Liverpool trials intended to test for COVID-19 transmission at live events have resulted in “no detectable spread.”
In April and May, more than 13,000 people reportedly attended two nightclub events, a Sefton Park music festival, and a three-day business conference. Participants had to take a lateral flow test and show a negative result before attending. Face coverings and social distancing were not required.
Per BBC, “The process saw five people unable to attend after testing positive, four being identified as possibly having the virus at an event and seven having the virus four to seven days after they attended.”
Of the 11 people who tested positive following the events, “two people had been to the gig at Sefton Park and nine had attended the club events.”
However, less than half of the attendees returned for a PCR test as instructed five days later.
Despite this, Liverpool public health director Matt Ashton calls the trials “undoubtedly a success.”
He says lateral flow tests are a “key part of the jigsaw,” as event promoters, public health teams and partners work to ensure the safe return of live events.
Prof Iain Buchan from the University of Liverpool says, “timely data and quick action to trace and test contacts of people testing positive, both before and after events, was key to containing potential outbreaks.”
Source: BBC | Photo Credit: Shutterstock / Anna Omelchenko
