Surge testing expanded in Lancashire after spike in Covid-19 Indian variant cases

SURGE TESTING is being expanded across parts of Lancashire following the recent spike of Covid-19 Indian variant cases in the area, Britain's Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said on Friday (28). 

NHS Test and Trace in partnership with local authorities has launched additional testing and genomic sequencing across Lancashire. Additional mobile testing units are being deployed to higher educational settings while door-to-door testing is also taking place to find and isolate cases, DHSC said. 

People who are tested positive for the Indian variant reportedly told to self-isolate and their contacts are being identified.

Along with increased testing in the Lancashire boroughs, “enhanced contact tracing”, where tracers look back over an extended period of time to determine the route of transmission, will be used for those who will test positive for a variant of concern.

Cases of the Indian variant have more than doubled in a week, with 6,959 confirmed up to Wednesday (26), as health secretary Matt Hancock revealed that up to 75 per cent of all new Covid infections being recorded in the country are the new variant cases.

The highest Covid-19 rates are currently in Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen and Rossendale, which respectively saw 403, 355, and 212 cases per 100,000 people during last week.

The new variant, which is considered one of the reasons behind the ongoing deadly second wave in India, is also thought to be the cause behind the recent spike seen in Britain's fresh Covid numbers, with daily new cases crossing 3,000 for the first time since mid-April.

The increase in the Indian variant cases has sparked fresh concerns over stage four of prime minister Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown though experts have said that vaccines are effective against the Indian variant as well.