Western Morning News (Saturday)
Covid testing ‘vital’ as lockdown eases
AN expansion of coronavirus testing will be the “cornerstone” of our way out of lockdown, a leading Westcountry public health professional said yesterday, as society starts to open up.
Steve Brown, director of Public Health Devon, urged all parents to give consent for their children to be tested as all pupils prepare to return to schools across the Westcountry on Monday.
He predicted that as the number of people coming into contact with each other grew in the coming weeks – before the full effect of the vaccine programme is felt across the adult population – regular testing for adults without symptoms would be crucial.
“Over coming weeks and months, we are going to see a lot more movement of people – students returning to education, more people getting back to work, the loosening of restrictions on how many people we can be in contact with, and in time shops, cafes, and other businesses reopening,” he said. “Coronavirus thrives on socialisation, which is why we see case numbers fall during lockdown, when movement and socialising is restricted.
“Taking a test regularly – the rapid tests that give results within the hour – is going to be an absolutely vital part of our way out of the coronavirus pandemic.”
Some employers are already providing kits to workers and they are also available to secondary school pupils and primary and secondary school staff and their households.
One in three people with coronavirus do not show symptoms but can pass on the virus – one reason for a slow emergence from lockdown.
THE Westcountry’s most recently appointed director of Public Health says the “tools are in place” for the region to escape coronavirus in time to save the all-important hospitality and tourism sector.
Dr Lincoln Sargeant, in his first major interview since taking over the role in Torbay, gave an upbeat assessment of the summer to come thanks to strong take up of the vaccine and the roll-out of rapid testing for asympotmatic workers.
He also paid tribute to the huge community operation to protect vulnerable people in areas of deprivation.
He told the WMN: “It’s one year on and an opportunity to thank people for the really great work that has been done in Torbay over the last year and highlight the real positives in terms of how the community has come together to support the most vulnerable.
“The Torbay Community Development Trust helpline has brought together 60 voluntary organisations, with 1,000 people volunteering and together they have helped 3,500 people.
“Although it’s been a difficult and challenging year, what’s really been apparent in Torbay is the way the pandemic has brought people together and forged new relationships.
“That’s one of the legacies. That’s something quite special about the community support in the Bay.”
Dr Sargeant pointed out that Torbay has pockets with some of the country’s highest levels of deprivation – in many parts of the country that has been a trigger for widespread infections.
Dr Sargeant said: “Numbers stayed low here because people took it seriously and worked so effectively together across the business, voluntary and public sector. It’s important that we keep the numbers low because our lifeblood is tourism and the hospitality sector. We want people to come and enjoy what we have to offer in the Bay safely.”
He warned, however that coronavirus was “a sneaky virus” with one in three adults infected but displaying none of the classic symptoms,yet passing on the disease.
“That is why we now have rapid testing at Quay West, Goodrington. The lateral flow test gives a result in 30 minutes,” he added. “The idea is that it will break the cycle and pick up cases in people working in jobs where they cannot easily isolate. We will pick up those individuals early, before it gets established in their workplaces.”
Dr Sargeant said that the end of lockdown last summer was “like a champagne cork popping” but this year he hopes people would be more cautious and stick to the Prime Minister’s slow and steady plan. “This is particularly important for Torbay where we are so heavily dependent on tourism,” he said.
“We have to send a strong signal that it is safe to visit. There is a lot of work going on with the tourism and hospitality industry to raise their game so that visitors have confidence.
“It’s up to residents to ensure they are doing their part to reduce transmission. We can all do that by reducing activity to the most essential journeys. We need to constantly be asking ourselves questions like – do I need to go out to do this, can I work from home, can we do things outdoors rather than indoors? The advice is still to wear face coverings and to maintain social distancing.”
Dr Sargeant said it was in the nature of viruses, particularly when there’s a rapid spread, that they adapt and mutate. “The concern is that some could potentially be more transmissible. Some may evade the current vaccines,” he warned.
“What’s most important is the way that we deal with any new variant – using rapid identification, testing and tracing. The key message is that when people become symptomatic, they must isolate and get tested and work with us to trace contacts.
“I will be very surprised if Covid disappeared to the extent that we don’t have to keep monitoring it and picking it up in the long term. That is how we will deal with any new strain and keep the numbers low, in the same way that we currently deal with notifiable diseases like Tuberculosis. It will not be in the headlines but it will not have gone away.”
But he said the first dose of the vaccine was bearing down on transmission numbers, although Covid is “probably now with us long term.”