An Irishman has described his worrying symptoms as he faces an agonising wait for a coronavirus test.
The 47-year-old man, who gave the pseudonym Mark, has suffered with asthma for his entire life, which puts him at a higher risk of suffering complications from the disease.
He told the Irish Times: “My chest feels raw. There’s an ache in my lungs. I have a temperature. I’m ticking the box for every coronavirus symptom on the list.
“I have a sinus-type headache. I feel tired, a sleepy kind of tiredness, but my mind is quite active. I just want to sit here on the bed."
But after he spoke with his GP over the phone, Mark said he was left waiting for a test, with no contact from any health workers.
He added: “She said it could be a recurrence of the infection, but she wanted to refer me for testing for Covid-19.
“She said I’d get a follow up text from the HSE, but I’ve had no contact from anyone at all yet. It’s been well over 24 hours now, and I’m just waiting.
"I’ve had nothing directly from the HSE yet. I understand that they’re under severe pressure, but while I know there’s a backlog I think they should at least contact those referred to let them know it was received, and when they estimate the test will be done.”
Mark, who lives in Dublin, says he is able to stay calm and avoid focusing on "apocalyptic" scenarios.
He added: “When it first occurred to me it might be Covid-19, I was extremely anxious. I’ve thought all along that the best treatment for me is not to get this virus because it could kill me.
"And now I’m waiting for a test, I feel completely calm. I’ve got to do the best I can to focus on recovering.
“It could start to feel very apocalyptic if you go into yourself and focus on the fact that you’re feeling sick and waiting for results.”
A spokesperson for the HSE told the Irish Mirror: "We are aware that patients who were referred for a test earlier this week may still be waiting for a call back with a test date and location.
"This is a result of the large number of tests being ordered since the case definition changed last Friday.
"We regret that people are waiting and we are asking people to bear with us as we continue to roll out community testing hubs.
"Waiting for a test doesn’t change how you manage your symptoms or interactions with other people.
"If you are waiting on a test to see if you have Covid-19 or you have been tested and are waiting for the results you need to stay home and self-isolate to prevent you spreading any potential infection to others.
"If the virus for Covid-19 is not detected you should continue to self-isolate until 48 hours after you last had symptoms. This is because while the virus for COVID-19 was not detected, you have symptoms of an infectious respiratory illness which you do not want to pass on to others.
"If the virus for Covid-19 is detected you must continue to self-isolate until you are 14 days without symptoms and have had a no high temperature for the last 5 days of the 14 days.
