£5m lab set to process virus tests

A NEW “Lighthouse Lab” has been announced in South Wales as part of a UK-wide expansion in coronavirus testing.

The facility in Newport will be the fifth Lighthouse Lab in the UK. Others have been functioning in select sites across the UK since as early as April, set up to process tests people are sent to do in their own home.

It is expected that the new lab, announced by Health Minister Vaughan Gething, will be based at Imperial Park and will be up and running by the end of next month.

Mr Gething said: “I am pleased the new Lighthouse Lab will be set up in Newport, as part of the UK Government’s expansion.

“Today’s announcement builds on the £5m Welsh Government investment in a Public Health Wales laboratory at this site and when it is no longer needed for coronavirus testing, it will be handed over for use by NHS Wales.

“We are making increasing use of the UK-wide testing system and the Lighthouse Lab network. This will support our Test, Trace, Protect strategy by helping us get the testing capacity and turnaround times we need, and to be ready for the autumn.”

Public Health Wales, NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership and Life Sciences Hub Wales have been working with the UK Government to get the lab up and running.

Scientists believe these so-called “super labs” can help the UK further ease its way out of lockdown.

They have been established in a matter of weeks to dramatically increase the number of coronavirus tests that can take place each day.

Covid-19 swab samples from testing sites, drive-through centres and others are sent to these laboratories for analysis.

The process is automated, which allows experts at the labs to analyse tens of thousands of swab samples every day as capacity increases.

The other four UK Lighthouse Labs are located in Milton Keynes, Cheshire, Cambridge and Glasgow.

The Newport lab will support the Welsh Government’s “Test, Trace, Protect” strategy by improving testing capacity and turnaround times.

Mr Gething said it would also help prepare for any second peak and provide a jobs boost for the life sciences sector.

The site was already earmarked for a £5m Public Health Wales laboratory which will be used by NHS Wales when no longer required for coronavirus testing.

The Newport lab will be also processing tests from England as well as Wales. Prior to the lab being set up, many tests from Wales have crossed Offa’s Dyke for analysis.