Region ‘stands ready’ to help national coronavirus testing efforts

Greater Manchester ‘stands ready’ to help ramp up testing for coronavirus in public services across the country, says mayor Andy Burnham.

Staff, laboratories and chemical reagents from the region’s universities are being offered to provide the necessary components and expertise needed to create testing kits.

NHS workers at four regional hospitals are undergoing diagnostic testing at home but an antibody test – which can tell if someone has been infected – is ‘still several weeks away’.

Absence rates across the public sector are up to 20% as more workers self-isolate or show symptoms of coronavirus – and it is likely to get worse.

Greater Manchester Police say that one in five of their staff are out of action – with ‘even higher’ numbers reported within the force’s call centres.

Speaking at a mayoral coronavirus press conference, Mr Burnham said: “Testing is central to this situation.

“Greater Manchester stands ready to help in a national effort to get testing capacity up to the level required.

“I’ve spoken with Dame Nancy Rothwell, vice chancellor of Manchester University, and she’s talking to other universities on this.

“Together with the NHS, which is very much aligned with our universities, we are doing all we can to mobilise staff, laboratory space and chemical reagents to support the national testing effort.

“That offer goes out from Greater Manchester to the government, we stand ready to help in any way we can.”

Mr Burnham has also called for clarity from the government on whether there will be a major testing site in the north.

Current efforts are ‘nowhere near enough’ according to Manchester council leader Sir Richard Leese, who also leads on health for the city-region.

Hospitals have been given a 15% increase in capacity to allow testing of employees at their homes.

“They’ve only had that since Monday this week so it’s far too early to say how many people have been tested,” said Sir Richard.

“The ambition clearly is to get enough facilities in place so we can test everybody.

“We know in other countries testing is absolutely key to bringing this thing under control.”

Speaking on the level of coronavirus-related absences, he added: “The expectation is that it’s going to worse rather than better before we see any long term improvement.”

Niall Griffiths, Local Democracy Reporter