Test data management

People are now travelling an average of 1.9 miles for a PCR COVID check in England, according to NHS Test and Trace. It comes as the NHS COVID-19 app was updated with the ability to tell people if there was a variant of concern in their postcode, and whether they could get surge testing. Data released today shows that most people - 96.1% - who got tested at either a local, regional or mobile centre during the week of 4 February to 10 February received their results the next day. Latest coronavirus updates from the UK and around the world What Boris Johnson will have to consider as he decides when to ease lockdown This is slightly down on 97.6% the week before. Advertisement For people using home coronavirus test kits, the average response time in the latest figures stood at 35 hours. It comes after Rupert Soames, the chief executive of outsourcing giant Serco, told Sky News that NHS Test and Trace was "now working … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Average journey to get coronavirus check in England just 1.9 miles, Test and Trace data suggests

More proof the worst of the second Covid wave has passed emerged today as Test and Trace data showed cases fell by a quarter last week and separate figures revealed infections dropped in every region and age group. With all key metrics now indicating England is well past the peak, pressure is mounting on Boris Johnson to ease lockdown drastically when he announces his 'route map' out of the shutdown on February 22. Today's Test and Trace report showed 149,000 people referred to the scheme were diagnosed with the disease in the week up to February 3 — down 24 per cent on the previous week. It is the lowest weekly number since England came out of its second national lockdown and before the second wave spiralled out of control. Meanwhile, Public Health England's weekly surveillance report showed Covid cases are continuing to fall in every English region and among every age group. The West Midlands has the highest rate at 237.6 per 100,000 people, down from 326.8 in the previous … [Read more...] about More proof the worst of the second wave is over: Covid cases fall by 25% in a week and infections drop in EVERY region and age group again, official data shows

European doctors are snubbing the Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine after a concerted EU campaign casting doubts on its effectiveness. Mild 'side effects' including high temperatures and headaches have been reported by a small percentage of medical staff on the continent, despite there being no evidence of such occurrences in the UK, where the jab has been rolled out even more widely. As Brussels missteps in its vaccine procurement process became clear, and it demanded that AstraZeneca ramp up supplies to Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to 'manage demand' for the vaccine by questioning its effectiveness in the over-65s. 'What I can tell you officially today is that the early results we have are not encouraging for 60 to 65-year-old people concerning AstraZeneca,' he said. And the German regulator also raised questions by failing to approve it for the over-65s. Both statements were based on the relatively small number of over-65s in the original clinical trial … [Read more...] about Now French and Italian doctors shun Oxford vaccine after EU and Macron ‘managed demand’ by casting doubts on its efficacy – despite backing for jab from WHO and multiple studies

Boris Johnson has said he will be focusing on data and not dates when it comes to the easing of England's coronavirus lockdown. The prime minister said Professor Dame Angela McLean was "absolutely right" to tell a committee of MPs earlier that the relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions should hinge upon "data, not dates". Latest coronavirus updates from the UK and around the world Mr Johnson said his "roadmap" out of lockdown, which he will unveil on Monday, will be based "firmly on a cautious and prudent approach" that ensures the unlocking will be "irreversible". "We want to be going one way from now on," the PM added. Advertisement Speaking during a visit to a mass vaccination centre at Cwmbran Stadium in Cwmbran, south Wales, Mr Johnson said the easing would be done in "stages" and stressed: "We need to go cautiously." Asked about the reopening of hospitality venues, the PM said: "You have to remember from last year that we opened up … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Boris Johnson to focus on ‘data, not dates’ for easing England’s lockdown

The boss of an outsourcing giant involved in the much-criticised coronavirus Test and Trace programme has admitted it took "some time to settle down" but argued it was "now working really, really well". Speaking to Sky News, Serco chief executive Rupert Soames also rejected comparisons with the widely hailed COVID-19 vaccination rollout, arguing his firm had been "plunged straight into it" last year while there had been time to plan for the administration of jabs. The UK now had "the largest and most successful test and tracing system in Europe", Mr Soames told the Ian King Live programme. He also insisted the private contractor had made "very little" from its involvement. Mr Soames said: "The idea that COVID has been a huge boon to our profits is simply not true." Advertisement "Overall, the benefit to the company of COVID is tiny." In its latest update, the company said expected underlying trading profits, its preferred measure, to be up … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Test and Trace ‘now working really, really well’, says Serco boss