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WQ.259/2020
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES
BY DEPUTY R.J. WARD OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 13th JULY 2020
Question
Will the Minister provide details of –
- the current maximum capacity for daily P.C.R. (Polymerase Chain Reaction) testing by the Government, both on and off-Island;
- the anticipated range of time required for the return of test results; and
- the estimated maximum number of daily tests that can be returned within 48 hours, as mentioned in the Safer Border Transport Policy?
Answer
- There is no set maximum number of daily tests. This is because we have been able to use the off-Island lab to process more swabs when local capacity is exhausted.
- The average turnaround time from swab to result is within 48 hours for the majority of passengers tested through the border programme. For the wider PCR testing programme, the time to results is, on average, 2-3 days. Certain groups have their swabs processed on-island with a turnaround time of 1-3 hours – this includes hospital inpatients, anyone with symptoms, the first test for direct contacts of positive cases, or as otherwise clinically indicated.
- There is no set maximum number of daily tests that can be returned within 48 hours. Most PCR tests that are performed as part of the border testing programme are processed by an off-island provider called Micropathology, with the majority of results returned within 48 hours.