Up to 300,000 Brits to get coronavirus testing kits sent to UK homes at random to help track outbreak’s spread
UP to 300,000 Brits will be offered coronavirus home-testing to help track the spread of the outbreak.
Officials will contact 20,000 households in England to take part in a pioneering year-long study.
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Participants will be tested for the killer bug every week for a month by a trained nurse.
They will then provide a monthly swab for the rest of the trial.
As well as checking Brits for current infection, around 2,000 adults will also provide a blood sample to screen for antibodies against the disease.
The tests will help reveal the true scale and spread of the outbreak – with the first results expected in early May.
Scientists said the trial will help “transform our understanding” of the infection.
'TRANSFORM OUR UNDERSTANDING'
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “This survey will help to track the current extent of transmission and infection in the UK, while also answering crucial questions about immunity as we continue to build up our understanding of this new virus.
“Together, these results will help us better understand the spread of the virus to date, predict the future trajectory and inform future action we take, including crucially the development of ground-breaking new tests and treatments.” Volunteers will be representative of the entire UK population by age and location.
Participants will provide samples taken from self-administered nose and throat swabs and answer a few short questions during a home visit by a trained health worker.
The swab tests will show whether or not participants currently have the virus.
MOST READ IN HEALTH
In total, 25,000 people will take part in the pilot phase of the survey, with plans to extend it to up to around 300,000 over the next 12 months.
Results will be communicated back to participants by their GPs.
National Statistician Sir Ian Diamond said: “The Office for National Statistics has huge experience in running very large household surveys that gather vital information from a genuinely representative sample of the entire population.
“In this case we’ll be using that capability to help our health expert colleagues to create a reliable picture of the scale of Covid-19 infection and antibody development that will inform the key decisions that lie ahead in this pandemic.”
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