STORM OVER TESTING KITS DELAY
Firms say they won’t be ready for at least 3 WEEKS
IT WILL be weeks before rapid coronavirus tests are available to identify whether someone is safe to return to work, officials have admitted.
In a major blow to the Government, experts said no such tests had yet been proven to work and it could be some time until they go on sale.
Hopes were raised on Wednesday that a revolutionary ‘antibody’ test could be available as soon as next week. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he had ordered 3.5 million such tests – with more to come.
And Sharon Peacock, director of the national infection service at Public Health England, said the tests might be available to the public on Amazon or at Boots within days.
But last night officials were forced to backtrack after manufacturers raised doubts over the timeline of delivering the tests. Government sources admitted orders had been made only ‘in principle’, and would be ‘subject to successful evaluation of the tests’, which may take some time.
Several different companies have been approached over contributing to the 3.5million tests needed, but none is yet ready to supply them.
Manufacturers said they were working around the clock to develop the devices, which can tell someone within 15 minutes whether they are likely to be immune to further infection.
They said it will be three weeks at the earliest before tests are available.
Professor Yvonne Doyle, PHE medical director, predicted it would be a ‘couple of weeks’ at least and said all tests needed to undergo rigorous validation.
Chris Whitty, the Government’s Chief Medical Officer, said NHS staff were likely to be prioritised for accessing the tests, so it will be some time before the public got them. Professor Whitty added: ‘I do not think this is something we will suddenly be ordering on the internet next week. The one thing that is worse than no test, is a bad test.’
Brigette Bard, chief executive of BioSure UK Ltd – one of the companies in talks with PHE – said there had been a huge degree of ‘miscommunication’ over the industry’s ability to rapidly create the tests.
She said: ‘I would say it would be hugely optimistic to be able to get these tests out in three weeks. Three to six weeks is more likely.’
Two other firms – SureScreen Diagnostics, of Derby, and Bedfordshire-based Mologic Ltd – said they had not been told to start mass-producing the tests.
Labour health spokesman Jonathan Ashworth said: ‘An antibody test would be a welcome and significant development but a lot of confusion has arisen. It’s unclear how long it will take to get to the public and we don’t know if a test has even been validated yet.’