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Gov "exploring" same 4 companies back in June (now mentioned again in latest UK Parliament update + what tests each company have brought to the table.)
"In addition to the new application of using saliva from Optigene being piloted in Southampton, we are currently exploring the potential of other no-swab saliva-based coronavirus tests with companies, including Chronomics, Avacta, MAP Science and Oxford Nanoimaging (ONI). "
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-saliva-test-for-coronavirus-piloted-in-southampton
First glance this appears as OptiGenes trial or test and that the other 4 companies were merely being "explored". I'm not sure how "exploring" is supposed to be done without some kind of testing carried out, perhaps back at the labs & not on participants, by using saliva taken from OptiGenes LAMP trials? I think OptiGenes LAMP tests were initially to validate if the virus could be picked up successfully in saliva just as well as the nose to move away from nose swab ramming (PCR) & open up the possibility for "at-home sampling & testing".

Moonshot was announced on 9th Sept by Boris.
https://twitter.com/itvnews/status/1303721870521520130?s=21

The UK Parliament update sub-headings...
"Testing technologies of Government interest" (where it mentions the 4 companies pointed out back in June) & then just under that we have "COVID-19 LAMP test: Hampshire pilot study of rapid tests" (where links can be found for these trials.)
https://post.parliament.uk/the-latest-in-covid-19-testing-developing-new-technologies/
So, I guess the "exploring" (whatever that means) of these 4 companies back in June at Southampton went good enough to have made it this far.

Also, OptiGenes test is a LAMP test & was previously misreported. Not anti-gen and not 20 mins. This link was previously retweeted by Avacta end of Sept.
https://institute.global/policy/science-fiction-science-and-fact-realistic-route-mass-testing?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=testing-launch
"In May, the government announced a trial in Hampshire using a point-of-care reader by OptiGene. Despite it being reported as a rapid antigen test, the recent trial is actually for a LAMP test.15 The test has also been misreported as giving a 20-minute result..."

Just my opinions here, of course. DYOR.

Some recent articles on the subjects...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/06/flurry-of-coronavirus-reinfections-leaves-scientists-puzzled
In August, Shiv Pillai, an immunologist at the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts general hospital, examined tissue taken from dead Covid-19 patients. He looked for structures called “germinal centres” in the spleen and lymph nodes. These are where B-cells go to develop antibodies before they are stored in the immune system’s memory. Pillai failed to find any, suggesting the patients were unable to generate highly effective, long-lasting antibodies that would fight the virus for years.

He believes the same problem may arise in people with milder Covid-19 too. “If we want antibodies that will persist for a few years and protect us, it’s not clear that’s going to happen,” he said.

https://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2020/09/29/covid-the-libertarian-population-immunity-strategy-is-wrong
Covid is still a new disease. We are finding out much more about longer term health problems after recovering from the initial infection, including in people who did not need hospitalisation and even in those who never experienced symptoms. So far, potentially long term problems have been discovered in the heart, including damage to the heart muscle and lining, damage to blood vessels which creates a risk of clots and stroke, lung damage, brain damage and kidney disease. We do not yet know whether this damage is permanent nor what proportion of people could be affected.

There is also 'long-covid', where many people who never needed hospital admission report significant symptoms months after initial infection. These often include debilitating fatigue, muscle aches, coughing and breathlessness. The Covid Symptom Tracker App, which has over 4 million users across the UK, found that ten per cent of people had symptoms for longer than three weeks...A study from the US found that one in five people between 18 and 34 years old with no chronic medical conditions had not returned to normal health two to three weeks after they were tested. Childhood admissions following covid infection have also been reported with severe multisystem disease.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/15/fears-covid-may-leave-thousands-in-uk-with-severe-kidney-disease-long-term-effects-coronavirus
“[These] are showing end-organ damage in the kidneys, in the liver, in the lungs and in the heart, and less so in the brain. This is affecting over a third of the individuals at the two month point,” he said. “We are really getting a lot of clues that there are things that are happening across multiple organs from a disease that initially starts as a respiratory infection.” While much of the current research is based on those who have been admitted to hospital with Covid-19, Brightling warned long-term effects, in particular problems like fatigue and chronic pain, were likely in those who had a “milder” form of the disease.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/health-53131237
Full article in link above. From 21st June 2020.

Below are some parts from the article that I've highlighted that speak out to me about trials back in June in Southampton. All my own opinions here of course, since we’ve had no RNS. DYOR.

Participants in the trial, which will include some university staff and students, "will provide weekly saliva samples for lab testing." (Spit in a pot perhaps?)

