more of a screen than a test. So you screen, and if someone turns out to be positive then they go and get the validated HSE-based test”.
O’Neill called for the introduction of twice weekly testing of all staff and students in an interview with The University Times two weeks ago.
O’Neill said that “the goal is very simple: we don’t want students getting infected in our university, and we don’t want our staff getting infected either”.
“What’s the best way to ensure that? It’s testing and isolating. That’s the best way to – almost – guarantee that.”
At present, Trinity has announced the creation of a coronavirus testing facility on campus. However, this facility will only test people who are showing symptoms.
O’Neill said that “because of the asymptomatic aspect of this disease, you can’t just be testing people with symptoms. You’ve got to really test everybody is the idea”.
Carriers of the virus can still be infectious, even if they are not showing symptoms or are presymptomatic.
O’Neill is advocating for booths or vans to be set up at the entrances to Trinity, where staff and students can be tested as they enter the College.
College will reopen fully to students on September 29th. Freshers’ week has been pushed forward a week to coincide with the rest of College’s first week of teaching.
Campus has been open to students studying for resits or carrying out research for dissertations since July 20th. Campus re-opened fully to staff on August 10th.
