Care home tests ‘may not detect new virus strain’
TESTS being used in care homes may not be able to detect the new coronavirus strain, scientists have warned.
Concerns have been raised about the use of lateral flow tests for those hoping to visit some of Scotland’s most vulnerable people.
It is claimed the tests are likely to give ‘false negative’ results, with potentially ‘tragic’ consequences if people then take the virus into care homes.
Nicola Sturgeon admitted that reassurance is needed to find out if the tests, which give results within half an hour, are ‘sensitive enough’ to pick up the new strain.
The roll- out of lateral flow devices to every care home north of the Border began at the start of last week.
People intending to visit residents indoors take the tests, which have also been used for student testing and pilots of mass testing of asymptomatic people in the community.
But Jon Deeks, professor of biostatistics at the University of Birmingham, said screening of 7,000 students at his university picked up only 3 per cent of cases, and that using the tests for mass screening is ‘stretching them beyond what they were intended for’.
He added: ‘They are going to continue to miss people and give false reassurance if we are not careful.’
Asked if it is wrong to use them in care homes, he said: ‘Absolutely. The last thing we want to do is be allowing people to go into care homes who might still have the virus, a false negative result.
‘That will be tragic for the person taking it in. How upset will they be to go into a care home having a negative test and later discover they were the person who took Covid into a care home? We can’t use these for this purpose.’
Professor Deeks added: ‘Mass testing is looking for a needle in a haystack. And when we are using a test this bad we are doing it with our eyes closed.’
The use of lateral flow devices for care home visitors began in 14 council care homes in five local authority areas earlier this month, and was extended to every care home in the country from the start of last week.
Visitors are asked to self-swab and the test is conducted by care home staff.
Yesterday, Miss Sturgeon told MSPs: ‘One of the things we need to assure ourselves of is that lateral flow testing is sensitive enough in the face of this new strain.
‘At the moment, one of the questions we are seeking to have answered is whether lateral flow testing devices are effective against this new strain of the virus.’
Robert Kilgour, executive chairman of Renaissance Care, said: ‘We have had quite a lot of staff across our homes undergo training for giving the lateral flow tests and if the person doing it has had correct training the effectiveness is higher than if they haven’t.
‘But even with that training it is not as effective as the weekly staff tests we get done.’
In current Level 3 areas, indoor visits are allowed to care homes for one designated person for up to four hours once a week – and operators are urged to test visitors first.
But the move to Level 4 for all of mainland Scotland from Saturday will mean only ‘essential’ indoor visits can take place, such as at the end of life.
Mr Kilgour said his homes had been allowing visiting for an hour without hugging or touching but reduced this to half an hour because of the demand ahead of Christmas.
He added: ‘ We are pretty much stopping that on Boxing Day with the lockdown and it will be outdoor visits only, so the lateral test kits for key visitors isn’t required for outdoor visits.’
‘Giving false reassurance’