Stephen Donnelly is advising people to “ignore” antigen tests if they return an all-clear.
The confusing message from the Minister for Health has added another layer to the ongoing debate on the efficacy of the tests.
Mr Donnelly said that the tests do have a role to play in the battle against Covid, but at the same time he is telling people not to trust the test results if they are negative.
The Minister’s intervention comes in the wake of a very public row between Mark Ferguson and Philip Nolan erupting over the weekend.
Professor Ferguson was picked to head up a State team asked to look at the benefits (or not) of antigen testing to catch Covid cases.
He reported last month and at a Dáil committee last week called for pilot testing of antigen testing to be introduced in the community.
Professor Nolan is a leading member of the country’s Covid advisory committee, NPHET.
He publicly voiced his disagreement with Dr Ferguson’s analysis, disparagingly describing the antigen tests as ‘snake oil.’
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan, is siding with his NPHET colleague Mr Nolan, and is also urging caution around antigen tests.
In the meantime, reasonably-priced antigen home testing kits fully authorised by EU health authorities have started to appear on supermarket shelves here.
Mr Donnelly was speaking to reporters at the launch of the latest Sláintecare report at Tallaght University Hospital in Dublin.
He said: “It is no secret that the public health team, including in the department, have real concerns that people will use these tests, they will get negative results, which really don’t tell you anything.
“So my advice is, if you get a negative result, just ignore it.
“It’s when you get a positive result that you should go and get a PCR test.”
