Can you imagine asking a 4-year-old "What are the symptoms? " and he goes "They...are a yellow...family...on...the telly!" 
People aged 4-39 who report Covid symptoms can request free antigen tests from HSE from Monday
Eoghan Moloney
December 31 2021 12:19 PM
Tens of thousands of people aged four to 39 who report having Covid-19 symptoms will be sent antigen tests on request for free from next Monday.
New guidance on testing was issued due to the unprecedented pressure on the HSE’s testing system and it states people aged between 4-39 must now have a positive antigen test result before booking a PCR test to confirm this positive result.
For eligible people in this age bracket, they must apply for the antigen tests online and the kits will be sent to their homes in the same way they are sent to close contacts of a PCR-confirmed case who are isolating.
This does not apply to healthcare workers or people with underlying conditions and people aged 0-3, or 40 and older.
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The move was taken due to the sheer volume of people attempting to book PCR tests in the past 10 days, with many reporting being unable to book a test. The HSE website has regularly shown no available appointments in the entire country in the past 10 days.
It is not yet clear what details will need to be provided to receive these free antigen kits and Independent.ie have asked the Department to clarify what details will be required to request the kits.
The system will be in operation by the HSE by Monday, January 3, the Minister for Health confirmed last night.
This move comes after Minister Donnelly stated that subsidising antigen tests was off the government menu as “the market had corrected itself” despite many people still reporting paying €30 for a box of five tests.
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The Minister earlier month urged people to shop around and not to buy antigen tests in shops and pharmacies that were charging up to €8 per test.
“I saw one piece where somebody said, this hasn’t worked because I found a pharmacy where they were €8. Well, don’t buy them for €8, you know, go buy them somewhere where they’re not €8,” Minister Donnelly told the Dáil earlier this month.
“I wanted to go further and make sure that they were at a reasonable price because for me, €7 or €8 per test is not affordable for far too many people,” the Minister said.
Now, people aged 39 and under will receive a box of self-testing kits for free if they report they have symptoms in a bid to ease the testing system, but people aged 40 and older must purchase the kits in pharmacies or shops.
