{"id":24182,"date":"2021-11-29T08:26:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T13:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=24182"},"modified":"2021-11-30T08:31:17","modified_gmt":"2021-11-30T13:31:17","slug":"government-backs-away-from-plan-to-subsidize-antigen-tests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=24182","title":{"rendered":"Government Backs Away From Plan To Subsidize Antigen Tests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Mr Donnelly said that cheaper antigen tests were now \u201cwidespread\u201d and that supermarkets were selling the tests for around \u20ac4 (PA)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Irish Government has dropped plans to provide cheaper antigen tests, Stephen Donnelly has said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Minister for Health said on Monday that the price of antigen tests has now fallen in shops and supermarkets to a more affordable level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It had been widely anticipated that the Government would bring forward plans to subsidies the rapid tests, amid concerns about the prohibitive cost of antigen testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s quite good news. It very quickly became unnecessary,\u201d Mr Donnelly said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo what was important to me was three things on antigen testing \u2013 that they were being widely used, that they\u2019re being properly used and that they\u2019re affordable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd my concern was that at \u20ac8 a test, which is broadly what they had been retailing at, for far too many people that\u2019s simply not affordable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut since we have been looking at the subsidization, the prices have fallen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that some prices had fallen as low as \u20ac1.50 for an antigen test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have managed to achieve the price reduction without having to get into spending taxpayers\u2019 money on a subsidization,\u201d the Minister for Health said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe market has done it itself. It\u2019s happened without having to spend taxpayers\u2019 money on us. So it\u2019s been a good result.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Donnelly said that cheaper antigen tests were now \u201cwidespread\u201d and that supermarkets were selling the tests for around \u20ac4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He indicated that this was approximately the price that the Government would have hoped to reach through a subsidization plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Minister for Health said that antigen tests were becoming a key part of the country\u2019s fight against the virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe information we have is that about one in five people in the country are using them every week. So they are now a staple of our response to Covid,\u201d he told RT\u00c9 radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe public health advice is use them when you are not symptomatic. Use them if you are going to be engaging in higher risk activities, as an additional test.\u201d<\/p>\n

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