Covid - 19 Testing

Too many U turns and always hiding behind the "science" .

 

Hancock's attempts to defend the indefensible !!!


Hancock defends virus testing after people told to travel more than 100 miles

PA
Sep 3rd 2020 3:53AM

The Health Secretary has claimed the Government’s coronavirus testing system is working “well” after suggestions that people are being directed to centres more than 100 miles away.

Matt Hancock said there are “operational challenges from time to time” with the regime, after a postcode analysis by the BBC showed some people are being told the closest available tests are hours from home.

The broadcaster said this shows the Government is rationing tests, while public health experts believe any restrictions will lead to the start of new spikes being missed.

Mr Hancock told Sky News: “At the moment the system works well. Of course there are operational challenges from time to time but it works well.

“And we’re finding a higher and higher proportion of people in the country who have coronavirus and getting them tests so they can be looked after.

“But absolutely, we need to roll out more testing – we have done throughout this crisis and today’s another step in solving some of those problems with the existing technology.”

He said the issue was part of the reason why the Government was investing in trials of quicker Covid-19 tests.


(PA Graphics)
On Thursday, the Government committed to a £500 million support package for 20-minute tests and efforts to explore the benefits of repeat testing.

The money will go towards expanding trials of the speedy no-swab saliva test in Southampton and elsewhere in Hampshire, and launching a repeat testing trial in Salford, Greater Manchester.

One professor believes this change should have been made over the summer when the country was “relatively Covid-secure”.

Professor Alan McNally, from the University of Birmingham, told Radio 4’s Today programme: “I don’t think the time is right. I think the time was right to think about scaling up testing to the wider community and asymptomatic testing over the summer when we were relatively Covid-secure, knowing that autumn and winter would come.

“Ideally we would be far more advanced in our ability to handle what we’re already beginning to see, an increase in requirement for Covid testing and respiratory infection testing.”

 

This could be forcing people to break the law. If you feel unwell you are not supposed to drive and certainly not use public transport !

TBH the rise in cases doesn't bother me at all .The rise in cases is down to more testing and more detections in younger people who tend not to become ill ( source BBC) . The fact is the number of fatalities in the UK is around 8 per day of which I must say 8 too many. But the number of people in the UK dying of Breast Cancer or Colon Cancer is averaging 30 per day for each disease ( source BBC ) . IMO there needs to be some perspective here.

My own opinion is that this Government and the media has driven people into a hysteria frenzy making some people scared of venturing out . The people who need to perhaps take more care are those with underlying health problems who can manage their own individual situation without the need of impinging on others in the way of freedoms .

 

Test and trace is a load of bollocks, to slow and not reactive enough and that's the problem, it also breaches the GDPR regulations, something that hasn't been brought up yet, as far as I'm aware.
If I want to go into my local pub then I am supposed to provide my details to the bar staff so that in the event of someone testing positive for Covid, others who where there at the time can be contacted, ok, so how do I know my details are kept secure, in short they probably are not, then lets take the actual track and trace in itself.
I go into the pub on a Friday, on Sunday someone who was in there at the same time feels ill and gets a test, the results come back on say Tuesday at the earliest, so then they have to contact people, and by text! The major issue with texts is this, just because you sent it at say 9AM, doesn't mean it is received straight away, I've had a text sent one day and not got it until the following day. Also in the time from Friday until the following Tuesday just how many people have those who were potentially infected by that person been into contact with?
My grand-daughter went back to school yesterday and it's the biggest load of bollocks I've ever seen. the kids have seperate playtimes and eat in their classroom, apparently keeping them seperate will prevent transmission, well really, no it won't. Suppose a child in one year has a sibling in another, ok they are kept separate at school but then they go home, so if one catches it and gives it to the other then it will soon be spread between classes by the very fact that 2 kids from the same household are in 2 different classes.
I've also heard from a reliable source that almost all deaths are being recorded as being from Covid, unless it isn't possible due to the mechanism of death, a bloke hit by a train for example couldn't be recorded as a Covid death, obviously, but a bloke dying from a heart attack could, I've actually heard of it happening, a bloke collapsed in front of witnesses with a massive cardiac arrest, yet the death certificate listed the cause of death as Covid 19!
I have no proper idea of whats going on but it stinks if you ask me.

