AQW 5936/17-22

Mr Stewart Dickson
Alliance Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 28/07/2020
Answered On Date: 18/08/2020
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to outline the current capacity for daily testing of COVID-19 in Northern Ireland.

Answer:

Pillar 1 testing is delivered via Health and Social Care laboratories and laboratories operating as part of the Scientific Advisory Consortium. Current capacity in this testing stream is up to 2,200 tests per day. It is anticipated that Pillar 1 testing capacity will increase further over the coming weeks. Anticipated capacity under Pillar 1 is subject to the availability of reagents, global supply chains and for some laboratories the allocation of ROCHE testing kits which are currently on a national allocation.

Pillar 2 testing is delivered through our participation in the National Testing Programme, as established by DHSC, London. Testing capacity under Pillar 2 is flexible and is informed by the number of bookings made on the programme’s digital platform in the preceding 48 hours. The overall testing capacity available through Pillar 2 is up to 6,500 tests per day when operating at full capacity and depending on demand. If demand for testing increases, as recorded on the digital platform, testing capacity can be extended to meet the demand.