Universities trial rapid tests to get students home

Universities in the United Kingdom are deploying rapid coronavirus tests in a bid to get students home safely for the Christmas holidays, with Durham and De Montfort universities running pilot projects that can return results within an hour, in the hope that the scheme could be rolled out nationwide, writes Ewan Somerville for iNews.

COVID-19 cases continue to sweep almost every campus in Britain and ministers fear the migration of one million students at the end of term will spread outbreaks. SAGE, the UK government’s scientific advisory group, has warned of a “significant risk” that students will create clusters in their home towns and cities when they return to families for the festive period. All of the areas in England currently under tier three lockdown restrictions have large student populations, including Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Nottingham. Around 370,000 students will be travelling home from hotspots in northern England at Christmas.

Durham University said a clinically approved Lateral Flow Test, designed to give COVID-19 test results in 20 to 30 minutes, would be trialled on all students living in two of 17 colleges – Van Mildert College and Stephenson College – from this week. Staff there will also be offered the test.
Full report on the iNews site