 

So a big dip right in the middle of Summer eh?

 

Yes because people were obeying the lock-down - I would have thought that would have been obvious - but clearly not to a knuckle dragging antipodean low life anthropoid !!!

 

The rise is caused by some of us getting fed up of lockdowns

On a more serious view ,I think its expected to go up as Virus's tend to flourish more in colder climes and coupled with the normal flu outbreak. . The conspiracy theorist side of me is thinking that some of the flu cases could be counted as Covid for the stats and place more pressure on local lockdowns.

 

Shake my head


I'm wondering now, how many extra people are going to die come December/January because they think like you do

You will probably be like wah wah wah, why didn't Boris warn us it was going to be worse in winter

 

Interesting. I was reading on the BBC News Website that one guy who lived in Suffolk had to travel to Blackburn Lancashire ( not far away from me) which is a 250 miles journey ! That is ludicrous !

Small wonder that some of the local councils around Manchester want to take over the role of organising the testing .

 

As I said in my earlier post, I know personally without hunting around in just the last couple of weeks where deaths that were CLEARLY NOT caused by Covid were written up as Covid deaths, so taken across the country just how many are there? Not a lot of people realise it but you do have the right to challenge the cause of death given on a death certificate, you can even insist on a post mortem being performed, the trouble is that a death especially a sudden one is quite a traumatic experience for those left behind and the establishment knows this, therefore they can write whatever they want on a death certificate as the next of kin is highly unlikely to challenge it, in the unlikely event of a cert being challenged and a PM proving the cause of death was not down to Covid, they simply blame an administrative error, in a worst case scenario we could potentially see the emergence of another Harold Shipman, and we know what he did don't we!

 

So according to the blond Khazi mop-head we're going to build a "world beating contact & tracing system".

So much for "world beating", He and Hancock couldn't even get a uk wide system that actually works !!!


Concern over spikes being missed as coronavirus tests rationed to focus on local lockdown areas

Yahoo Staff Writer
Sep 3rd 2020 6:23AM
The government's decision to prioritise coronavirus tests in parts of the country with high infection rates has sparked concern that it could lead to the start of new spikes being missed elsewhere.

Areas with fewer cases of COVID-19 have had their testing capacity reduced so that resources can be shifted to local lockdown areas where there are higher rates of infection.

It is prioritising areas with more current coronavirus cases and making fewer tests available in areas with lower prevalence.

But the government's test booking service redirects people living in some areas where cases are low to facilities located hundreds of miles away, according to the BBC.

The concerns come amid a new £500m funding package that will support trials of a 20-minute COVID-19 test and efforts to explore the benefits of repeatedly testing people for the virus was announced by health secretary Matt Hancock.

Rationing
Concerns over the rationing in parts of the country with low numbers of the virus could lead to localised outbreaks being missed.

The BBC reported that national testing capacity has not reduced, but was already being outstripped by rising applications for tests.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) responded by rationing testing slots, it added.

Hancock has admitted there had been "operational challenges" in the approach, but insisted that "the vast majority of people" are able to get a test close to them or at home.

Criticism
Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, told the BBC these issues could prevent capture of localised spikes "early enough to maybe stop more widespread infection".

Professor Alan McNally, from the University of Birmingham, said that while there was a need to be "pragmatic" about tests being diverted to local lockdown areas – scaling up of tests should have been done over the summer.

When asked whether now is the right time to change the way tests are carried out, he said: "I don't think the time is right, I think the time was right to think about scaling up testing to the wider community and asymptomatic testing over the summer when we were relatively COVID-secure, knowing that autumn and winter would come."

