Guardian - Chinese Tests18 Apr 2021 23:20
Just nicked from the AVCT thread - actual link is paywalled:
Telegraph Article headline Rapid Covid tests used by schoolchildren investigated for containing wrong instructions
Out-of-date notice in Chinese-made lateral flow devices suggests they can be used if a person has symptoms, contradicting official guidance
Chinese-made lateral flow tests handed to millions of schoolchildren are being investigated by the regulator after being sent out with the wrong instructions, The Telegraph can reveal.
Devices have been handed out accompanied by out-of-date guidance that states they can be used if a person has symptoms.
The boxes also contained a “confusing” notice from their Chinese manufacturer erroneously saying that the tests were for use by people “suspected of Covid-19 by their healthcare provider”.
This contradicts the Government’s stated purpose for its mass rollout of the 30-minute turnaround tests, which is to catch infections in asymptomatic individuals, believed to comprise one in three Covid carriers.
People with symptoms are supposed to get a PCR laboratory test, the results of which are reported automatically, triggering the contact tracing process.Experts warned on Sunday that if people with symptoms think it is permissible to use only a lateral flow test then they may not report their positive result, self-isolate, or give contact tracers the chance to reach others they may have infected.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has confirmed it is investigating the issue.
It comes after leaked emails revealed that health officials fear the devices could pick up “on an optimistic assumption” only 10 per cent of infections when self-administered, and suggested they are considering scaling back the programme
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