Queen’s University is joining a new government-backed programme to test large numbers of students and staff for Covid-19 ahead of the holidays.
The big question on many students' minds right now is whether or not it will be safe for them to go home for Christmas. Lockdowns are continuing across the UK in a bid to get control of the second wave of the virus so that it will be safer for families to gather, but there's a real risk that students could go home and infect their older and more vulnerable parents with the virus.
A new government sponsored programme is kicking off to test large numbers of completely asymptomatic students and university staff for Covid-19. This programme is being funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care as part of a New Testing Interventions programme that's being rolled out across the country.
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Queen's University Belfast has become the first place in Northern Ireland to join the scheme and will now be conducting asymptomatic testing on a large scale. The tests will be carried out using new Lateral Flow Devices and will be able to provide Covid-19 test results within an hour, and could lead to a mass rollout of rapid testing to help re-open businesses safely.
The testing programme will not only collect vital data on asymptomatic infection rates among the student population but will also help support students who want to return home for Christmas. The testing facility is set up in the Whitla Hall at the Queen's University Belfast main campus, and students are required to book their tests in advance.
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Health Minister Robin Swann said: "I welcome Queen’s University’s participation in this NTI, which will help us to understand how asymptomatic testing can be implemented and extended more widely in the future, to other parts of Northern Ireland. Providing support to students and their families in the coming weeks is also a very welcome aspect of this NTI. However we must be clear - testing on its own is not a panacea to delivering a ‘normal’ festive period."
"Everyone must continue to adhere to the current restrictions and public health requirements. We must continue to drive down infection rates and ensure that we enter the festive period with as few new cases every day as possible. So my advice to everyone is - reduce your contacts, keep your distance, wash your hands, wear your face covering and download the StopCOVID NI App."
Source: QUB