"This is the kind of work that needed done over the summer", he said, adding: "Ideally we would be far more advanced in our ability to handle what we're already beginning to see, an increase in requirement for COVID testing and respiratory infection testing."

Susan Michie, who is a member of the non-government affiliated Independent Sage, tweeted: "Coronavirus testing rationed amid outbreaks – still not enough tests, people being sent 50+ miles away to get a test. Still #TestTraceIsolate system not functioning. Govt strategy been wrong from start."

Anthony Costello, another prominent member of Independent SAGE, said the issue highlighted issues with the government's centralised approach to testing. "After 7 months you are still unable to get a test via your GP!" he tweeted.

Dr Zoe Norris, a GP in Yorkshire, told BBC Breakfast that long journeys would be a "huge undertaking" for those with coronavirus symptoms.

Others tweeted their experience of trying to get a test, including one woman who was directed to a facility that was located 363 miles away from her home.

I was directed 363 miles away, in comparison 100 was reasonable

BBC News - Coronavirus testing rationed amid outbreaksCovid testing boss 'very sorry' for shortages

— Elizabeth Walne (@ElizabethWalne) September 3, 2020
Tried to get a test yesterday in Preston -we are still in lock-down, the nearest drive-thru centre for the next 5 days was Oldham. We had to book to go to Blackburn and walk through their centre so that we could get a result within 24-72 hours! or wait longer with a home test!!

— Janet Newsham (@jnewsham) September 3, 2020
'Operational challenges'
Responding to the news of people being told to travel long distances to testing facilities, the health secretary acknowledged on Thursday that there were "operational challenges", saying: "It's true, we've put a huge amount of testing into the areas of outbreak where the numbers are much higher."

But he insisted that "the vast majority of people" remain able to get a test close to them or at home.

He added to Sky News: "We're finding a higher and higher proportion of people in the country who have coronavirus and getting them tests so they can be looked after.

"But absolutely, we need to roll out more testing – we have done throughout this crisis and today's another step in solving some of those problems with the existing technology."

Hancock told the Today programme that mass testing was the answer to having to travel for a test, as well as potentially ending some social distancing measures.

He said: "If we can get to the point where regular testing is possible... that allows people more freedom and allows us to lift some of the social distancing measures.

"It's about bringing back confidence. Short of a vaccine this is the best chance we have of reducing social distancing while controlling the virus."

Saliva test trials
Money will go towards launching a new community-wide repeat population testing trial in Salford, Greater Manchester.

Existing trials in Southampton and Hampshire, using a no-swab saliva test and a rapid 20-minute test, will also be expanded through the new funding announced by the health secretary.

The DHSC said saliva-based testing will be used for the pilot in Salford, which will involve the city council and other local partners.

Its aim is to identify positive coronavirus cases early and rapidly, including for those with no or minor symptoms, so people can self-isolate.

 

Seems the Russians have 'stolen a march' on everyone.

Russian Coronavirus Vaccine Trial Yields Promising Early Results
Results from the small trial provide evidence of both antibody and T-cell responses.

• 
  By Sara C Nelson

Two early-phase Russian coronavirus vaccine trials have produced promising results, with participants experiencing no serious adverse effects and evidence of an antibody response.

Controversy greeted the announcement last month that Russia had approved the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine – before it had completed final “phase 3” clinical trials.


Those still have not been done. But the findings of two smaller 42-day trials published in the Lancet medical journal on Friday do suggest the vaccines produce a double protection in the form of a T-cell response within 28 days.

T-cells attack viruses directly by recognising and killing cells that have been taken over by a virus.
Joe Raedle via Getty Images
The vaccine involved 76 participants, all of whom knew they were receiving it (file picture)
The two-part vaccine includes two adenovirus vectors which have been modified to express the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

These types of vaccines are based on weakened versions of adenoviruses, which are a group of viruses that typically infect membranes of the eyes, respiratory tract, urinary tract, intestines and nervous system, and include the common cold.

