The HSE is urging the people of Limerick to attend for COVID-19 testing at a new pop-up centre that is being opened in the city.
The facility will be located at St. Joseph’s Health Campus, Mulgrave Street (V94 C8DV) and will open from Monday August 30th until Friday, September 3rd. It will operate from 11:00am – 7:00pm each day and has the capacity to test up to 700 people daily.
The free service is being led by the National Ambulance Service, with support from HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare and Public Health Mid-West.
The pop-up centre is being opened amid high levels of COVID-19 circulating in the Limerick area. According to provisional figures, Public Health Mid-West has recorded 370 COVID-19 cases in Limerick since Saturday, August 21st.
Public Health Mid-West continues to manage a number of COVID-19 outbreaks across different settings such as long-term residential care facilities, workplaces and among vulnerable populations across the Mid-West region.
St. Joseph’s Health Campus has previously hosted pop-up clinics when case numbers rose in Limerick, and the additional testing capacity afforded by this move, along with the positive response by the Limerick community played a key role in bringing those outbreaks under control.
Dr Breda Cosgrove, Specialist in Public Health Medicine, said: “Unfortunately we have seen a rise in COVID-19 cases in the Limerick area in recent weeks and we are also aware of increased social activity following last weekend. We are urging members of the public that if they have any symptoms consistent with COVID-19, that they avail of testing at this pop-up testing centre at St Joseph’s or at the centre in Ballysimon.”
Testing continues at the existing COVID Test Centre located at Old Wickes Building, Eastpoint Business Park Ballysimon (V94 KN73) where pre-booked appointments are available from 7:45am 7:00pm.
Norma Quirke, Community Testing Lead with HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare, is urging people to pre-book their COVID-19 tests in advance. “We have seen a strong demand for COVID tests over recent weeks, with just under 14,000 tests conducted in August alone, and almost 2,500 of these carried out since Monday.* With large numbers expected to attend this pop up centre, we strongly encourage people to avoid delays by pre-booking their tests in advance via www.hse.ie. This will also ensure that you are tested at a time that suits you.”
Testing is also available without an appointment on a walk-in or drive-in basis at both sites (only until 1:00pm each day in Ballysimon), but those who attend without first booking their appointments must bring photo ID and provide a mobile phone number so they can be contacted with their results.
