Pupils: Coronavirus

(asked on 12th April 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions officials in his Department have had with officials in the Department for Health and Social Care on the guidance on false positive lateral flow tests that have been administered by students in a controlled environment; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the receipt of those false positive tests on the education of those students.


Answered by
Michelle Donelan Portrait
Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
This question was answered on 20th April 2021

The Department for Education has been working with the Department of Health and Social Care to support higher education (HE) providers to deliver twice-weekly asymptomatic testing of students and staff using lateral flow device (LFD) tests.

LFD tests are a vital tool in helping to identify cases of COVID-19 and to stop the spread of the virus. With up to a third of individuals who have COVID-19 showing no symptoms and potentially spreading it without knowing, rapid LFD tests enable us to find these cases and prevent the spread of infection.

LFD tests used by the UK government have gone through a rigorous evaluation by the country’s leading scientists. Published analysis shows that LFD tests have a very high specificity, possibly as high as 99.97%. This means fewer than one false positive in every 1,000 lateral flow tests carried out.

No test is perfect, and to minimise the chance of false positives, confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing was introduced for positive lateral flow tests when the level of prevalence of the virus is low. Confirmatory PCR tests were re-introduced on 31 March, having been temporarily paused in January, for positive LFD tests conducted at an assisted testing site, such as those at universities. Where a PCR test is taken within 2 days of a positive LFD test result and the result is negative, students and their household can stop self-isolating.

We are working closely with the HE sector in delivering asymptomatic testing, and we understand the impact that self-isolation can have on students. For those students who do need to self-isolate at university, we are asking HE providers to ensure their students are safe and well looked after during their self-isolation period. Universities UK has also produced a checklist for HE providers to support students who are required to self-isolate. They have also produced bespoke guidance for HE providers on how to prepare for and care for students who are required to self-isolate on arrival in the UK, and we encourage HE providers to use this guidance.

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