Daily rapid testing for vaccinated COVID-19 contacts starts from Tuesday
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid announced this afternoon that fully vaccinated contacts of a COVID-19 case will be advised to take a daily lateral flow test for seven days to slow the spread of the virus from Tuesday.
Those who test positive or develop symptoms will need to self-isolate and unvaccinated adults must continue to self-isolate for 10 days if they are a contact of someone with COVID-19.
The move comes as Omicron infections are rising significantly in the UK and it is expected to become the dominant strain in the UK by mid-December.
It aims to reduce the pressures on people’s everyday lives by replacing the requirement for Omicron contacts to isolate for 10 days, while protecting the public by identifying asymptomatic cases and stopping the chains of transmission.
Close contacts of people who test positive are at higher risk of getting COVID-19 and, with one in three people asymptomatic, daily testing will help ensure people are not unknowingly passing the virus on to others.
As now, anyone whose rapid test comes back positive or who develops COVID-19 symptoms should self-isolate and take a confirmatory PCR test to verify the result.
If the PCR result comes back positive, contacts must self-isolate for 10 days from the day they took the positive rapid test or developed symptoms. They do not need to continue taking rapid tests during that 10 day isolation period. If the PCR result comes back negative, contacts can leave self-isolation but should continue to take rapid tests for the remainder of the 7 days.
Anyone identified as a contact with a negative lateral flow is strongly advised to limit close contact with other people outside their household, especially in crowded or enclosed spaces and with anyone who is more vulnerable. They should also follow government guidance on wearing a face covering and working from home where possible.
Unvaccinated adults are not eligible for this new daily testing policy, they must self-isolate for 10 days if they are a contact of someone who tests positive for COVID-19 – Omicron or not – unless eligible for an existing workplace daily contact testing.
Sajid Javid said: “The Omicron variant is quickly gaining ground in the UK and is expected to become the dominant strain by mid-December. We are taking this proportionate and more practical measure to limit the impact on people’s day to day lives while helping to reduce the spread of Omicron.”
“Vaccines remain our best defence and I urge anyone yet to get a first and second jab to come forward and those eligible for a booster to get boosted as soon as possible”, he added.
Dr Jenny Harries, UK Health Security Agency chief exec said: “Our latest analysis shows that boosters provide the best protection against the Omicron variant, please go forward when you are called. If you haven’t had any vaccine, a first and second dose still gives you protection against becoming seriously unwell.”
People will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace by phone, email or text or they will receive a notification from the NHS COVID-19 app to tell them they are a contact of someone who tested positive and what action they need to take.
They will be advised to get a box of seven lateral flow tests free of charge from NHS Test and Trace either through pharmacies, schools or home delivery by ordering online.
It comes as the government have announced that around 450 military personnel have been drafted in to support deployment to speed up the booster programme, with 1,500 community pharmacy sites, additional hospital hubs, and pop-up sites opening in convenient locations across the country.
Extra financial support to GPs, community pharmacies and primary care staff will help boost capacity and encourage more visits to those who are housebound.