Breast cancer screening has now resumed in Ireland, but it could take three years to screen the roughly 150,000 women waiting to undergo mammography, according to a report in the Irish Examiner.
"Around 153,000 people are awaiting invites since screening was paused in March," a spokesperson for the Health Service Executive (HSE) said. "Capacity will be reduced due to social distancing and potential staff limitations due to COVID-19. The pause in screening, combined with COVID-19 restrictions, means that it will take us some months to catch up. It is therefore projected that it will take 36 months to complete the current round of breast screening."
The HSE plans to prioritize screenings for women with the longest wait times, the Irish Examiner reported.