Lead author Dr Denis Logunov, of the N F Gamaleya National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology in Russia, said: “When adenovirus vaccines enter people’s cells, they deliver the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein genetic code, which causes cells to produce the spike protein.

“This helps teach the immune system to recognise and attack the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

“To form a powerful immune response against SARS-CoV-2, it is important that a booster vaccination is provided.”

To compare post-vaccination immunity with natural immunity formed by Covid infection, the authors obtained convalescent plasma from 4,817 people who had recovered from mild or moderate coronavirus.

The frozen vaccine was tested with a mind for large-scale use through existing global supply chains for vaccines and the freeze-dried version for hard-to-reach regions as it is more stable and can be stored at 2 to 8 degrees centigrade.

The most common adverse side effects were those characteristic of those seen with other vaccines, including pain at injection site, hyperthermia, headaches, lack of energy, and muscle and joint pain.

The trials took place in two hospitals in Russia, with the 76 participants knowing they were receiving the vaccine. They were all healthy adults aged 18 to 60, who self-isolated as soon as they were registered for the trial and remained in hospital for the first 28 days of the trial.

The frozen vaccine (Gam-Covid-Vac) was trialled in a branch of Burdenko Hospital, an agency of the Russian ministry of defence, and involved both civilian and military volunteers. The freeze-dried vaccine (Gam-Covid-Vac-Lyo) trial took place at Sechenov University and all volunteers were civilians.

While generally positive, the authors of the study note it was a small sample, without any placebo or control vaccine. Part of the phase 1 trials only included male volunteers and while efforts were made to recruit volunteers of a broad age range, most were in their 20s and 30s. The authors admit more research is needed to evaluate the vaccine in different populations, including older age groups, those with underlying medical conditions and those in at-risk groups.

Explaining the next steps of their research, Professor Alexander Gintsburg, of the N F Gamaleya National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Russia, said the next phase of the trial was approved on August 26.

He added: “It is planned to include 40,000 volunteers from different age and risk groups, and will be undertaken with constant monitoring of volunteers through an online application.”

Dr Naor Bar-Zeev, of the International Vaccine Access Centre, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA – who was not involved in the study – said the research was encouraging, though small-scale.

And he warned: “To be sure, most past vaccines were designed to target disease and not infection as such, but with Covid-19, the general public could be expecting striking reductions in disease transmission after widespread vaccine introduction.

“Such effects would be very welcome if they occur, but they are far from certain. A vaccine that reduces disease but does not prevent infection might paradoxically make things worse. It could falsely reassure recipients of personal invulnerability, thus reducing transmission-mitigating behaviours.

“In turn, this could lead to increased exposure among older adults in whom efficacy is likely to be lower, or among other higher-risk groups who might have lower vaccine acceptance and uptake.”

Researchers across the world are working hard to develop coronavirus vaccines and treatments.

 

Saliva test trials
Money will go towards launching a new community-wide repeat population testing trial in Salford, Greater Manchester.

Existing trials in Southampton and Hampshire, using a no-swab saliva test and a rapid 20-minute test, will also be expanded through the new funding announced by the health secretary.

The DHSC said saliva-based testing will be used for the pilot in Salford, which will involve the city council and other local partners.

Its aim is to identify positive coronavirus cases early and rapidly, including for those with no or minor symptoms, so people can self-isolate.

Vladimir Illich, Today at 11:07 AM Report

Oh no that means Salford will be in lockdown soon !

I don't agree with Donald Trump on nearly everything but he is correct on saying that if you test for Covid you will find it .

 

Greater Manchester is split between a few local authorities:-

• Manchester - North, Central, South
• Salford
• Tameside
• Stockport
• Bolton
• Wigan/Leign
• Trafford
• Bury

These authorities work under different particularites.
Geographical boundaries see addresses across a road operatiing under different rulings/direction, and there the confusion starts - especially when bubbles come into account (i.e. childcate pick ups)
Testing in Salford (an area of specific social identity and background/s) Coupled with the fact that one can cross two/three areas this will not see a clarity of identification and only add to the inaccracy of records.
(Greater) Manchester is diverse - in race, creed, colour, age, sex (although I woild not welcome it) a better form of testing would be to cross test the whole of the City

 

As and when the scumbag 'nasty party' can take its head out of its arse and properly organise a workable track & trace system, we should all get a test done.

