Robin Swann: Tracing of asymptomatic cases to begin this week

By Michael McHugh and David Young, PA

A range of contact tracing measures designed to find asymptomatic Covid-19 cases will be rolled out in Northern Ireland this week, the Health Minister said.

Testing of healthcare workers will begin to enable early identification and speedy isolation to reduce the risk of onward transmission.

Checking of students who do not display symptoms at Queen’s University is also scheduled to start this week using lateral flow devices, with plans for the wider population of students.

Robin Swann said: “The learning arising from these… will help us better understand how these new asymptomatic testing technologies can be implemented and extended more widely.”

Digital solutions to help warn people earlier are also being developed.

From November 16, contact tracing has been enhanced.

Mr Swann added: “This is a significant development to our approach to combating the virus and will ensure a strong focus on identifying the likely source of the cause of infection and identifying potential common exposure which can lead to clusters.”

He told the Assembly he wanted to ensure the system was well-placed to deal with the pandemic in the coming months.

This will involve the development of a hybrid model, including digital solutions to deliver early messages to contacts and c