Wales-made antibody test set to be rolled out
A DEAL has been struck with a pharmaceutical firm to supply a “game-changing” coronavirus antibody test which is being partially produced in Wales.
Wales and the rest of the UK will soon introduce the new blood tests, including those produced in Pencoed by Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (OCD).
The tests will be rolled out in the weeks to come and could pave the way out of lockdown.
The Welsh Government said Wales will decide how the test is “rolled out, prioritised and managed” in Wales. It is expected it will be available in care homes.
A spokesman said yesterday: “An expert group is currently working on the antibody testing strategy for Wales and will make an announcement shortly.”
The company is one of a number to produce the antibody tests for the UK.
Health minister Vaughan Gething said: “The approval and production of the new antibody test is an important step forward in our efforts to stop the spread of the virus, protect the public and ease lockdown restrictions.
“This test will tell us if people have already had coronavirus. But it is important to say although the test can tell if someone has had the virus, it’s not certain as to how much immunity they’ll have to the virus.”
OCD has had a base in Wales for 40 years and employs more than 500 people at the Pencoed site.
Working in partnership with Public Health Wales, Ortho will provide its Covid-19 assays. The tests can detect antibodies that can be used to identify an immune response.
Paul Hales, senior director of operations at Ortho, said: “We have built a deep manufacturing expertise here in Wales over many years enabling us to produce these important products. The team has been working day and night to reach a mass scale of production of our Covid-19 assays. At Ortho, we believe every test is a life and are proud to see these kits being used in Wales.”
Ahead of the Welsh Government announcement, Downing Street said they had struck a deal to supply tests.
It’s understood the test is being provided by Swiss drug giant Roche, the Mirror reported, and is the test UK health chiefs said last week was “100%” effective at detecting Covid-19 antibodies.