Will mass Covid testing give us a new norm before widespread vaccination?

Covid-19 Rapid Testing for the Masses

Covid-19 has changed the face of the world and as at 4th January 2021 there were 84 million confirmed cases and nearly 2 million deaths (1). This has caused economic crisis with many businesses either closing, letting staff go or putting them on temporary furlough or other country equivalent.

In the UK we are now entering our third major lockdown with no immediate end in sight. Whilst approval has been granted to roll out a second vaccine there are major logistical issues in getting this into people and we will be merely scratching the surface over the next few months. Even then it is only aimed at the most vulnerable and front-line health staff.

There are no immediate plans to vaccinate people who are in their 40s, 50s and 60s until the first wave of the vaccinations have been completed. What can we do to start getting back to some form of normality?

The obvious thing is to isolate and stop interacting with others. Whilst this seems obvious it is not something we have been able to adhere to as a nation. You can blame authorities for not bringing in restrictions quick enough or not enforcing them sufficiently, but we need to all do our bit.

If you look at other countries who have been far more successful in limiting cases and deaths, we can learn and try to do things differently moving forward. For example, Australia, a country close to my heart, locked down far quicker than we did, stopped most incoming flights and made all visitors isolate for two weeks.

In the UK we have over 2.5 million confirmed cases and 75 thousand deaths according to the WHO (1). In Australia they have only 28 thousand confirmed cases and 900 deaths. They locked down state boarders early into the pandemic only recently opening them up, had 38 new cases, and immediately closed them down again. Swift action is proven to work.

However, we are now a year into this and there is little point in pointing fingers and dwelling on the past. We need to look to the future. So, what can we do now?

Well, in addition to the welcome news about vaccines, there have been major improvements in testing. Previously people have had to make their way to a test centre or get issued with a test kit they could do at home and then send off the swabs for analysis sometimes taking days to get results. Even today mass testing is not taking place on the scale it should be.

We have seen on the news that rapid testing is now available. There have been mixed results and concerns raised over accuracy of these. However, this does not have to be the case as can be seen from this YouTube demonstration where results can be obtained at home in 2-15 minutes with 97% accuracy. Follow this YouTube link to take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcFXzjmQJrc

What does rapid testing mean for us as a nation? We hear a lot about our bubbles and how we could, pre-current lockdown, interact within our bubbles. Just because we have a close network of family and friends how did we know it was safe to see them and welcome them into our homes? It was not safe!

If people could test themselves at home before visiting somebody and the results come back negative, then you know that on that day at least they are safe to be welcomed into your home. How different Christmas would have been if these kits were widely available then? It must be remembered however, that results can be negative one day and positive just two or three days later so regular re-testing is required.

If more people can get tested before the vaccines are rolled out to a large percentage of the nation, then we could perhaps see some form of normality:

·       People could start to travel again not in fear of catching the virus and not have to self-isolate when they return

·       Employers could protect their employees

·       Bars and pubs, health centres, opticians, dentists, offices could re-open

·       Service staff such as engineers and technicians and could visit

·       People could be tested before entering venues and stadiums

Let’s look forward to getting back to some kind of normality.

Please feel free to contact me using the details below if you would like more information or if I can be of any help.

Kind regards,

Paul

Paul Argent

Director

M: +44 (7887) 726067

E: [email protected]

(1) Source World Health Organisation