"only having PCR tests meant that the results were only available a few days later"
This was partly a choose as it was chosen to be fair and process tests in the order they arrived. If it was chosen to always process the most recent sample 1st, and to verify the most recent result results 1st then many of the results would have been miuh quicker.
(Likewise with tracing all the resource should have been used on cases with the most resent start of symptoms.)
I'm not sure - it's possible we could have speeded it up, but I think there would have always have been bottlenecks. Even if you weren't just popping them in the post and were taking the tests at dedicated centres, you'd still have to courier them over to labs in batches, there's time taken to physically unpack and load the samples up, and the PCR machines themselves aren't as fast as LFDs.
Excellent, clear write-up. Thank you very much. And congratulations on the new job.
Thanks for the nice comments, I really appreciate it!
"only having PCR tests meant that the results were only available a few days later"
This was partly a choose as it was chosen to be fair and process tests in the order they arrived. If it was chosen to always process the most recent sample 1st, and to verify the most recent result results 1st then many of the results would have been miuh quicker.
(Likewise with tracing all the resource should have been used on cases with the most resent start of symptoms.)
I'm not sure - it's possible we could have speeded it up, but I think there would have always have been bottlenecks. Even if you weren't just popping them in the post and were taking the tests at dedicated centres, you'd still have to courier them over to labs in batches, there's time taken to physically unpack and load the samples up, and the PCR machines themselves aren't as fast as LFDs.