Region is targeted for rapid ‘ lateral flow tests’

YORKSHIRE COMMUNITIES are to receive rapid ‘ lateral flow tests’ in the fight against coronavirus, it was announced, as one health leader cautioned that such measures were not a “silver bullet”.

It was announced that more than half a million such tests – the kind being used in a mass testing pilot in Liverpool – would be sent out by NHS Test and Trace to local health leaders this week.

Calderdale, Doncaster, East Yorkshire, Hull and Wakefield are among the latest cohort of more than 60 locations to benefit.

The initial 600,000 batch will be followed by a weekly allocation of lateral flow antigen tests.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has now written to all leaders of upper- tier local authorities – such as North Yorkshire – to confirm that all directors of public health will be offered the weekly allocation, equivalent to 10 per cent of their population.

Directors of public health were prioritised for the first phase of rapid community testing based on the local prevalence of Covid19 and expressions of interest to the Department for Health and Social Care. Yorkshire cities such as Leeds, Sheffield, and York are not included in the initial cohort.

Lateral flow tests, with a turnaround time of under an hour, have been made available since Friday for people who live and work in Liverpool and do not have symptoms.

Mr Hancock yesterday said: “Last night I wrote to the directors of public health of all local authorities in England saying we can make available these brilliant new lateral flow tests that give results in 15 minutes, and we can make them available to directors of public

health right across the country.” Mr Hancock also said that mass testing, like a vaccine rollout, would be across the UK and not just in England.

The announcement came on the same day that Baroness Dido Harding, who is both interim executive chairwoman of the National Institute for Health Protection and chairwoman of NHS Test and Trace, gave evidence to a committee of MPs.

When asked why the Test and Trace had not stopped a second wave of infections, Lady Harding said: “Much as I would love that testing and tracing on its own would be a silver bullet to holding back the tide of Covid, unfortunately the evidence in the UK and in every other country in Europe is that’s not the case. That, actually, the way we have to tackle the disease is through a variety of different interventions and we are one of the ways, not the only way.”