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Wales to loan four million LFT tests to England amid shortage, Mark Drakeford says

30 Dec 2021 2 minute read
First Minister Mark Drakeford. Christmas photo. Welsh Government

Wales will loan four million Lateral Flow Tests to England amid a shortage there, Mark Drakeford has said.

It comes after UK pharmacies and scientists warned that the lack of LFT tests in England was becoming a “huge” problem, as they were being requested every five minutes to deal with the Omicron surge in cases.

In a statement, Mark Drakeford said that “demand for PCR tests and for lateral flow devices continues to rise and has reached new record levels”.

“Wales has a significant stock of lateral flow tests, sufficient to meet our needs over the weeks ahead,” he said.

“The Health Minister has agreed today to loan a further four million such tests to the English NHS, bringing that mutual aid to 10 million lateral flow tests.

“Distribution of lateral flow test kits through home delivery and pharmacies remains the responsibility of the UK Government and we are working with it, as it increases the capacity of the system.”

UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid had earlier said that the UK Government will triple the supply of lateral flow tests to 300 million per month by February, but added that as current shortages persist “we expect to need to constrain the system at certain points over the next two weeks”.

He advised the public should take a test “when engaging in activities that carry the greatest risk, and before coming into contact with people at risk of serious illness”.

Leyla Hannbeck, the chief executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, had told BBC Radio 4 that the “scale of the problem is huge because the demand is high, because of the current guidelines”.

“People are doing the responsible thing by wanting to be tested. And we are in the Christmas area of time and the new year is just around the corner and people want to be with family and friends,” she said.

Professor Ravi Gupta, clinical microbiologist at the University of Cambridge, earlier told Sky News the lack of available tests was “a great concern”.

“Because, of course, we already have so many cases that therefore the probability of an individual being in a social environment on New Year’s Eve and being positive, even if they have potentially tested negative in the last 24 hours, is fairly high,” he said.


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Richard
Richard
2 years ago

Well done – this new 🦠knows no borders and we are so fortunate that Senedd politicians of all – well most backgrounds here have be working together in supporting our nhs.

Ernie The Smallholder
Ernie The Smallholder
2 years ago
Reply to  Richard

I wonder if they would do the same for us if we were had shortages ?

I have my doubts, do you?

Fi ydy o
Fi ydy o
2 years ago

If there was a similar shortage in Wales and a similar surplus in England, then yes I’m sure they would. The border is porous, and a shortage of tests in either country could adversely affect the other.

Last edited 2 years ago by Fi ydy o
Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
2 years ago
Reply to  Fi ydy o

Wales has been supplying English shortages since the very beginning of the pandemic. Ten million items of PPE had been loaned to England by July 2020 because England had “significant challenges in organising themselves”.

Richard
Richard
2 years ago

An interesting question 🤔….I’m sure if the motive was to embarrass the WGvt the answer might be Yes.

Quornby
Quornby
2 years ago

My guess is that they’d use it for anti Welsh propaganda.

Alun Smith
Alun Smith
2 years ago
Reply to  Luke

That wasn’t the question and that amount is not even a whisper of what is owed.

James
James
2 years ago

Err they did the uk government purchased them in the first place from Innova Medical Group. That’s how we have tests in the first place.

Paul
Paul
2 years ago
Reply to  James

Perhaps best not to pretend you are one of the ‘we’. Your comments suggest you are one of ‘them’.

Linda
Linda
2 years ago

If Wales has plenty of LFT why is there a shortage in our local pharmacies?

Richard
Richard
2 years ago
Reply to  Linda

Another good campaign point Linda –

— well done – this sort of fact check evidence is a useful contribution to keeping your nemesis Mark Drakeford in check ….

… .oh perhaps you can share where these gaps are so they can be followed up ?

We have a few folk making mischief for the NHS currently…..dreadful isn’t it ..

