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Boris Johnson has assured the Bailiwick that UK laboratories will continue testing corona virus samples from the islands, until the local facility is up and running in Guernsey
There had been a growing backlog of tests being returned, when the Director of Public Health decided she no longer had an accurate data sample on which to base her decisions to protect the Bailiwick's community from the growing threat of the global pandemic.
That was earlier this month, and since then the number of confirmed positive test results has grown, with the majority of patients still having contracted the virus off while overseas, but a growing number are now proven to have caught it locally, through community seeding.
Pictured: Dr Nicola Brink, Guernsey's Director of Public Health, and Deputy Gavin St Pier, the Chair of the Civil Contingencies Authority.
At the time of the growing backlog, Deputy St Pier wrote to the UK's Prime Minister asking for his assurance that samples sent from the Bailiwick would be returned as quickly as possible.
"...we require the UK Government’s immediate support to guarantee continued swift processing of our tests by a UK testing centre for a limited period. The impact on the UK’s testing facility will be minimal, but the impact on our Bailiwick communities at this critical time will be huge. I hope we can continue to have your ongoing support." - Deputy Gavin St Pier, writing to Boris Johnson, 20 March 2020.
Deputy St Pier's letter explained that the swift return of test results were crucial to ensuring the Bailiwick responded to the global pandemic quickly and accurately for our own community.
He also compared the current situation to the Occupation of the islands during the Second World War which left thousands of people starving.
Pictured: Deputy St Pier compared the current corona virus pandemic to the Occupation of the Bailiwick during the Second World War, which saw thousands of residents evacuated, many deported, and those left behind had to face starvation before the Liberation.
In his response, Mr Johnson said that as the view of the World Health Organisation to control the spread of the virus, is to 'test, test, test', the UK's testing capacity was being increased and that "to clear the previous backlog and meet future anticipated demand, we have committed to boosting NHS lab-based testing to at least 25,000 a day for patients most in need, and are working to increase our total testing capacity to 1 million tests a week".
"This Government is committed to working with the Crown Dependencies to help defeat what is the challenge of this generation. I am pleased to confirm that Colindale Public Health Laboratory will complete the agreed number of tests for Guernsey. We will ensure that this relationship continues until your own testing capabilities are up and running." - Boris Johnson, writing to Deputy Gavin St Pier, 26 March 2020.
Pictured: UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
As Chair of the Civil Contingencies Authority, Deputy St Pier is leading the States response to the corona virus crisis, working closely with the Director of Public Health, Dr Nicola Brink, Health and Social Care President, Deputy Heidi Soulsby and other senior politicians and civil servants.
He said this assurance that UK testing will continue until our own facility is up and running helps underpin the decisions being made locally for the benefit of our community.
“I am pleased that the UK has provided the assurance that we were seeking in relation to tests which underpin our strategy. The Bailiwick is making its own evidence-based decisions to safeguard lives and health. Those decisions take into account the evidence from the vital test results that we receive from our UK test centre partner. The differences between the Bailiwick’s and the UK’s phases, sizes, infrastructure and resources, mean that there will naturally also be differences in approach and timing. However, we’re continuing to work with the UK to combat COVID-19, as the Prime Minister’s reply shows.
"People across the whole Bailiwick are taking the situation very seriously. Everyone has had to adapt their normal lives to comply with the current measures during these two weeks. That means we are each protecting ourselves and protecting each other. Our continued determination to ‘test, test, test’ and the impressive community-wide response will protect our health infrastructure and save lives.”
Early last week, it was said that a local testing facility was at least another couple of weeks away. The number of testing samples being sent away is currently rising by dozens each day, with the overall number increasing with no let up as the weeks go by.
The final piece of kit needed to assess test samples on island is now here, but the equipment needs to be assembled and staff need to be trained to use it.
While that work is ongoing, the Princess Elizabeth Hospital has also been transformed to be 'covid-19 ready'. A new ICU ward has been created in what is usually the day patient unit, to deal with an expected increase in patient numbers needing treatment as the corona virus pandemic nears its peak in Guernsey.
Gavin and I visited the PEH today to see the fantastic work that’s gone on to make us COVID-19 ready. Here’s a v amateur video I put together. I may get better at it as the days go on. Thx to all staff who briefed us. PEH COVID-19 Preparedness https://t.co/oiUAVZVPVN via @YouTube
— Heidi Soulsby (@HeidiSoulsby) March 27, 2020
Deputy Soulsby, President of the Committee for Health & Social Care said she is "glad" to receive the assurance that test samples will continue being assessed in a timely manner in the UK while the local facility is being created.
“We’re continuing our own testing policy to support our own evidence-based decisions. If someone is being tested for COVID-19, it is understandably an anxious time. We’re doing everything we can to make sure that those tests are processed quickly so that the results are known at the earliest opportunity. I’m glad that Deputy St Pier sought reassurance at the highest political level in the UK that processing will continue there until our own test facility is up and running – and that we will receive test results as swiftly as possible.”
The latest local corona virus statistics and information is available here at gov.gg/coronavirus.
Deputy St Pier's letter to Boris Johnson can be read in full HERE.
Boris Johnson's reply to Deputy St Pier can be read in full HERE.
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