Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
City lab could help to clear backlog of tests
CORONAVIRUS tests could be flown into Dundee from other parts of the UK to clear a nationwide results backlog under a plan put forward by the city’s council leader.
John Alexander said it was “counter-intuitive and a little bit ridiculous” for ministers to wait weeks for the UK’s testing logjam to clear when scientific services across the country could offer extra capacity.
The UK Government’s Lighthouse Lab network has come under increasing pressure following the return of full-time education in England, and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said “too many” tests across the country are not being processed quickly enough.
Mr Alexander proposed drafting in experts at Tayside Scientific Services, which is part of Dundee City Council, to take on some of the workload.
The organisation provides testing for animal foodstuffs and monitors the quality and safety of food and drinking water but Mr Alexander suggested additional resources could be made available to expand its work if necessary.
He said: “If there is a requirement for additional processing, I don’t think it should matter where those tests come from. The only essential thing is getting them processed as quickly as possible.
“It doesn’t matter if they are being flown up from the north of England or Shetland or wherever it is, the important thing is that we process them as quickly as we possibly can. We have a resource here and we’re willing to make it available.”
Ms Sturgeon said on Monday her government had “managed to resist a move” by UK ministers to limit access to testing slots in Scotland.
The first minister said officials are looking to explore options to increase capacity and will follow-up with Mr Alexander to see whether his proposal would be feasible.
However, she warned the UK-wide testing system is complex and it is not as simple as “just diverting some of those tests to another company or an NHS lab”.