By Sean Moriarty

Close on 250 people a day availed of PCR tests in Killarney the Advertiser can exclusively reveal.

A test centre opened in St Mary’s Parish Hall near O’Sullivan’s Place on Wednesday of this week in an effort to take the pressure off the fulltime test centre in Tralee.

There has been an extraordinary and unprecedented demand for Covid-19 PCR testing in Kerry in recent weeks.
The test centre in Tralee is usually in a position to offer appointment for tests within 24 hours or so, but the recent high level of demand has meant that people are waiting longer and this led to the setting up of a pop centre in Killarney this week.
Staff from the National Ambulance Service, from as far away as Sligo, were drafted in to operate the Killarney service.
The further provision of a PCR pop-up test centre in Killarney will depend on the availability of staff from the National Ambulance service.
However, the Killarney Advertiser understands that the ambulance staff operating the Killarney centre will be replaced with a new operational crew over the weekend.
Testing at the Killarney centre – which was done on a strict appointment only basis – is officially due to come to an end today (Friday) but it could be extended further.
This was not confirmed by the HSE as the Advertiser closed for press on Thursday afternoon but a source close to the Killarney operation told the Killarney Advertiser that he was expecting relief staff at the centre over the weekend.

“The provision of future dates for pop-up test centres will be reviewed in conjunction with our National Ambulance Service colleagues,” a HSE spokesperson told the Killarney Advertiser.