UK set for major increase in virus testing

London: The UK government on Wednesday announced a significant expansion of its coronavirus testing programme with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) planning to test 1,50,000 people every fortnight by October from the current 28,000 tests in that period.
The “ONS COVID-19 Infection Survey” will focus on random samples of tests from the general population across England, over and above a separate mass testing programme already underway for those showing symptoms of COVID-19. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the aim of the additional tests — with or without symptoms — was to better understand the spread of the deadly virus and to clamp down on localised flare-ups.
“We are developing the capacity to test for coronavirus on an unprecedented scale and undertaking one of the biggest expansions of surveillance testing we have ever seen. This ONS survey will be a crucial part of this work — improving our understanding of the rate of infection in the population and how many people have antibodies,” said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock. This will allow us to further narrow down the areas potentially affected by local outbreaks and continue our fight to curb the spread ahead of winter. I urge anyone who is able to take part in this study to do so you will be playing a vital role in the fight against the virus. The data gathered will help inform our national, regional and local responses to the pandemic, allowing this nation to get back to the things we love doing, he said. (PTI)