 

The 'REAL' reason Track & trace is such a shambles, the scumbag 'nasty party' are allowing private companies to make a huge profit from it !!!

UK test and trace system has failed because of privatisation ideology, public health experts warn
‘Failing’ system branded an ‘absolute joke’

J
The poor performance of the UK’s national coronavirus test and trace system is down to the government’s “ideology” and obsession with using the private sector, a senior public health expert has warned.

Professor Anthony Costello, a former director of maternal and child health at the World Health Organisation and former director of UCL’s Institute for Global Health, said the system designed by the government had “failed” and that it was up to experts to raise the alarm.

“We are seven months into a pandemic,” Prof Costello told a briefing hosted by the Independent Sage group.

“We’ve got a fiasco; we’ve been presenting evidence for months about how contact tracing is failing, and how the national testing system is failing.

“The whole thing is public health malpractice and it’s being designed [and] led by government ideology. They wanted a private system; it has failed, and we need to keep saying that.”


Government accused of ‘rewarding failure’ over test and trace contract
Nearly 70% of headteachers don’t trust test and trace scheme

Prof Costello recounted discussions that he had had with GP colleagues who painted a picture of chaos in the testing system, with one describing it as “an absolute joke”, and another citing problems such as “shortage of reagent, reagent in the wrong place, lack of direct access to national testing centres, and testing machine problems”.

The government has faced sustained criticism over the design of its national test and trace system, which is based on call centres staffed by outsourcing firm Serco.

An analysis by the Independent Sage group showed that there had been little improvement in the performance of the scheme in recent weeks.

In many outbreak areas, the centralised system is failing to reach clinical targets of tracing 80 per cent of named contacts, which epidemiologists say is necessary for it to be effective. By contrast, public local authority-administered systems are tracing about 95 per cent of contacts.

A much-heralded “world-beating” mobile phone application is also yet to materialise after ministers were sent back to the drawing board.

Despite the concerns and calls from experts to redirect resources to the local public health teams, ministers renewed Serco’s contract to operate the call centres last month.

Labour accused the government of “rewarding failure” by renewing the £300m deal, arguing that it was “ineffective and not fit for purpose” – but ministers say that the centralised and local versions of the system can coexist.

The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said last week that “the test and trace system at a national level makes the immediate and very rapid first attempt at contact, and if no contact is made, then the local teams can go in”, adding that “it’s the combination of the two that works best”.


Mr Hancock said he believed that “the opposition is making a mistake trying to divide people between public and private whereas actually people are working very hard to deliver, and to deliver the control of this virus”.

He added: “The private companies have been absolutely critical in the working and making sure the whole testing system can be built at the scale that it has. As I just said in my statement, the improvements are continuing and we’re seeing that local engagement which is critical.”

 

I am still waiting for when the antibody testing is rolled out nationwide as they promised. Still only available for Front line Workers as I understand .I had to pay £60.00 through a pharmacy for mine to confirm what I already knew .The main thing this test has served me well for is confidence when going out so it is money well spent IMO.

I can see why they don't want it to go nationwide as yet as they don't want a 2 tier system to manage. As those who have had the virus like me find it frustrating to have to abide by lockdown ,social distancing and face covering rules . Once our numbers are large enough just maybe we can start challenging some of these rules but for new we are having to put up with it .

 

Now hear from an actual 'track & trace worker on how inept the system is all because of the incompetence of Matt Hancock !!!


