WATCH: Island-wide antibody testing ‘on hold’

Monday 11 May 2020

Plans to examine the entire population for signs of covid-19 have been put "on hold", the Health Minister has confirmed - leaving 150,000 antibody test kits ordered by Government just weeks ago lying on the shelf.

The news comes after the results of a pilot test scheme using kits provided by Healgen were released last week, suggesting that up to 3,300 islanders may have been infected with the virus.

The Health Minister had previously stated that, if the pilot scheme was successful, antibody testing would likely be rolled out to the whole population.

But when Express asked whether this was still the plan at a press conference this morning, Deputy Richard Renouf indicated that the government was no longer pursuing the idea.

He described the results of the pinprick blood test regime, released by Statistics Jersey on Friday, as “helpful and statistically valid”. 

Video: How the antibody tests work. 

However, he went on to say that plans to test the whole island were “on hold for the time being”, but that more households will be included as part of the next testing phase. 

When the antibody testing programme was announced at the end of last month, the Government said it would be extended across the island in mere weeks, with the Chief Minister describing them as the “key” to “influencing and informing” the lockdown exit strategy.  

“We’re going to see what these sampling, what the results are over a period of time before deciding whether there is any need to test the whole island and what sort of test would be undertaken if we were to do that,” Deputy Renouf said this morning in a press conference. 

“But the sampling will give us a good idea of the spread of the virus over time through the island.”

Video: Express questioned the Health Minister about island-wide antibody testing during a press conference this morning.

When asked by Express to clarify the rationale over the decision to not carry out island-wide testing, Deputy Renouf simply referred to “a changing situation”. 

“I think we’ve seen that the random sampling of households within the island can give us the answer and our other testing regimes will move to a position where we make a choice of who we are testing,” he explained.

“We are increasing the PCR testing to include, of course, all patients coming into hospital, but essential staff in the hospital, essential staff in care homes, and residents of care homes and then moving out into essential homes in other sectors as well.

“And as we create the ability to test more and more, we will be able to expand the range of people who are being tested.”

Pictured: The Government seems to be favouring PCR testing to antibodies testing. 

The Chief Minister went on to add that, with only around 3,000 on island having had the virus, there was “no point blowing those 100,000 [tests] to reconfirm what’s come out as a statistically reliable sample”.

“Obviously this gets assessed as we keep going through the process, if you like, that we’re doing,” Senator Le Fondré added.

“So will that change at some point? We don’t know yet but the testing regimes continues to be updated.”

In total, the Government has ordered 150,000 tests from Somerset-based, DNA Workplace Ltd. – described as the UK's leading provider of drug, alcohol and DNA Testing for government, family courts and healthcare bodies. 

Video: The government has ordered 150,000 tests from DNA Workplace Ltd.

The company’s website states the test kits are an effective “indicator of infection”, but that no assurance can be given as to their accuracy. 

It also notes that according to early clinical studies, the ability of the tests to detect covid-19 antibodies increases the longer the participant has had symptoms.

In the first week of symptoms, the detection rate is between 72% and 82%, rising to between 90% and 98% after the seventh day. Meanwhile, during the asymptomatic phase - when an infected patient is not showing symptoms - the test may give a false-negative result. 

The accuracy of antibody tests has been called into question in the past, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) issuing guidance that they should only be used in research settings. 

"They should not be used in any other setting, including for clinical decision-making, until evidence supporting use for specific indications is available," WHO advised.

Furthermore, global researchers haven’t ruled out the possibility of people getting the virus more than once, as immunity from having had the virus may not be permanent - something Jersey's Medical Director Patrick Armstrong and the previous Acting Medical Officer for Health Dr Ivan Muscat have previously emphasised.