”The kit will be delivered to their home or workplace” and then ”collected by staff working for the trial team” or returned to an agreed location." (deliver spit in a pot kits to participants & later take spit in a pot samples back to ”trial team” at labs?)

Health Secretary Matt Han**** said he was grateful to everyone involved in the trial: "Saliva testing could potentially make it easier for people to take coronavirus tests at home, without having to use swabs. ”This trial ”will also help us learn” if routine, ”at-home testing could pick up” cases of the virus earlier." (Objective- to see if saliva works better than swabs & if so, it ”could” mean at-home testing instead of lab testing?)

The saliva test looks for genetic material of the virus using a technique known as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). (Spit in a pot samples tested here first in their labs, perhaps, to see if saliva sampling works from spit in a pots to detect virus?)

”Experts say this can be simpler and faster to carry out than the standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing method used to analyse coronavirus swabs.”

"Ultimately, it ”might be” possible to do ”the testing” ”as well as” ”the sampling at home” and get results in under an hour."

"As well as trialling the Optigene saliva test, "the Southampton team" ”are exploring” the ”use of other no-swab saliva-based coronavirus tests” with companies including Chronomics, Avacta, MAP Science and Oxford Nanoimaging."
(Could it be that ”Optigenes saliva test” is actually about taking spit in a pot samples back to their labs to be run through LAMP to see if saliva works better than PCR swabs & if so, then in addition to a positive outcome, the "Southampton Team", also then explores the use of saliva, from spit in a pot samples, on other "no-swab saliva-based tests" supplied by the other 4 companies mentioned, BUT they explore this possibility in their own labs to see if ”at-home testing & sampling” can work to take us away from swab testing?).

Personally, I still need an RNS to confirm if this could be what's happened & obviously don't know how Avacta compared with other 3 companies. This is all just my own opinions/thinking from what I've read in this article & no more. I could be wrong. Do your own research to form ones own conclusions.

@Fardistanthills- I couldn't post the article when I started the thread (not a subscriber) but Southampton being used as a ”proving ground” for Op Moonshot really stuck out for me. My notes on how I see things...

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-saliva-test-for-coronavirus-piloted-in-southampton
Avactas been at Southampton since 22nd June. They're mentioned under Phase 1 along with 4 other companies. From each company website info, there's only 1 company that I can tell working on a pregnancy style test- Avacta.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/500-million-funding-for-quick-result-covid-19-test-trials
3rd Sept update- Southampton now at Phase 2. I'm assuming they're using all 5 companies from Phase 1 to expand trials (nothing to say otherwise).

Avactas RNS 2nd Sept (1 day before Phase 2) informing us the game plan has now changed- ”Authorities ”around the world” are now looking to carry-out frequent mass testing to identify the ”most infectious people” promptly in order ”to reduce infection rates” and combat the coronavirus pandemic... The Affimer reagents that we have generated are very specific to SARS-CoV-2 antigen and we are confident of ”meeting and exceeding” the clinical performance requirements for identifying the ”most infectious people.”

7th Sept RNS- ” Using THE SAME Affimer reagents that are incorporated into its rapid coronavirus saliva test being developed with Cytiva, Avacta has developed...ELISA laboratory test to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The Affimer-based ELISA test is capable of detecting the coronavirus spike protein in laboratory samples down to very low concentrations...This is typical of the ”levels found in infectious COVID-19 patients' saliva whether they are symptomatic or not.”

https://twitter.com/itvnews/status/1303721870521520130?s=21
9th Sept- Boris envisions Operation Moonshot- everybody takes a pregnancy style test in the morning to see whether or not they're ”infectious”, not infected! (paraphrasing, but link above).

11th Sept- ”Salford and Southampton to be proving grounds.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/09/11/moonshot-coronavirus-testing-trials-begin-next

Oct- Operation Moonshot?

Further reading...
https://www.marketwatch.com/amp/story/osterholm-americans-will-be-living-with-the-coronavirus-for-decades-2020-07-30

"I don't like it calling it a second wave, I just say there are going to be more spikes and indeed some surges of cases because the virus hasn't changed.”
https://www.news.sky.com/story/amp/coronavirus-spike-in-cases-after-people-relaxed-too-much-and-second-wave-is-coming-health-experts-warn-12066373

Expectations that Covid will go away anytime soon is the real bubble here. Boris needs a test for The UK to be taken daily (for decades perhaps) that shows within mins if someone is ”infectious” to other people. If he can achieve that in the form of a pregnancy style test taken at home, then the ”infectious” isolate & no more lockdowns.

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