Linda
Linda
2 years ago
Reply to  Richard

Mark Drakeford is not my nemisis. I was just pointing out there are shortages in the pharmacies here with no mischief intended. Mark Drakeford is doing a tremendous job.

Brian Coman
Brian Coman
2 years ago
Reply to  Linda

Really ? I take it you are a Momentum supporter like he is.

Richard
Richard
2 years ago
Reply to  Linda

Please accept my apology Linda.

You must be a different Linda to
the other one who appears in other recent discussion chains……

…..we still await the info you have re shortages …

. If the case …a need to share and repair the absence

Peter Cuthbert
Peter Cuthbert
2 years ago
Reply to  Linda

In the week before Xmas, Boots and Well in Aberystwyth has notices reporting that they had no Test available. Being risk averse I have not been into town this week to see if that has changed.

Paul
Paul
2 years ago
Reply to  Linda

Demand is rocketing. There is a short term supply issue as they adjust the scale of the enterprise.

Eifion
Eifion
2 years ago

Wales subsidising England again I see…….

Welsh_Siôn
Welsh_Siôn
2 years ago
Reply to  Eifion

Please send memo to Fabricant et al.

Barry Pandy
Barry Pandy
2 years ago

What would be said if the English NHS loaned tests to the Welsh NHS?

Mark
Mark
2 years ago

after the way the inglish government has treated Wales over the pandemic, I wouldn’t lend them a pile of used bog roll.

Dean Mckeon
Dean Mckeon
2 years ago
Reply to  Mark

Wow you sound Educated 👌

Hannergylch
Hannergylch
2 years ago
Reply to  Mark

Are you sure you want a system that says “We’re withholding medical supplies because 48.2% of voters in your country voted for charlatans.”?

In medical ethics, patients’ clinical needs take precedence over politics. That’s why Germany is assisting the Netherlands with hospital beds for COVID-19 patients and Wales is assisting England with test kits. Cross-border co-operation is the Right Thing To Do.

Djones
Djones
2 years ago
Reply to  Mark

Spell checkers were invented just for you.

Peter Jones
Peter Jones
2 years ago

Trouble is online home deliveries are managed by Gov.uk. so if you live in Wales you have to rely on them. Everything great till you have to wait for a code that never arrives to confirm your home delivery and local pharmacies always out of stock when you ask

Leigh Richards
Leigh Richards
2 years ago

Hope this most generous gesture by the Welsh govt also includes a supply of freshly brushed wigs for a certain staffordshire tory MP 😉

Welsh_Siôn
Welsh_Siôn
2 years ago
Reply to  Leigh Richards

Substitute a different vowel in the final syllable of his surname …

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
2 years ago
Reply to  Leigh Richards

Touché, or is that, toupee, lol.. 😆

Luke
Luke
2 years ago

Just add some money to Barnett Formula. Wales takes more than it gives year on year.

Paul
Paul
2 years ago
Reply to  Luke

Wales has never had a penny. It is the colonialist mentality that insists countries control other to help them. The reality is one of relentless looting.

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
2 years ago

If this was the other way around and England was sending LFT to Wales you’d have WS Simon Hart WTL Andrew RT Davies point scoring.and stating how lucky Wales was to be part of this British Union.

James Holloway
James Holloway
2 years ago

How exactly do you loan LFT tests? You mean the welsh government gave them away don’t you.

Last edited 2 years ago by James Holloway
Malcolm rj
Malcolm rj
2 years ago

I dought very much that you will see that I’m the English papers

O'r gorllewin gwyllt
O'r gorllewin gwyllt
2 years ago

Is Simon Hart going to make a statement about this loan? He likes to issue statements about what the Wales Government is up to

Anthony
Anthony
2 years ago

And one from Fatty Davies too.
He likes to get his 10p at all times.

They’ve both been strangely quiet on this.

WILKO
WILKO
2 years ago

Nice gesture, but none available in Wales

Last edited 2 years ago by WILKO

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