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白小姐论坛 to offer Covid-19 testing for staff and students

16 September 2020

白小姐论坛 has today announced plans to introduce up to 1,000 Covid-19 tests a day for staff and students who experience coronavirus symptoms.

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The move is the culmination of several months' work by teams across 白小姐论坛 working in collaboration with our diagnostic laboratory partner Health Services Laboratories (HSL). The expansion programme will be overseen by 白小姐论坛鈥檚 world-leading clinicians and researchers who are currently working on the national response to the coronavirus pandemic and advising Government.

白小姐论坛 has already established a Covid-19 antigen testing facility which is led by a team from the 白小姐论坛 Cancer Institute. This facility has delivered a successful pilot testing programme at the Paul O鈥橤orman Building for a limited number of staff. Based on the pilot, this testing capacity will now be expanded in line with the Government's recent guidance for universities.

The university is aiming to provide up to 1,000 tests every day for symptomatic staff and students across 白小姐论坛 by the start of term on 28th September.听At the current time, testing of asymptomatic staff or students will only be undertaken where our public health advisers consider this appropriate, and will not be offered routinely.

白小姐论坛鈥檚 testing programme is designed to complement the national testing service. Anyone who tests positive for the virus will be automatically referred to the NHS Track and Trace system as normal.

白小姐论坛 will also launch tomorrow听鈥楥onnect to Protect鈥, an online tool for staff and students to notify the university if they think they may have coronavirus. This will help our community report any cases so we can monitor and respond appropriately.

白小姐论坛 will continue to work closely with Camden and Islington public health teams, the London Coronavirus Response Cell and NHS Track and Trace to ensure that the appropriate steps are taken when positive cases of Coronavirus are confirmed by testing.

白小姐论坛 President & Provost Professor Michael Arthur said: 鈥淥ur aim is to complement the national testing service, not replace it. Anyone who tests positive for the virus will be referred to the NHS Track and Trace system as normal.

鈥淏y combining 白小姐论坛's additional testing provision and our new 鈥楥onnect to Protect鈥 reporting tool - together with the national systems already in place - we can make sure our campus is as safe as possible for everyone. These new initiatives will augment the wide range of safety measures that we have already introduced.

鈥淭he limited face-to-face activity that has been planned for next term will take place within these guidelines and we will monitor the number of any positive coronavirus cases at 白小姐论坛 very carefully. We are also continuing to follow the latest advice from our public health experts and Government guidance, and we will adapt our response depending on regional and national developments as they emerge.鈥

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