Stephen Donnelly has admitted that Philip Nolan's "snake oil" tweet about supermarket-sold antigen tests was “not helpful.”
Professor Nolan, who is a key member of the National Public Health Emergency Team, has faced intense scrutiny over his comments in which he highlighted a Lidl ad which was promoting the sale of antigen tests as part of a barbeque pack.
He said the antigen tests would not keep people safe, but the tone of the tweet has been blasted by politicians, doctors and scientists.
Antigen testing is now government policy and the tests are part of pilot plans under consideration by to get people back at GAA matches and live gigs.
There has been a debate over the use of the tests as some experts fear they will give a false sense of security.
Speaking at Dublin Castle on Tuesday, Minister Donnelly said the “snake oil” remark was “not helpful.”
He said: "I don’t think it was a helpful comment, if I’m honest. It is Government policy.
"I have great respect for Prof Nolan and I have no doubt that his concern was around people using them in the wrong way.
“I think it is entirely possible that anybody just going into a supermarket and picking up a pack without maybe having had a conversation about the fact that if you get a negative result it really doesn’t necessarily mean you’re negative at all that it could create a certain risk.
“But I think they are one part of the tool kit we have and I think as the technology gets better and better and the specificity and sensitivity of the tests gets better and better and the usability of them as well gets better and better.
"I think there is a good chance that as the year progresses and probably through next year they will have a more important role to play.”
Meanwhile, Paul Nolan, who is a Cardiac Physiologist at Galway University Hospital, has defended his brother’s tweet and said the NPHET member was “subject to a Twitter pile on.”
He tweeted that his brother “has worked for over 14 months, putting in savage hours, in a role that carries a huge amount of responsibility."
He said Prof Nolan and other NPHET members have been honestly informing the public and navigating them through the Covid-19 crisis.
He said people on Twitter have “have questioned his integrity, honesty, motivations and qualification for the job..he, and others in NPHET, are power hungry, drunk on fame etc etc.”
He added: “One could have interpreted Philip's response as tongue in cheek too?
“No, pile on merchants reckon its slanderous, he should be sacked by the University, kicked off NPHET etc.
“I am, and remain proud of my brother's role in it and appreciative of NPHET's work.”
