More testing required .18 Mar 2022 14:48
An exert from professor Sarah Gilbert latest interview .
Testing needed more than ever to keep covid under control .
“In 2020, the sudden need for large-scale testing resulted in a large number of manufacturers producing test kits, some much more accurate than others. If we are to be prepared for future outbreaks, more needs to be done to develop testing strategies where production can be scaled up rapidly and accurately if required. If the next outbreak is caused by another novel virus, it will probably be related to a known pathogen – just as Sars-CoV-2 is related to the original Sars virus. With a testing strategy in place, existing test kits could provide a stopgap at the beginning of a new outbreak until a more specific test is developed. This would allow for a targeted quarantine of a small number of people at an early stage, and could prevent the new virus from spreading further.”