Covid-19 test and tracing cost HSE €280m last year Thursday, March 11, 2021 Gordon Deegan New figures from the HSE show its total spending on the Covid-19 test and tracing last year was €280.48 million. In 2020 the HSE carried out 2.4 million Covid-19 tests with the number reaching a peak in October when 450,162 tests were carried out. Tipperary firm A Co Tipperary firm Enfer was last year paid €122.4 million to process Covid-19 tests. Enfer re-registered as an unlimited entity more than a decade ago and the level of profits it generates is not known. It is controlled by businessman Louis Ronan Snr. Enfer – which has sponsored Tipperary GAA in the past – is based out of Clonmel and processed Covid-19 tests from its Kildare labs on behalf of the National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL).