Explains the importance of taking the tests right before going out.
A doctor has shown how quickly Covid-19 can progress by performing four lateral flow tests in one day.
It shows how Covid can develop in a person in just a matter of hours as the group’s fourth test came back positive.
After posting the image of the tests on Twitter, Billy Quilty, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said lateral flow tests should be done at home just before going out or mixing with others and not before.
He cautioned that a test taken hours before departure could be too early.
Dr. Quilty wrote: «Demonstration on how quickly you can turn positive. Do LFTs *only* before the meeting.»
Demonstration of how quickly you can turn positive:
Yesterday morning, yesterday lunchtime, yesterday evening, this morning.
Make LFTs *only* before the meeting. pic.twitter.com/3zM2rDkoa7
– Billy Quilty (@BQuilty) December 16, 2021
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said one concern about the new Omicron variant is The possibility of increased transmission of infection in health care settings.
Speaking on Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1 on Monday morning, Dr Holohan said current restrictions are recommended with the aim of reducing transmission as much as possible in order to protect hospitals.
It is now up to people individually, he said, to «restrict social interactions to small groups of people and not meet many different groups at Christmas.
He added that NPHET will continue to monitor the situation over Christmas and will provide more information to the government if needed.