Exclusive: Whistleblower Lays Bare The Government's 'Pathetic' Test And Trace Shambles
It is claimed workers in England are registering tests as far away as Scotland just so they can get them processed.
A whistleblower working at a coronavirus testing centre has described a litany of problems with the supposedly “world beating” system and accused health secretary Matt Hancock of “lying through his teeth”.


Speaking to HuffPost UK, the worker – who wished to remain anonymous – said the site at which they work is running at a fraction of capacity and has been doing so for at least two weeks in what amounts to a “planned slowdown of testing in all but name”.

“It turns out what they’re doing is limiting the number of tests that we can do per hour at each centre,” they claimed. “We might be as low as 10 or 15 an hour. We only did 150 yesterday and we’re supposed to have capacity to do 1,500.

“We’re supposed to turn people around and say we’re too busy, but we’re not busy.”

It is believed these artificial limits are being imposed to free up lab space for tests where there are higher infection rates. A government spokesperson admitted the service was “targeting testing capacity at the areas that need it most, including those where there is an outbreak”.

The whistleblower told HuffPost UK this targeting of testing is “very worrying”, adding: “The government is saying you’re limiting tests based on outbreaks but there’s no point in waiting until you have an outbreak until you start testing people.

“You need to get on top of it before rather than after.”

The worker also suspects this is behind a supposed “computer problem” that has seen staff told by management to register people as though they are in Scotland – even though the testing site is actually in the south of England.

“They were saying there’s a problem with the computers and they can’t register people to the new site. Two weeks later and we’re still not sorted – and this is going on across all the sites.

“We were registering people to Inverness yesterday, and Aberdeen, which has its own problems. If they do test positive, they’re going to be skewing the numbers for the whole country.”

In recent days, there have been multiple reports of people being told there are no appointments available at test centres in England and there are no home tests kits available to send out.

The whistleblower was compelled to speak out after Hancock insisted on Thursday that the government’s coronavirus testing system was working “well” and said there were only “operational challenges from time to time”.

“This whole thing is ridiculous. Watching Matt Hancock lying through his teeth was too much,” they said.

On Tuesday morning, a senior official at NHS Test and Trace issued an apology to people unable to get a Covid-19 test, saying there is capacity at testing sites but laboratories processing the tests are at a “critical pinch-point”.

Can I please offer my heartfelt apologies to anyone who cannot get a COVID test at present. All of our testing sites have capacity, which is why they don’t look overcrowded, its our laboratory processing that is the critical pinch-point. We are doing all we can to expand quickly.

— Sarah-Jane Marsh (@BWCHBoss) September 8, 2020
But according to the whistleblower, testing sites are running out of the plastic vials used to collect test samples.

“At the actual centres where they process the tests, they don’t have capacity and they’re running out of the vials,” they said.

“They swab your nose and your mouth and they put this swab in a fluid, snap the end off and it goes in a little vial and that gets sent off.

“They’re running out of vials. This isn’t some hi-tech thing – it’s just a little vial.”

When the claims were put to the Department for Health and Social Care, a spokesperson did not dispute them but insisted the Test and Trace system “is working” and that “our capacity is the highest it has ever been and our laboratories are processing more than a million tests a week”.

The spokesperson added: “We are targeting testing capacity at the areas that need it most, including those where there is an outbreak, as well as prioritising at-risk groups, and we recently announced new laboratory facilities and new technology to process results even faster.”

Meanwhile, health secretary Matt Hancock has said it will take “weeks” to fix problems with lab capacity.

Asked by the health and social care select committee about Sarah-Jane Marsh’s tweet (above), Hancock said: “We are working incredibly hard.

“We are doing everything we can. We have had these operational issues that I have talked about. We have had a problem with a couple of contracts and we discussed some of that in the House of Commons.

“But it’s a matter of a couple of weeks until we can get all of that sorted in the short term.”

Further problems with the testing system came as a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said the latest increase in coronavirus cases is “very worrying”.

Professor Andrew Hayward told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Generally, it is local outbreaks, but there is also very worrying increases in cases, particularly over the last few days.

