Island-wide COVID-19 testing is not on the cards, according to the director of public health.
Simon Bryant, director of public health, told a meeting last week that Island-wide testing would not be helpful as it would pick up false positives.
At a meeting of the Isle of Wight Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board, concerns were raised by 1 parish councillor about those who may have COVID-19 and are potentially spreading the virus but not realising it as they are showing no symptoms.
Councillor Bob Blezzard, a member of Lake Parish Council and representative of the Isle of Wight Association of Local Councils, said:
“This seems to me to be a problematic area. Is there a way [testing] could be rolled out to everyone on the Island?
“We were used as a guinea pig for the NHS Track and Trace app…could we not be used as a guinea pig for wider testing?”
However, Mr Bryant said he would not recommend asymptomatic testing — tests for those who are showing no signs of the virus — for the whole Island as it would not be cost-effective. He said:
“We are doing asymptomatic testing in particular settings where we know the spread is much more devastating — in care homes and other places.
Article continues below this advertisement “If we have an outbreak (two or more cases in the same area), we do test other people to see if they have got it and we will pick up asymptomatic cases in that sense.
“We also have to remember, the Island has a very low prevalence of infection so it is not effective to do testing because we will start to pick up false positives which isn’t helpful.”
Mr Bryant mentioned a pilot trial in Southampton which conducts weekly surveillance of people by doing spit tests and suggested nationally there may be more pilots such as that.
On the Isle of Wight, 421 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in all settings — hospitals, care homes, drive-through centres and more — but Mr Bryant says there had been no new cases in the last 7 days.
“would not be helpful as it would pick up false positives”
“for the whole Island as it would not be cost-effective”
But at least it would pick up positive results, especially for those that do not show any symptoms that could be spreading the virus.
Why does cost effective have to be thrown at us, it is US that will be paying for this mess for many a year to come.
So stop sending overseas aid to countries like Russia, China etc.
The likely MAIN reason they do not wish to ‘test’ people on the Island, is because then, the likely growing numbers would cause alarm and ‘may’ frighten off some much needed cash from holiday makers.
Virus is over, time to get back to normal. Yes that means you! Stop lazing about at home on facebook and get back to work, drone!
I have been working the whole period.
I think we have got your message, and the opinion from your ratings is you dont have any support, you are simply abusive.
What a joke ! Shame on them . All the effort islanders put in to get a system up and running .
The likely MAIN reason they do not wish to ‘test’ people on the Island, is because then, the likely growing numbers would cause alarm and ‘may’ frighten off some much needed cash from holiday makers.
Like in jaws, the Mayor didn’t want to admit they ‘had a problem’ as he too knew such ‘publicity’ would keep ‘money’ aka holiday makers away. Same now.
Also, it would cause the locals to say ‘Told you we would have higher cases due to all the tourists here’.
Easier to ‘pretend’ everything is alright, until the ‘season’ ends naturally, THEN we will see.
The authorities in the film, Jaws, also didn’t want to ‘admit’ they had a problem, as such frightens away cash from seaside resorts.
Theirs was a solitary Shark. We have numerous in the Council who just want tourists to spend, and by NOT testing, can then pretend by designed ‘ignorance’ that Corvid numbers are still low, when they could be anything but.
Once the season is over ‘then’ and only then the truth will come out. Leaving the locals with the problem, but they will have made their seaside cash, eh Mr W
The Government has said there will be tests available ‘Nationwide’ ! When did we break away from the Union ?
The only reason they will not do mass testing here is because it will show up how many cases there really are. Thanks to 2nd homeowners and DFL’s