Around half of the positive coronavirus cases in the UK are not being identified, according to a pandemics expert.
Professor Mark Woolhouse said these cases mean attempts to control the virus are being done ‘with one hand behind our back’.
The infectious disease epidemiologist, who sits on a sub-group of SAGE, said the mass testing scheme which began in Liverpool is an attempt combat the problem.
From Friday anyone in the city can be tested – repeatedly – for coronavirus regardless of whether they have symptoms.
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He told the BBC: ‘The problem that testing pilot scheme in Liverpool is trying to solve is that we’re still not finding about half of the Covid cases in Scotland or in the UK more generally. That’s a very high proportion.’
He added: ‘It’s probably partly because many of them are asymptomatic or so mildly infected they don’t recognise the symptoms, partly because people do have symptoms but actually genuinely aren’t recognising them as Covid.
‘I’ve heard a few cases of that in the last week, and also the possibility that some people are having symptoms and actually ignoring them, perhaps because they don’t want to go into self-isolation.
‘Whatever the reason, those missed 50% of cases – it’s like trying to control the epidemic with one hand tied behind our back.
‘We can’t do it effectively if those cases are not also being self isolated and their contacts traced. It’s going to make it much more difficult.
‘The idea of Liverpool is to try and find these cases and hopefully … persuade them to self-isolate.’
The professor’s warning comes after it emerged three more English towns could be mass-tested for coronavirus, like in Liverpool.
The Government is reportedly planning to roll out the programme to catch more asymptomatic cases.
While the names of the next towns have not been confirmed, it’s thought one will be in the Midlands and another will be in the south of England, The Sun reports.
The second mass testing pilots will aim to see whether the system can work in smaller, more rural areas.
It’s thought Boris Johnson could announce the locations today, with up to 100,000 more people expected to be offered the chance to get a free weekly test.
The plans are part of the Government ‘Operation Moonshoot’ which aims to bring the country out of the second lockdown by identifying more cases of the virus and getting people to self-isolate.
A senior Government source told The Times: ‘The point about mass testing is that if you can test a lot of people who have the virus, but don’t have symptoms, and you can get them to isolate, you can reduce the spread of the disease.’
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