Boris Johnson’s ‘reckless’ announcement raises questions about the future of testing in Wales
FIRST Minister Mark Drakeford has called the end of free universal Covid testing in England “premature and reckless”.
Yesterday, at what is hoped to be the final Covid news briefing, the Prime Minister announced that free universal testing would no longer be available in England from April 1.
Lateral flow tests and PCRs will no longer be free in England except to a small number of at-risk groups including the over 75s and clinically vulnerable people over 12.
The testing programme in Wales is funded by the UK Government which has confirmed it will not give the devolved nations extra money if they wish to continue universal free testing.
Yesterday, First Minister Mark Drakeford tweeted: “Testing has played a pivotal role in breaking chains of transmission and as a surveillance tool helping us detect and respond to emerging variants. It’s essential that this continues.”
Opinions among Cardiff residents are mixed, with some worried about the knock-on impact in Wales.
Lynne, 46, of Roath, who did not wish to be fully named, said: “It’s utter idiocy, a half baked plan from a desperate PM clinging to power and trying to appease his backbenchers. He’s throwing the vulnerable to the wolves, and doesn’t care if the bodies pile high because people with less money than him can’t afford to buy tests.”
Asked about the implications of reduced testing, Richard Stanton, Professor of Virology at Cardiff University, told The Cardiffian: “Without testing we won’t have self-isolation. Without self-isolation, we are likely to see case numbers rise.
“These measures have several knock-on effects, especially for the clinically vulnerable who will now be at much higher risk of potentially serious exposure.
“It’s also a health care burden that will fall disproportionately on the disadvantaged in society because they are more likely to have jobs that are public facing.
“Higher transmission is an ideal way to generate new variants, which may avoid vaccine-mediated protection. We will also lose some ability to track variants.”
A Welsh Government spokesman said today: “We are working through the possible implications for Wales of yesterday’s announcement on the National Testing Programme. However it appears to seriously undermine our ability to carry out universal free testing.”
The announcement caused a spike in demand and there are no lateral flow tests available to order from the Gov.uk website, which provides mail order tests for all UK nations.
To meet the higher demand, ordering has been limited to one pack of seven tests every 72 hours. Previously, you could order one every 24 hours.
Professor Stanton said: “Although there is a need to ‘get back to normal’, it would be better if that normal involved some level of testing and isolation, to make sure cases don’t spike again, and to provide some protection for the disadvantaged and vulnerable.”
He added: “Some level of testing will always be needed, so that we know levels of spread, and we know what variants are spreading (and if a new variant appears). However that can be targeted testing of representative groups. We do that currently for the flu, and Covid will almost certainly be folded into some kind of similar system.”
Debra Williams, from Cardiff, said: “People who are asymptomatic are wandering around and not testing or isolating anyway so how much difference will the end of testing make?”
