Even when covid was rife and you were doing everything right, like wearing a mask, sanitizing, social distancing, and getting vaccinated, you might have still found yourself being exposed or worse, testing positive for covid.
The number of covid cases has exceeded 579m cases globally and they are rising once again here in the UK. Is the use of testing to identify and isolate positive cases, effective in controlling the pandemic? We think so. Here’s why …
1. The vaccine isn’t 100%
Imagine a lecture with 100 students in it. One of them has the virus, but they might not have symptoms and don’t know they’re infected. But they’re touching handrails, door handles, and seats and sitting in a crowded room. Every person that is in close contact with the infected person can pick up the virus and spread it further.
Studies suggest that the vaccine slows down transmission, however, people that are vaccinated are still being infected and passing it to others. Others have also been advised to not have the vaccine or chosen not to take it.
Testing on the other hand is a great way for universities, schools, and workplaces to identify and eliminate the risk of spreading the disease.
2. Virus Mutations
Virus variation has been the bane of covid control. Not long after one wave of infection has passed, another arrives. The virus that caused covid astonishingly mutates almost once a week, which is at least 50% higher than previously thought. Variants are recognized by their successful spreading through populations and dominating previous strains.
Everyone knows the flu vaccine changes every year, due to its evolving and creating new characteristics. This is the same for covid, meaning the covid vaccine might not be as effective against newer variants.
Increasing evidence suggests that covid strains are recombining their genomes inside cells, which is causing variants to emerge even more quicker. This is down to when one person is infected with covid from several sources. In a classroom, three students and teachers are infected with different strains. One student contracted three different strains of the virus due to being in close proximity to all three infected people.
In this scenario, testing would help identify where infectious diseases are and others can test to rule out having covid and spreading it to others.
3. The unknown around vaccine immunity
The covid vaccine was an amazing example of modern science. But just as the virus adapts, so is the vaccine development. Scientists, researchers, and manufacturers are having to respond to the variations by modifying the original vaccine in clinical trials to look at the immune response to different variants. However, there is still uncertainty around how long immunity lasts and how it affects different people.
Testing is helping people not only feel but stay safe. Universities, schools, workplaces, and health officials can pinpoint outbreaks and act in accordance.
Lateral flow tests
There are hundreds of different brands of lateral flow tests and choosing the right one for you and your institution can be difficult. At Dr. Adams Laboratories, we stock FlowFlex, Healgen, and Lyher. Our LFTs are Government approved. Although our tests have their individual benefits, they are all:
· Easy to use
· Supplied reliably
· CE marked
· CDTA listed
· Produce fast and accurate results
· Competitively priced
Sustainability as a brand
If you are looking for fast lead times and a more sustainable product, Lyher is for you. One lateral flow test has the same carbon footprint as driving 350 meters, so we thought it was time to consider something a little more sustainable. As a MedTech company that is conscious about the environment and our planet, it’s important that we implement the same sustainable principles into our products. That’s exactly why we worked closely with our suppliers and designers to develop sustainable packaging that is not only lighter and smaller but consists of less plastic, without ever compromising on quality.
Now that restrictions have lifted and we can pretty much do as we please, testing is still as important as ever to stop the spread of the virus, especially with students and staff returning to universities and schools. Speak to our experts today for great quality products and even better pricing.