Reducing PCR testing is a mistake that could send us back to square one

With new infections soaring, there is now a much greater chance of a new variant emerging in the UK – and we will look worryingly ill-prepared if it does, says Dan Poulter

People who test positive on a lateral flow test without displaying any symptoms no longer need to go for a follow-up PCR test (PA)

Back at the end of 2020, as the nation braced for a winter wave of Covid-19, a new variant of the virus was taking hold in the southeast corner of England. Alpha, as it became known, turned out to be more of a tsunami than a wave, with mutations that made it far more transmissible than the original strain.

But thanks to NHS doctors and the UK’s pioneering genomic sequencing consortium, which allowed us to sequence positive PCR results, it was spotted quickly, and we were able to alert medical professionals across the globe to the new and more dangerous variant. Fast forward to November 2021, and similar quick action and effective testing from South African doctors raised warnings about the Omicron variant.

Omicron is now the dominant variant in the UK, but following a herculean vaccination programme and booster rollout, we are in a much stronger position, with fewer deaths and hospitalisations than in previous waves. While we are right to celebrate this accomplishment, it does not give us licence to abandon all caution or let our guard down. Unfortunately this seems to be the direction of travel.