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By LUKE ANDREWS FOR MAILONLINE
Doubts have been raised once again about the government’s £ 100bn ‘Operation Moonshot’ test plan after a mass screening program was halted and then scaled back.
The ministers aimed to provide regular tests to the 254,000 residents of Salford, Greater Manchester, to allow them to lead “normal” lives again without the need for social distancing.
They would be offered rapid saliva tests that give results in 20 to 90 minutes, hoping to find an effective way to achieve the goal of performing 10 million tests a day before the end of the year.
But six weeks after its launch, the test has been narrowed down to those who are most at risk and who live in “some areas” of “high-density housing.”
The U-turn comes amid concerns about the accuracy of the Optigene LAMP tests without swabs used and puts further pressure on ministers to achieve their colossal goal of 10 million swabs a day by December.
A test center at AJ Bell Stadium in Salford, Greater Manchester, on April 21. The area’s ‘Operation Moonshot’ testing program has been scaled down by the Health Department
Their current target is 500,000 swabs a day by the end of October, but industry leaders have already warned they are ‘a few weeks behind’ on the deadline due to supply chain issues.
219,000 swabs were processed yesterday, but government data shows that at least half of all people taking tests wait at least 48 hours for results.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) warned that Test and Trace only has a ‘marginal’ impact on the spread of the virus, as the system does not test or track enough coronavirus-infected patients, and many people asked to self-isolate not. does.
When the £ 500 million branch of ‘Operation Moonshot’ was launched in Greater Manchester, the Department of Health promised 250 tests per day, which would then be ‘scaled up to the whole area’.
The government branch said it would lead to Covid-19 transmission chains being ‘broken almost immediately’ by ‘delivering results on the spot’.
It was only the first step in implementing the program and achieving the ultimate goal of Operation Moonshot.
Waiting times for test results vary depending on where the swabs are taken, but up to 98 percent of people in England have to wait longer than the 24-hour target before knowing if they have Covid-19.
Waiting times for test results done in nursing homes or using mailed home test kits have gotten worse and worse since the summer, and now only two in 100 people get the result in 24 hours.
But the plan was struggling to attract even 250 participants in Salford to start, reports The Guardian.
Salford Mayor Paul Dennett told the newspaper the council was asked to halt the program this week due to lack of clarity on the accuracy of the saliva tests.
‘Today, we received new correspondence from DHSC, after seeking a written update for several weeks,’ slowing down ‘the community testing project with an emphasis on testing more targeted towards high-risk individuals and communities, rather than of the city’s’ massive ‘community tests are being rolled out after an initial few weeks of proof of concept,’ he said.
“We are reviewing the new correspondence … and will come to a conclusion soon, especially given the urgent need to update our residents in the city.”
A spokesperson for the Health Department denied that the project had been stopped and scaled down when contacted by MailOnline.
But when announcing the launch of the test, the agency stated: “The pilot will start with a select number of participants and up to 250 tests per day, which will be extended to the entire area.”
Samples are taken at a coronavirus testing facility in Temple Green Park and Ride, Leeds,
A spokesperson said the pilot was focusing on testing in “high risk” settings and groups only, while “will continue” to offer testing to residents in “some areas” of “high-density housing.”
They added: “The non-swab Optigene LAMP test used in the Salford pilot is ongoing and has already proven its effectiveness.”
The smearless method, which relies on two enzymes to convert the virus’ protein chains into DNA, was touted as a “game changer” for its speed.
But scientists have cautioned that it is less accurate than other methods, and only a few dozen samples can be analyzed at a time.
A trial conducted at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm found that it could detect the virus in nearly 90 percent of the 248 people tested.
The study’s lead author, Vincent Pelechano, told Nature that the test could be less accurate for some samples, such as those contaminated with blood.
Salford has a coronavirus infection rate of 301 cases in the last week per 100,000 people, according to the latest data from Public Health England, as its outbreak doubled in the week to October 4.
Greater Manchester will sink into a level three lockdown alongside Liverpool, which would see pubs, gyms and other entertainment venues closed in a desperate attempt to stem the growing wave of infections.
It comes as Britain’s Test and Trace system is overwhelmed by the increase in cases, and scientists say the £ 12 billion system is poised to ‘decline further’ unless it is vastly expanded to match the increase in cases. .
Boris Johnson has promised that the plan will be ‘global’, while both experts and politicians see it as an important way to reduce the severity of the restrictions imposed.
But doubts about the system arose in SAGE documents published hours after Boris announced the closing of the traffic light.
SAGE scientists wrote: ‘Relatively low levels of system engagement … coupled with testing delays and likely low adherence rates with self-isolation suggest that this system is having a marginal impact on transmission in this moment, ‘they wrote.
“Unless the system grows in line with the epidemic and people are supported to adhere to self-isolation, the impact of Test, Trace and Isolate is likely to decrease even further in the future.”
The criticism, voiced in a summary of a review of measures on September 21, has increased the pressure on Baroness Harding, the conservative pair in charge of Test and Trace.
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “This is further proof that government incompetence is hampering our response to a second wave.
‘Sage has essentially confirmed that the test and trace are not working properly, as we’ve been warning for months.
“The ministers need to control the tests so that we can control the virus.”
