1. Labour called for the lockdown but we’ve always warned it was a blunt tool unless we used this time to develop a testing, isolate and trace strategy.
We’ve asked why tracing was missing from the government strategy so today’s announcement is important.
We’ve asked why tracing was missing from the government strategy so today’s announcement is important.
2. But we were promised 100,000 tests a day by the end of the month. Not testing capacity at 100,000. We’re still not carrying out the numbers of tests we need to. In particular we should be doing so much more to test care workers. They shouldn’t have to travel miles for a test.
3. So far there has been confusion over the importance of contact tracing.
On 17th April Matt Hancock floated the possibility of restarting community testing, contact tracing and quarantine, a policy the government abandoned on 12th March
On 17th April Matt Hancock floated the possibility of restarting community testing, contact tracing and quarantine, a policy the government abandoned on 12th March
4. But on 19th April the deputy CMO said 'the link between testing and deaths is not clear' and suggested we did not have the people to do contact tracing.
5. So today’s announcement is welcome. But we need to know when the new 18,000 staff will be trained and ready.
And we need a date for when we’ll see the restart of community testing and contact tracing.
And we need a date for when we’ll see the restart of community testing and contact tracing.
6. Digital tools have a role to play as well and the NHS is developing an app. But are ministers expecting the app to be mandatory or voluntary? If voluntary how will they encourage mass usage of it?
7. Do ministers see a role for antibody tests that do not meet the 98% accuracy hurdle? Because govt’s own scientific advice published this week suggests there is a role for an antibody test that is equal to or above 90% accurate and other countries are using them.
8. National surveys are so crucial to estimate prevalence of current and past infection. All data should be published. Transparency is so crucial throughout every stage of this pandemic.
9. We need further transparency not just on numbers of test administered (that’s the 100,000 promise not capacity remember) but also on what tests are currently being developed and considered for public use along with accuracy rates.
10. Through mass testing and contact tracing we can break chains of transmission until drugs and vaccines are available. This lockdown isn’t the strategy to rid us of #COVID19 but it buys us time to develop one. We should use that time wisely. Ends
