Tuesday 5 May 2020

Testing without Tracing is vital. Why hasn't it been a priority?

There is I admit a strong argument that there should be a "Four Nations" end to the lockdown , though there could well be differences in how it is phased.

What is important is that there should be agreement , between Wales, Scotland and England , whilst Northern Ireland and the Republic which share their boarder should certainly seriously coordinate thier response.

In the meantime the argument over testing continues with leadingading Welsh Government politicians have outlined why they are not following England's testing policy.

The Wasting Mule report that 
Leading Welsh Government politicians have outlined why they are not following England's testing policy.
This week UK Government Health Secretary Matt Hancock proudly announced that England had hit is 100,000 test target.
Though many raised questions over the number, as tests not yet received were included, there was still a large gulf in testing capacity between Wales and England.
The Welsh Government has come under wide spread criticism for abandoning its target for 9,000 tests a day by the end of April.
However the Welsh Government has now hit back claiming that "we don't see that the science supports all of the differences in policy and the testing reach in England".

Speaking on BBC Radio Wales, Mr Gething suggested that England were simply doing so many tests because they felt obliged after setting a target.

He said: "England have gone out and created lots of capacity very quickly and they have then gone out and used that capacity.
"The challenge from a policy point of view is that there is clearly a difference but that is partly because England decided that having set a big target they needed to go out and use all the tests."
He added that he felt there was a lack of evidence to back up England's plan and cast doubt on if all those tests should have been counted.
"Now other people will tell you about how many of those tests are actual tests or tests that have been sent out," he said. "But part of the difficulty we’ve had is that the scientific underpinning of how and why you extend that policy isn't something where there has been a fully informed debate and we don't see that the science supports all of the differences in policy and the testing reach in England."
Mr Gething was also criticised the UK Governments test booking system which tells people that tests "are unavailable in Wales".
"It is really unhelpful because that does give a misleading impression about the availability for tests in Wales for people who need to have tests done," he said. "When actually we have different methods of getting tests to the people that need them."

It seems to me that this a case of  the Welsh Government  correctly pointing out the failures of Westminster and its misleading testing claims. in order to not answer it own failings.

Around 30,000 coronavirus tests a day could be needed if the Welsh NHS begins testing everyone with symptoms, a leaked report says.
The Welsh Government wants a system of surveillance to help ease Wales out of lockdown.
But a Public Health Wales plan has revealed the potential scale of the task ahead.
Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth said the document contains "as many questions as answers".
"This is a draft overarching strategy and we are working with our partners this week on the detailed delivery plan," a Welsh Government spokesman said.
Ministers want to track and trace infections as a way to ease the stay-at-home restrictions, and have said that a large increase in tests would be needed.

A draft plan has been drawn up on how that could work - saying that as many as 94 teams across the country would be required with a total workforce of up-to 1,600.
It says if all "symptomatic members of the population" were to be tested, this would generate a demand of "approximately 30,000 tests" per day.
Current testing capacity is 2,100 a day.
"Until effective coronavirus vaccines or drugs are available, testing will remain a powerful way to monitor and manage the pandemic," the report said.
But it adds that the "global demand for testing resources during the Covid pandemic has put significant strain on traditional supply chains and there is continuing uncertainty about both availability and delivery timelines for equipment, reagents and test kits".
Earlier on Monday First Minister Mark Drakeford said the Welsh Government was considering using a experimental app, being trailed in the Isle of Wight, as part of the project.
The app would assist the process of contact tracing by using Bluetooth signals on smartphones.
But the process would also need people. The report says the contact tracing operation will be led by 94 teams spread across the country, with each team responsible for an area with a population of roughly 30,000.
Each of the 94 teams will have between 15 to 17 members amounting to a total workforce of 1,400 to 1,600 full time employees on duty across the country seven days per week.
Public Health Wales will also provide a "National Contact Centre", which will provide extra support with the contact tracing effort via telephone.
'No clear commitment'
Plaid Cymru health spokesman Rhun ap Iorwerth said: "This outline document contains as many questions as answers.
"Worryingly, there is no clear commitment let alone a coherent strategy to drive transmission rates down to as close to zero as possible, in line with the 'disease elimination' strategy followed successfully by the likes of South Korea and New Zealand."
Angela Burns, Welsh Conservative health spokeswoman, said: "The Welsh Government scrapped their testing targets when they realised they couldn't hit them and are being coy with joining the UK's track and tracing app.
"How is Wales meant to be able to come out of the restrictions when there's this mammoth testing target the Welsh Government needs to hit."
An NHS app which aims to track the spread of coronavirus will be rolled out for the first time today, as part of a trial on the Isle of Wight.
Council and healthcare workers will be the first to try the contact-tracing app, with the rest of the island able to download it from Thursday.
If the trial is successful, it could be available nationwide within weeks.
Concerns have been raised over privacy, though ministers say the app has been designed with this "front of mind"
The app aims to quickly trace recent contacts of anyone who tests positive for the virus.
.But there are also concens, that ut may not ne compatible with European versions.
There are also questions why even without an app tracing has not been at the forefront of ant of the  UK legislatures response.

For Weeks now Plaid's former leader Leanne Wood has been calling for tracing to coincde with testing



If you are going out & meeting people or you are pushing to end the lockdown now (before we have a system of testing & contact tracing in place) - READ THIS THREAD & share it. The threat has not gone away - here or in the USA.
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Bess Kalb
@bessbell
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My dad is an ICU doctor treating COVID-19 patients. In the past WEEK he has set more “I’ve never seen a heart rate/RBC count/etc. like this” records than in his decades-long career. What this virus does to the body is like “sticking your finger in an electric socket.” Stay home.
Show this thread
Not only  in the Four Nations, but in Europe and the rest of the World we need a system of Tracing of the contacts of people with symptoms 


If we are to avoid a second wave and second lockdown, we need an effective tracing system to remain in place for years to come.

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