A revised coronavirus testing strategy has been unveiled by the Welsh Government today.
The original strategy, which was published in July 2020, has been updated to reflect the fact there is now a greater understanding of the virus and better technology at our disposal which can test on a far greater scale and at speed.
The roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine, which has now been administered to more than 10% of the population in Wales, has also been taken into account.
One main aim of the strategy is to provide more regular testing for NHS and care home staff, as well as patients in hospitals, to reduce the risk of the virus spreading in these closed settings.
A community testing framework has also been published which builds on the pilot schemes in Merthyr Tydfil and Lower Cynon to test asymptomatic people in communities where the virus could be more prevalent.
Public health experts say hyper-local community testing is more likely to be focused on areas of higher deprivation where take-up is typically lower. Some of the most common barriers to testing include problems with accessibility, the unpleasantness of the tests and the fact people are concerned about potentially having to isolate and miss work.
The report also confirms that the Welsh Government is “exploring” whether asymptomatic testing could be routinely carried out on learners and teachers to allow them to remain in work or education. It is also working with organisations to introduce regular testing in workplaces to “find cases and support surveillance”.
“We are also exploring whether testing of asymptomatic contacts could allow them to remain in work, safely, as an alternative to isolating for 10 days,” the report states.
“We are currently piloting and evaluating this approach, for example with South Wales Police. If effective, it will mean that the number of people not in work as a result of self-isolating could reduce, meaning key services can be more easily maintained.”
Despite the vaccine roll-out gathering momentum, the Welsh Government has reiterated that testing will remain a critical part of the fight against the virus throughout 2021.
Launching the new strategy, Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “Testing has continued to play a pivotal role in our overall approach to preventing the transmission of Covid-19 across Wales.
“Since the last strategy was published, new testing technologies have demonstrated it is possible to test at far greater scale, frequency and speed than ever before. Testing remains important as we roll out the vaccine. Once vaccinated, it is still critical that people continue to follow the guidance and if showing symptoms, get tested.
“Today I’m setting out our revised approach so we can continue to safeguard our most vulnerable people and protect the NHS. The strategy also looks ahead at how we can use testing as an appropriate and effective safeguard alongside the vaccine as we return to normality.”
The revised strategy focuses on the following priority areas;
- Test to diagnose: Testing patients on admission to hospital, patients who develop symptoms while in hospital, asymptomatic inpatients five days after admission and planned admissions to protect patients who are at increased risk.
- Test to safeguard: Regular asymptomatic testing for NHS and care home staff, supported living staff, staff working with vulnerable people in special schools, domiciliary care staff and prison staff.
- Test to find: Continuing to test anyone who thinks they have symptoms to identify to isolate Covid-19 cases in the community, reduce the transmission of infection, support contact tracing, protect vulnerable individuals and help to slow or stop the spread of the disease.
- Test to maintain: Regular testing of the workforce in various settings to find cases and exploring whether testing of asymptomatic contacts could allow people to safely remain at work or schools instead of isolating for 10 days. We are currently piloting and evaluating this approach.
- Test to enable: Considering how testing might work alongside vaccination to enable people with a negative result or those who demonstrate the required level of antibodies in their system to travel internationally, attend work or cultural or sporting events or meet family and friends.
Since the pandemic began close to 1.5 million people have been tested for coronavirus in Wales, while there have been close to 2.4 million individual tests carried out.
While newer testing technology like the lateral flow devices offer results within as little as 30 minutes, there remain concerns around the risk of false negatives. The Welsh Government and its advisers say careful consideration has to be given to using certain types of testing in certain settings to minimise risk of inaccurate results.
-- to www.walesonline.co.uk
