New smart test for virus antibodies now being rolled out for frontline NHS workers
A NEW smart test is to be introduced in Wales to identify whether people have had coronavirus.
The antibody blood test, which will be tested in the UK next week, will show if people have recently had the virus and potentially if they have immunity. The current antigen test can only tell if someone has the virus and is only used if someone has symptoms of coronavirus or is living with someone who has those symptoms.
Wales has been screening frontline staff with this test for a number of weeks and is providing more tests and results every day.
Vaughan Gething, minister for health and social services, said a wider range of suppliers would provide coronavirus testing kits to Wales.
“The new antibody test will be a massive leap forward in helping us respond to coronavirus,” he said.
The new antibody test will help people return to work more quickly and safely, and will speed up the search for a vaccine and efforts to stop the spread of the virus.
Initially, it will be for frontline healthcare workers and the most vulnerable, but it will be expanded to other critical workers such as police, fire service and social care workers.
The antibody test will also be used in places where there have been clusters of the virus, such as hospitals or
prisons, to improve understanding of how it spreads.
The new Covid-19 testing plan for Wales includes steps to diversify the supply of antigen test kits after a company was unable to fulfil its agreement to supply its full volume of testing for Wales.
From next week, there will be capacity for 1,100 tests a day in Wales.
By mid-April, up to 5,000 antigen tests a day will be provided to people admitted to hospitals with suspected coronavirus, frontline NHS staff and people classed as extremely vulnerable. A further 4,000 tests a day will be available to roll out antigen testing throughout Wales as part of a fournation deal for the UK. This is in addition to the roll-out of the antibody tests.
Mr Gething said: “This plan allows us to continue to increase testing capacity in our hospitals and community, drawing on a four-nation agreement.
“This, together with the introduction of the antibody test, means we will have a much better understanding of the virus in Wales.”
The testing plan also includes investing in developing new tests and genomics to understand the virus and how to bring the pandemic to an end.
POLICE officers and road blocks were seen across Wales yesterday in a bid to crack down on those flouting the coronavirus lockdown rules.
Last weekend, city and town streets were deserted after Boris Johnson announced a mass closure of pubs, restaurants and shops, but scores of people then flocked to popular tourist hotspots across Wales.
This resulted in huge crowds congregating at sites including Pen y Fan, Snowdon, Barry Island, Porthcawl and Cardiff’s Roath Park.
Pen y Fan alone saw hundreds of cars lined up on the side of the A470 as people sought to get out of their homes and into the fresh air.
However, new guidelines issued this week told people to stay away from such sites, with police forces in Wales being granted new powers to enforce government restrictions.
Yesterday morning, police officers were stationed at Storey Arms in the Brecon Beacons to check if journeys being made were essential. They even stopped a person from Bristol trying to climb the mountain, telling them to go home immediately.
A spokesperson said: “Travelling to our area from Cardiff, Bristol and Stroud to name some examples from today are not acceptable.
“We have to prevent a repeat of last weekend.”
As well as patrolling certain areas across the country, police are asking parents to take necessary steps to make sure their children adhere to the new guidelines, and have warned that they now have the power to issue people with a penalty notice of £60, which will be lowered to £30 if they pay the fine within 14 days.
However, if the same person is caught flouting the guidelines twice, they will then be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £120.
Tourist haunts were mainly quiet yesterday, almost unrecognisable from the scenes witnessed a week ago, and there are now signs placed on roadsides with the words “Stay Home, Save Lives, #Covid19” emblazoned upon them in bold letters.
South Wales Police Chief Constable Matt Jukes said: “The majority of people are already making real sacrifices to save lives and we urge everyone to follow the advice that is designed to keep us all safe.
“We hope that the vast majority of our communities will recognise the need to follow the guidance and stay at home.
“Police officers and other staff who you may speak to in the coming weeks are working to keep you and your families safe and well. They also have families to go home to.”
In West Wales, officers from DyfedPowys Police were out in force conducting checks across the region.
They even went so far as to say that Pembrokeshire is currently “closed” to visitors, after a large number of tourists descended on the county last weekend.
The force has said that, despite the Prime Minister’s lockdown instructions at the start of the week, more than 200 people had been issued with “reminders” about travel after they continued to treat parts of West Wales as a “holiday destination”.
“We have turned away numerous caravans and camper vans whose owners were travelling to Pembrokeshire to self-isolate,” said Sergeant Hamish Nichols.
