The Health Service Executive has opened a number of walk-in testing centres around the country today for people without Covid-19 symptoms.
In Navan in Co Meath, which has the fourth-highest 14-day incidence rate per 100,000, a queue had formed before the centre opened at 11am.
The centre has been opened at Navan O'Mahony's GAA club. It will be open from today until Monday 5 April, from 11am to 7pm daily.
The Navan O'Mahony’s GAA clubhouse is turned into a walk in testing centre for five days. Navan has the fourth highest 14 day incidence rate. pic.twitter.com/qjo1x1MGo4
— Sinéad Hussey (@SineadHus) April 1, 2021
Between 300 and 500 tests a day are expected to be carried out and people do not have to contact their GP first.
Dr Declan Bedford, Specialist in Public Health Medicine for Public Health North East, said Navan has one of the highest incidence rates in the country at the present time.
"We'd like to get a better understanding of what is actually happening in the community. It also gives people in the community a chance to find out if they have it or not," he said.
The HSE has been unable to identify a reason for the high number of cases in Navan.
"There's no specific thing we can point to at all. There seems to be small clusters, family outbreaks or small outbreaks in offices. There just seems to be a high level of community transmission," Dr Bedford added.
The HSE is hoping this will identify cases to prevent further spread in the community and help get the numbers down.
New walk-in test centres have also opened today in Finglas and Balbriggan in Dublin.
This morning, HSE Chief Executive Paul Reid tweeted that over four million Covid-19 tests have now been completed in the country during the pandemic.
We've now exceeded 4M #COVID19 tests completed in Ireland. A strengthened set of tools also now in place for increased capacity, source investigation, & mobile walk in swabbing centres. Not our first line of defence but a further strengthend second one. @HSELive
— Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) April 1, 2021
