Today, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Aidan Fowler, writes for the Telegraph & Argus about the way in which community testing is boosting the battle against Covid-19, using Kirklees as a strong example.........

"With around one in three people with coronavirus not displaying symptoms, COVID-19 can quickly spread in our communities undetected.

"You can still pass the virus on to others even if you don’t have symptoms, so it is important we identify as many cases as possible, self-isolate and ultimately break these chains of transmission.

"Quickly identifying cases and breaking chains of transmission is how we can reduce the impact of this deadly virus.

"As our knowledge of the virus has evolved, we have rapidly expanded our testing capacity to more than 800,000 tests per day, including PCR tests and lateral flow devices (LFDs) as well as other technologies, and we have developed innovative technology to offer different types of tests for different purposes.

"LFDs can detect cases with high levels of virus, making them effective in finding individuals who are the most likely to transmit the disease at the point they are tested, including those not showing symptoms. With results available in around 30 minutes, without the need for a laboratory, these devices can quickly find cases which would not otherwise have been found.

"On their own, these tests are not a silver bullet for stopping the spread of the virus and it is still crucial that people comply with the current lockdown measures, including those who receive a negative test result. But what they do is offer a rapid testing for workplaces whose employees are not able to work from home.

"LFDs used by the government go through a rigorous evaluation by the country’s leading scientists. Rapid testing of NHS workforce and pilots in workplaces across the country, including Heathrow and food manufacturing company Moy Park, are keeping national infrastructure up and running. The government has offered rapid asymptomatic testing to every local authority. During this national lockdown, councils are encouraged to target testing at people who are unable to work from home, keeping our essential services open and offering a layer of support for those absolutely cannot work from home.

"Here in Kirklees, the council is providing testing to critical workers who live or work in Kirklees and are unable to work from home. This means that construction workers, supermarket staff and those who work in other people’s homes can get a free test to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus to others.

"Kirklees Council is encouraging critical workers to get tested weekly at one of four community testing centres, where 38,785 tests have been carried out since 18 December. This has identified 624 positive cases that wouldn’t otherwise have been found. Kirklees Council has also offered mobile pop-up testing for early years childcare providers, such as childminders and nurseries which has been well received. Find out more about community rapid testing on your local authority’s website. Asymptomatic testing using LFDs is just one tool to combat COVID-19. Whilst we are at a crucial point in controlling the pandemic, sticking to the guidance has never been more important."