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https://www.bioworld.com/articles/503479-covid-19-test-makers-are-adapting-for-variants
Sorry, I forgot to put the link to the article:
https://www.bioworld.com/articles/501867-accuracy-utility-of-covid-19-lateral-flow-tests-questioned-in-the-uk
If covid is anything like typhoid, then it's possible for someone to carry a high viral load and still be asymptomatic. Logic ensues that there must also be people with low viral loads who are asymptomatic. LFTs have been shown to have all sorts of problems but I don't think this government is interested in best practice. Innova, a company which was founded as late as 20/3/20 got £1.8bn in contract from the UK government in 2020.
Here is a link to an article written ion 29/12/20 about "A huge row has broken out in the U.K. about the accuracy and utility of COVID-19 lateral flow tests (LFT) in screening asymptomatic people".
Since that article, Innova got awarded an extra £1.1bn to supply the same tests.
Make of that what you will.
All the above research was made possible via a link which VanV sent me where I was able to see the DHSC tenders.
Sunday Times:".....Innova Medical Group, said the UK was his biggest customer, with hundreds of millions of tests already delivered and a total of one billion expected by the middle of next month........Under the Operation Moonshot strategy, the government plans to use targeted mass testing in the public sector to monitor infection rates and stop asymptomatic spread."
Whilst this seems to provide some impetus for LFT supply (of course, it does in the short term) what follows and is linked to LFT is the PCR test. There is no doubt that there is insufficient PCR capacity to carry out the number of covid tests that the UK wishes to undertake in order to provide reassurance and to support the return to normal activity. But expand LFTs and you are inherently expanding the overall test regime that includes PCR-related companies, so NCYT are there .
If decisions are made to move away from LFTs then the options are LAMP and PCR - and the quicker and more accurate the alternatives can be will decide the next move. Both of these are NCYT.
As the effect of vaccines develop and questions about immunity come through then a test for antibody levels for research and community diagnostics are becoming more important - and NCYT are there also.
Finally, I'd pose a question about LFTs - putting aside the accuracy associated with sampling practice, then exactly why are they being justified as appropriate for indicating asymptomatic carriers? I am not sure about the level of virus that a patient has to carry in order to be infectious, but I do know that LFTs only detect relatively high viral loads (at approx 25+ PCR cycles). So, if patients are asymptomatic - do they carry a low viral load or does their existing immune system deal with the infection caused? If they are asymptomatic because they only carry a low load then there's a problem with the clinical justification for LFTs...
Quite bizarre, tender reduced dramatically and TW wants all covid stocks suspended Monday , a parody. That's a consummate liar for sure . K
NFR 22bn. K
Isn't TW a parody?
What am I missing when shorter Tw thinks there will be a disorderly market over the 8bn tender ? It hasn't happened with the others, is it because it's a DPS contract?
I think he's just using this situation to peddle his ware. I don't think he can tell us anything about Nova.
https://mobile.twitter.com/masinmich/status/1368317533707767808