The HSE has confirmed that contact tracing can be ramped up to handle 3,000 newly confirmed cases per day. This model would support the testing of 15,000 samples each day, where the positivity rate is 20%.
So far, 1,700 people have been trained to carry out this vital task in a pandemic, but the number working on this each day varies due to demand.
On the busiest day to date, the HSE says that more than 1,400 people were notified of their positive Covid-19 diagnosis, and had their close contacts identified and called.
This resulted in more than 5,000 phonecalls being made in one day. Contact tracing and increased laboratory testing capacity will be a key consideration for public health officials, when assessing whether any current