Testing Times

There is no doubt that reliable and widely-applied testing of the population is an essential tool for use in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Having said that, it does appear that the UK has been both slow and inappropriately-focused in terms of testing (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/apr/01/uk-coronavirus-testing-what-ministers-said-and-what-stands-scrutiny). Two types of test are needed namely a PCR test to detect the virus's genes in a person's body and an antibody test to determine if an individual has contracted the disease and made a recovery. The first tells you which individuals carry the agent and should be placed in situations (lockdown or quarantine), where they are unlikely to infect others. This test (which would need to be repeated at intervals) is essential for all 'front-line' workers especially those in the medical or caring professions. It should also be extended to police officers and workers in supermarkets et cetera. I think that this is actually more important than using the test (especially given its apparently limited availability) to confirm a diagnosis that a patient has Covid-19. The second test, tells you (with limited confidence, because we cannot be sure, at the present time, how long immunological protection to this virus lasts) which individuals can safely return to work after symptoms have abated. This, again, is something that would enable self-isolating medical staff (and others) to return to their essential activities.