Laboratories operated by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine are currently carrying out approximately 300 tests per day on human samples for Covid-19.
In March, the department told AgriLand that its laboratories – normally used for testing for animal diseases – would be assisting the National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL) at University College Dublin (UCD) in testing for Covid-19.
Initially, the department labs assisted in the testing process by preparing humans samples for examination by the NVRL, processing some 1,100 samples per day.
The department has also been working with a private commercial lab that conducts a high throughput of testing for animal diseases to ensure that this lab’s facilities and testing capacity are available for Covid-19 testing.
A department spokesperson said that it was continuing to collaborate with the NVRL in the development and validation of new test methods.
The method of testing currently used is polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, whereby DNA samples are copied and replicated to be studied in greater detail.
The specific aim of this type of test is to look for the genetic information of the coronavirus (rather than trying to detect an antibody response from an infected person) within a single DNA sample. This is the most common type of coronavirus test employed around the world.
BPS and BEEP-S applications
In other department-related news, it was revealed yesterday, Thursday, May 7, that some 100,800 applications had been received for the 2020 Basic Payments Scheme (BPS).
With the closing date for applications falling next Friday, May 15, the 100,792 applications received as of the close of business on Wednesday is up 8,892 submissions – some 9.7% – compared to the 91,900 applications recorded for the same date last year.
Meanwhile, applications for the Beef Environmental Efficiency Pilot – Suckler (BEEP-S) scheme continue to roll in.
As of close of business on Wednesday, the department had received 15,403 completed applications, with another 838 applications incomplete.