Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government is planning to introduce a second confirmatory PCR test before defining a positive covid-19 test result as a case as recommended by the WHO guidelines published on 20 January 2021.

The guidelines published by the World Health Organization were referring to ‘weak positives’ or positive at the limit of detection. In the community, a repeat sample would be requested and self-isolation advised pending the results of the second sample. The majority of positives are clear positives and there is no need for second test confirmation.