PCR Testing To Be Relaxed4 Jan 2022 22:45
“Millions of people who test positive on lateral flow devices will be told they do not need to take follow-up PCR tests, which currently delay the official start of isolation for hundreds of thousands of people.
Health officials have drawn up plans to limit PCR tests to those with symptoms of Covid, allowing people who are asymptomatic – around 40 per cent of cases – to return to work more quickly. More than 1.2 million people are isolating after testing positive for Covid in the last week, with hundreds of thousands more waiting for tests or results.
The changes, expected on Wednesday, come as more than half a dozen NHS hospital trusts have declared critical incidents. Call handlers at North East Ambulance Service were told in an internal memo to advise heart attack patients to get a lift to hospital, rather than wait for a 999 response.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/01/04/covid-testing-rules-relaxed-solve-staff-shortages/