“That is what we are really keeping a close eye on – the extent to which it moves away from these local outbreaks to broader community transmission.

“What we saw in the last few days from this surveillance data was this worrying increase in cases which, as we know from the first wave of the pandemic, can potentially get out of hand if we don’t be very serious about the control measures.”

England’s deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said on Monday that the public had “relaxed too much” over the summer and described the rising number of cases as of “great concern”.

 

And still the blond khazi mop-head says that the Track & Trace system is 'world-beating' !!!



Government warned of scale of false positives in mass coronavirus testing plan

PA
Sep 10th 2020 5:26AM
Hundreds of thousands of people could be unnecessarily told to isolate under the Government's ambitious mass coronavirus testing proposals, a leading statistician has warned, as a Cabinet minister admitted the technology for the plan does not yet exist.

Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter said the "huge danger" with Boris Johnson's "Operation Moonshot" project – which would see millions of UK-wide tests carried out daily – was that there would be a "very large number of false positives".

His warning came as Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said that while the Government was hoping to develop a Covid-19 test that provided a result in between 20 and 90 minutes, there "isn't a certified test in the world that does this".

The Prime Minister told a Downing Street press conference on Wednesday that the scheme could help sport and entertainment venues reopen fully and allow people to socially mix in large groups again with on-the-day tests.

Leaked documents seen by the BMJ medical journal suggested the project could have a price tag of £100 billion – close to that of the £114 billion budget given to NHS England in 2018/19.

Prof Spiegelhalter told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that statisticians were "banging their heads on the wall" at the proposal.

"Mass screening always seems like a good idea in any disease – 'Oh yes, let's test everybody'. But the huge danger is false positives – no tests are perfect, it is not a simple yes/no thing."

He said the threshold would have to be set to a level that would "pick up anything that hints at being infectious", meaning that the tests would "always generate a very large number of false positives".


Daily confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the UK (PA Graphics)
"That doesn't matter so much perhaps if you're just being stopped going into a theatre – the point is it is not just a matter of testing.

"You've got this whole downstream business that that person will be told to isolate, their contacts will be told to isolate, and so on.

"And if you only have 1% false positives among all the people who are not infectious, and you're testing the whole country, that's 600,000 people unnecessarily labelled as positives."

Earlier Mr Shapps told Sky News: "This is technology that, to be perfectly blunt, requires further development – there isn't a certified test in the world that does this but there are people that are working on prototypes."

However deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries said the technology is likely to be available in weeks to months.

Mr Shapps also said it would be wrong to give younger age groups greater freedom than the elderly under the new rules after further restrictions were outlined following a spike in cases among young people.

Speaking to Sky News, he said: "I think it would be quite wrong as a society to say we will let (Covid-19) run rampant within part of the population – not least because that population can get quite seriously ill and it can last for quite a long time – and everybody else has to hide away like hermits.

"I don't think that would be the right way to run a society."

The Prime Minister said on Wednesday that he hoped "we could be able to get some aspects of our lives back to normal by Christmas" and pointed to mass testing as something which could help society open back up further.

For now, however, Mr Johnson urged people to limit their social contact "as much as possible" as he confirmed that social gatherings of more than six people will be outlawed in England from Monday.

Meanwhile Professor Neil Ferguson, whose modelling led to the decision to impose the lockdown in March, said people should "hesitate" at the "headlong rush to get everybody back into offices" amid the rising cases.

"The case number increases we've seen in the last two weeks do not yet account for the reopening of schools. So undoubtedly that may increase transmission still further and there may be a need therefore to reduce contacts in other settings," he told Today.

Prof Ferguson said he was still working from home, and cautioned: "Certainly I think we should hesitate and maybe pause at the headlong rush to get everybody back into offices.

"But some people have to work and I completely understand the concerns in many quarters that everybody working at home has an economic impact, particularly on city centres."

 

Matt Hancock's advice and suggestions labelled 'dangerous' by SAGE !!!



