RE: UK-RTC test news17 Jul 2020 23:48
A Public Health England study, called Siren, is currently under way, in which thousands of health workers have had their blood analysed to try and discover whether antibodies confer immunity.
Dido Harding said there were no plans to roll out antibody testing until 'the science gives us that answer we’re searching for'
Dido Harding said there were no plans to roll out antibody testing until 'the science gives us that answer we’re searching for' Credit: Shutterstock
At Thursday's Downing Street briefing, Dido Harding, the head of the NHS Test and Trace programme, said there were no plans "immediately" to roll out antibody testing until "the science gives us that answer we’re searching for".
But Dr Hand revealed that the Department of Health is already in behind the scenes negotiations with the UK-RTC over the purchase of millions of tests before the end of the year.
"We're working with the Department of Health on the commercial side of things, the procurement agreements and so on. One of the key things is to make sure that we provide value for money," he said.
Under Government plans, the tests will be distributed to healthcare professionals first before being made available for millions of people to use at home, who would then send in their results to a central database.
"At the moment, this test is a tool to gather knowledge," Dr Hand said. "The objective is to allow mass testing, which you can't really do by sending samples to a lab. By being able to test millions of people, it will gather information so that we know how many people have antibodies, whether they protect against reinfection and how long they last."
Under plans drawn up by officials, the tests would be free and ordered online rather than sold in supermarkets. Each kit will come in a box with a QR barcode linking to a video showing the user how to safely prick their own finger and administer the test.
Ministers also hope the tests will be useful in determining whether future vaccinations against coronavirus have triggered the desired response.
"If coronavirus is like flu and people need an annual vaccine, we will need mass antibody testing to measure people's antibody response to that vaccine. That's part of the plan," Dr Hand said.
In April, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) banned fingerprick tests sold in Superdrug and Boots – with which users were asked to post blood samples for analysis – over concerns about accuracy.
Unlike many rivals, the UK-RTC version uses the "full-length spike protein" part of the virus to capture so-called IgG antibodies as blood passes through the home test. If the result is positive, two pink lines appear within 20 minutes.
Sign In
Follow the stocks
