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It would have been “beneficial” to have accelerated testing of Covid-19 faster, the UK’s top scientific adviser has told parliamentarians evaluating the coronavirus response.
But Sir Patrick Vallance added that the tests alone would not control the virus.
England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jenny Harries said “things would have been done differently” if capacity had not been limited at the time.
Data released Tuesday showed that there were 27,300 coronavirus-related deaths in England and Wales before April 24.
On March 12, the UK turned away from community testing and contact tracing as ministers decided to focus testing on patients with suspected Covid-19 in hospitals, residences and prisons.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock later announced a target of 100,000 coronavirus tests per day in late April, saying it was “what the nation needs.” The government has struggled to achieve the goal in recent days despite initial success.
When asked what would change about the UK response to the virus, Sir Patrick told the committee: “I think probably, in the early stages, and I said that earlier, I think if we had managed to increase the test capacity faster it would have been beneficial.
“And, you know, for all kinds of reasons that didn’t happen.
“I think it’s clear that you need a lot of evidence for this, but to echo what Jenny Harries said, it’s completely wrong to think that evidence is the answer.”
“It is only part of the system that you need to do well. The entire system must function properly.”
Like problems in obtaining personal protective equipment for personnel, the UK’s test history will be under scrutiny for years to come.
There are many reasons why other countries, such as South Korea and Germany, had a better testing infrastructure to start with.
But what remains more difficult to understand is why the UK did not act earlier to rectify that.
Certainly, rapid progress has been made since early April when Health Secretary Matt Hancock set the goal of 100,000 daily tests.
But it is not known why it took until then to boost the effort. The first confirmed case was in late January.
In mid-March, the UK had to virtually abandon community testing; He did not have the capacity, so he had to prioritize patients in the hospital.
One school of thought is that because the policy at the time was to curb the spread of the virus in the community, rather than suppress it, as is the case with the blockade, widespread testing was not needed to contain the outbreaks and suppress the epidemic.
Dr. Harries said a balance needed to be struck in terms of testing and increasing capacity in the NHS, adding that “if we had unlimited capacity and continued support beyond that, then perhaps we would choose a slightly different approach” .
When asked when the test results would be returned within 24 hours, Dr. Harries said the time frame for test returns was “decreasing all the time.” She said she couldn’t put a figure, but emphasized that she was aware that testing times “are going down.”
Meanwhile, the prime minister’s spokesman said the government would establish how the blockade restrictions could be eased in some way and strengthened in others this week “once we have scientific evidence and have completed the review process.”
When asked by Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon about a suggestion that people there could be allowed to meet with “small defined groups” outdoors, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “Generally speaking, the Scientific and medical experts have made it clear that there is less chance of transmission of this disease outdoors than indoors.
“That will obviously be something we are considering as part of the review.”
Death certificates
According to the National Statistics Office (ONS), as of April 24 there were 27,300 deaths where the coronavirus is mentioned.
Including deaths reported to the ONS since April 24, it brings the total number to more than 32,000.
These figures may also include cases where a test was not performed, but because a doctor suspects the person was infected. Daily government figures are based on confirmed cases.
Data runs through April 24: Delays in reporting and completion of death certificates mean lagging behind daily figures.
During the week through April 24, there were 2,794 coronavirus deaths in nursing homes, an increase of just over 2,000 the previous week.
It has brought the total to nearly 6,000 in nursing homes since the epidemic began.
Analysis of death certificates in Scotland and Northern Ireland brings the UK total to nearly 30,000 at the end of April. That’s about a quarter higher than the daily government figures displayed at the time.
Health Department figures showed on Monday that the number of coronavirus-related deaths in the UK reached 28,734, an increase of 288. Tuesday’s figures will be released later.
The masks ‘could help’
Sir Patrick told the Health Selection Committee that the evidence that face masks or coatings prevent the spread of infection from one person to another is “marginal but positive”, adding: “So there is some evidence that they may to do that”.
He said: “It seems that the main root of infection in this disease is probably the spread of drops, rather than through aerosol, but there may also be some aerosol components.
“Masks can have a marginal positive effect in that situation, or face covers of some kind could have.”
The new NHS app aims to quickly track recent contacts of anyone who tests positive for the virus and will be available to people on the Isle of Wight this week.
It is part of the government’s strategy to get out of the lockdown, which aims to have widespread testing and follow-up contacts to monitor and reduce any future outbreaks.
If the test is successful, the app will be rolled out across the UK in mid-May, Hancock said.
But the app’s “centralized” model, meaning there is a central computer server that determines which phones have matched, has raised some privacy concerns.
In other developments:
- Another 366 people with coronavirus died in English hospitals, another 44 patients died with coronavirus in Scotland and 26 more people died in Wales.
- Virgin Atlantic will cut a third of its UK staff and keep its Gatwick operation closed while responding to the pandemic
- An NHS application that aims to track the spread of the coronavirus is being implemented for the first time, as part of an Isle of Wight trial
- The prime minister’s official spokesman said they were looking at a number of possible “easements” for the shutdown, as well as stricter rules.
- The Government Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) published further details of its discussions on the next phase of coronavirus restrictions in the UK.
- MPs hear that the scientific evidence on the usefulness of face masks “is not straightforward”, but their use could help prevent the spread
