Latest updates: pilot scheme could see end of people having to self-isolate if they had contact with someone with Covid
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Surge testing will begin in parts of east London after several cases of the South African and Brazilian variants of coronavirus were detected, according to the Department of Health.
NHS test and trace will be working with the council in Tower Hamlets to provide extra testing in the E1 postcode from Sunday, along with genome sequencing, which helps establish the variant that someone has been infected with.
Related: Extra testing to start in east London after overseas Covid variants detected
A major new pilot scheme could see the end of people in England having to self-isolate if they have been in contact with someone who has Covid.
The government-backed research will trial giving people daily lateral flow tests for seven days instead of asking people quarantine for 10 days.
With around one in three people not showing any symptoms, regular testing is already playing a critical role in helping us reclaim our lost freedoms – quickly spotting positive cases, helping identify new variants and squashing any outbreaks.
At every stage of this global pandemic, the British public has stepped up and made huge sacrifices – including self-isolating when they are asked. This new pilot could help shift the dial in our favour by offering a viable alternative to self-isolation for people who are contacts of positive Covid-19 cases, and one that would allow people to carry on going to work and living their lives.
We know that isolating when you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 is challenging but it remains vitally important to stop the spread of infection. This study will help to determine whether we can deploy daily testing for contacts to potentially reduce the need for self-isolation, while still ensuring that chains of transmission are stopped.
Contacts of cases are at higher risk of infection so testing them is a very effective way of preventing further spread. This study will play an important part of our evaluation of daily contact testing and how the approach to testing might evolve.
