“No Plans For Mass Asymptomatic Testing”

 Wed 10:48 am +01:00, 16 Dec 2020  

posted by Weaver

In a letter from Lord Bethell to Bill Wiggin MP, the Government appears to have confirmed that it has abandoned plans to mass test everybody whether or not they have symptoms.

We are not currently planning mass asymptomatic testing; swab testing people with no symptoms is not an accurate way of screening the general population, as there is a real risk of giving false reassurance. Widespread asymptomatic testing could undermine the value of testing, as there is a risk of giving misleading results. Rather, only people with COVID-19 symptoms should get tested.

This seems to be largely motivated by the supposed high false negative rates of the rapid LFT tests. However, there may be a tacit acknowledgement that PCR tests may not always get it right either.

Read the letter in full below.