Will mass testing be rolled out in Dorset?

Public Health Dorset are 'yet to hear' whether or not Dorset will be part of any national schemes to improve test and trace.

The government's announced a list of 66 new locations to take part in a rapid testing scheme, alongside Liverpool.

Over half a million rapid-turnaround lateral flow tests will be sent out by NHS Test and Trace to local public health leaders this week, signalling the next phase of the government’s plan to expand asymptomatic testing for COVID-19, the Prime Minister announced.

But, Dorset wasn't on the list of places announced yesterday. (10 November)

Sam Crowe, Director of Public Health of Dorset and BCP Councils told Greatest Hits Radio:

"All councils across the South West, including Dorset and BCP Councils are in talks with Public Health England and Department of Health and Social Care about using various public health interventions to improve contact tracing and testing. One of these interventions is rapid testing which Liverpool has started using.

“We are waiting to hear of learning of using these new measures and whether we are likely to be in a pilot.”

Proactively testing asymptomatic individuals will help identify those who unknowingly have the virus and enable those who test positive and their contacts to self-isolate, which can help drive down the R rate locally and save lives.

Dorset saw a drop in its number of weekly cases last week, for the first time since the start of September.

Between the 18th - 24th October there were 414 cases in the Dorset Council area, compared with 390 the following week.

The case rate for Dorset is also less than half of the national average.

The Dorset Council area has a rate of 103 per 100,000 compared with the national rate of 229.4.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock, said:

"Last week we rolled out mass testing in Liverpool using new, rapid technology so we can detect this virus quicker than ever before, even in people who don’t have symptoms. Mass testing is a vital tool to help us control this virus and get life more normal.

"I am delighted to say 10,000 of these tests will now be sent out by NHS Test and Trace to over 50 directors of public health as part of our asymptomatic testing strategy. I want to thank all directors of public health for their support and efforts over the past months to help us tackle this virus, bring it under control and get the country back to what we love doing."