“We have also spoken to two campsite owners who have been open for business, and have issued stern advice to them and to all holidaymakers.
“While the majority of local people have taken the government guidelines seriously too many people seem to think the rules do not apply to them.
“The message is clear – this is a lockdown, not a holiday, and anyone who ignores the current restrictions not only puts people’s lives in danger but also risks further action being taken against them.”
Patrols of beaches, coastal areas, and other public spaces will continue today, with officers also conducting increased stop checks on roads across the force area.
Meanwhile, in a joint statement, the councils of Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion implored people to stay away from its beauty spots, asking them not to “underestimate the risk that this disease presents”.
In Gwynedd, a man from Sheffield was blocked on a country road in Bala by angry locals as police were called to the confrontation.
Police and a Snowdonia National Park warden attended the scene after being alerted by the visitor, who was told to return home.
A North Wales Police spokesperson said: “Police were called at 10.12am this morning to a report of a man being blocked on a country lane in Bala. Officers attended and suitable words of advice were given.”
North Wales Police also stopped a car where a learner driver was receiving a driving lesson from a family member as the “roads were quiet”.
And in Swansea, police stopped a 15-year-old who was caught driving in the early hours because he was “bored of being stuck indoors”.
Officers said the vehicle has been seized and the boy was facing numerous offences.
Elsewhere, Derbyshire Police dyed the “blue lagoon” in Harpur Hill, Buxton, black as gatherings there are “dangerous” and are “in contravention of the current instruction of the UK Government”. The force said it hoped the tactic would make the site look “less appealing”.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is writing to every household in the UK to urge the public to obey the lockdown and stay home during the coronavirus “national emergency”.
Boris Johnson, who is self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19, will warn “things will get worse before they get better” as he stresses the need to stay indoors to support the NHS by slowing the spread.
At an anticipated cost of £5.8m, the letters will land on 30 million doorsteps along with a leaflet spelling out the Government’s advice following much public confusion.
They are the latest in a public information campaign from No 10 to convince people to stay at home, wash their hands and shield the most vulnerable from the disease.
The scene at supermarkets across Wales was more orderly yesterday after huge queues formed outside stores last weekend.
Many chains have enforced a twometre rule, meaning customers are kept apart with markings on the floor, while others have put in place a one in, one out policy to ensure that stores are not overcrowded.
Even where there is no enforced separation, customers on Saturday formed their own distance-queues, following the guidelines outlined by the Government.
One shopper who went to one of the largest supermarkets in the country yesterday was Menna Morgan.
She went to the Tesco Extra store in Western Avenue in Cardiff at about 2pm, and said there was no panic inside and everyone stuck to the guidelines.
“I went mainly to shop for my elderly mother, who normally comes with me,” said Mrs Morgan.
“Everbody was incredibly polite and doing their best to keep to the distance boundaries.
“The staff were fantastic and it was actually the nicest shopping experience I’ve had in a long time. All the main things were available, apart from flour – everyone is baking these days it seems because they’re stuck at home!
“It was slow because there was a ‘one in, one out system’, meaning you had to queue to get in, and there were less checkouts open, but we all have to be prepared to be patient in these times, and everyone was. It was absolutely fine.
“Even if someone did get a bit close to reach for something from the shelves, they soon realised and stepped away.”
Heidi Ayres, a care support worker, was another shopper who went to Tesco to get some essentials.
She said: “The whole thing was OK. I joined the queue but a security guard said I could go in because I had just finished work and I was still in my uniform.
“Some people inside were not sticking to the distancing guidelines but there seemed to be a lot of staff working there helping out.
“I was not in there for long as I only needed a few basic items, but overall it was fine.”
Tesco has put in place floor markings in checkout areas and have installed protective screens on checkouts, and there are queuing systems in place outside stores, the majority of which are open between 6am and 10pm.
Asda has reduced its hours to between 8am and 8pm, has brought in specific shopping hours for NHS staff, and has introduced a limit on how many items each customer can purchase of a certain item.
They also have floor markings two metres apart at checkouts, self-scan areas, pharmacies, and at optical and service desks. They are also limiting the number of customers in their stores “where necessary”.
Sainsbury’s chief executive Mike Coupe has written to customers this week to outline the stricter measures that can be expected by customers in-store, including limits on the number of people allowed in stores and at ATMs.
Aldi has also introduced social distancing measures at its stores, and staff are monitoring how many customers are inside supermarkets at any one time, while Morrisons has introduced a set limit of how many customers are allowed to shop at once.