Now that molecular testing is in place, meaning test results can be turned around in under 24 hours at a local facility, the public health team is trying to get antibody and immunity testing, which would be available to front-line staff in the first instance.
“The next game changer will be antibody testing, first for healthcare workers and then the wider population,” said Dr Brink.
“We have been told it is three to four weeks off being available, then we have to procure the products.
“We are appraising different antibody tests, looking at various suppliers and we want to know their performance, their sensitivity and their specificity.”
The population testing could be carried out using some kind of drivethrough.
Dr Brink has ruled out home testing as it is vital that Public Health can gather as much data as possible about this virus, as it has shown a variety of clinical symptoms and still appears to be evolving since it first emerged.
Molecular or detection testing has been crucial to getting results back quickly and better managing the spread of the virus.
On average, Public Health has been carrying out 60 to 70 of these tests per day since the equipment was commissioned.
Picture top: Dr Nicola Brink.