Matt Hancock’s comments on testing deemed ‘dangerous’ by Sage group member

PA
Sep 11th 2020 11:23AM
Health Secretary Matt Hancock's suggestion that there has been a surge in people seeking inappropriate coronavirus tests has been branded "profoundly dangerous".

The comment came from a member of the Independent Sage group, which has published a report describing the NHS Test and Trace system as "flawed" and "inadequate".

The group also raised concerns about the "poor rationale" behind the Government's multibillion-pound Operation Moonshot – an ambitious plan which would see millions of UK-wide tests carried out daily.



Mr Hancock said earlier this week that there has been an increase in people seeking tests when they have not got symptoms of Covid-19.

One school sent a whole year group for tests, which is "not appropriate", he said. He also said some people who were going on holiday had sought a test, which is "not what the testing system is here for".

He said: "The message is clear that if you're not eligible for a test – if you don't have symptoms or you haven't been asked to get a test, specifically by clinician or by local authority – then you shouldn't be coming forward to get a test, because it makes it harder for people who really need them to get those tests."

Prof Stephen Reicher: The govt is more intent on managing blame than managing the pandemic. If you tell people you mustn't get a test if you don't need one, they will delay and the infection will spread more. Not only is what Matt Hancock said wrong but it is also dangerous

— Independent SAGE (@IndependentSage) September 11, 2020

But his comments were criticised on Friday by Professor Stephen Reicher, a member of the Sage group, who said: "The Government seem more intent on managing blame than managing the pandemic.

"To tell people off for getting tests is profoundly dangerous, because the real problem is this, that when people are unsure... if you tell them 'Oh you mustn't get a test if you're not unwell', they will delay.

"It will be longer before people get tests, they will be infectious for longer without doing anything about it, and the infection will spread more.

"So what Matt Hancock said is not only wrong, it's profoundly dangerous and it will increase the pandemic."

The current testing programme has faced considerable criticism for struggling to meet demand, with many people trying to access a test met with an error message telling them to try again.

Dr Zubaida Haque: it's important that we call out some of the victim blaming that's been happening from Matt Hancock and Boris Johnson. All the public have done is follow the advice – it's not appropriate and it doesn't raise public confidence.

— Independent SAGE (@IndependentSage) September 11, 2020

On Tuesday, NHS Test and Trace's director of testing apologised to people who were unable to get a test.

Dr Zubaida Haque, another member of Sage, accused both Mr Hancock and the Prime Minister of "victim blaming".

Speaking at an Independent Sage briefing on Friday, she said: "It's an extraordinary accusation to make of people, that you know, they're not ill at all and yet they're going for tests.

"I mean, if that was the case then we would have seen that throughout the pandemic.

"We need to call out this victim blaming. It is not appropriate and it doesn't raise public confidence."

A report on testing from Independent Sage said: "The 'NHS T&T' system is flawed, with an illogical focus on numbers tested, inadequate contact tracing, and increasing evidence that only a low proportion of those asked to isolate for 14 days are able to do so."

Sir David King compares the UK to Greece where the prime minister handed over control of the pandemic to Professor Sotirios Tsiodras in early March and the total number of deaths is around 200. pic.twitter.com/eUTc50Hi6u

— Independent SAGE (@IndependentSage) September 11, 2020

Independent Sage chair Sir David King said this is a "knife-edge opportunity to improve testing, tracing and isolation to get cases down, giving us a good chance of being able to get together with family at Christmas".

He said: "Let's invest a fraction of £100 billion in doing that now instead of on a new magic bullet that isn't available for another six months."

Referring to Operation Moonshot, the group's report said it "appears as a distraction", adding: "While we welcome plans to improve the current NHS Test and Trace programme and explore new, easy to access testing technologies, we worry about the enormous projected cost of £100 billion – close to the entire annual NHS budget, with poor rationale, and its reliance on private sector contracts, given their poor performance in the testing and tracing systems so far.

"A lot more detail about the approach and proper scrutiny is required."