Diagnostic tests were seen as crucial in the identification and management of the COVID-19 pandemic as much by the public and policy-makers as by the medical community. However, it is increasingly recognised that better prioritisation of early diagnostic testing and earlier access to more robust tests would have slowed the pandemic and better informed policy makers, directly saving lives.
Global governments, health institutions and industry leaders introduced the ambitious goal, known as the 100 Days Mission, with the aim to improve the response to future threats using lessons learned from COVID-19 and previous epidemics. Building sustainable resources for the evaluation of future diagnostics that can be rapidly activated, mobilised, and implemented is highlighted as essential to achieving this target as, sadly, it is not a case of if the next pandemic occurs but when.
The UK’s leading efforts to establish a framework for timely access to quality-assured diagnostic tests for any future infectious disease outbreak was presented in parliament at an event hosted by Stephen Metcalf MP, Chair of the UK Parliamentary Scientific Committee, on behalf of the National Measurement Laboratory (NML) at LGC.
The event which took place in the House of Commons, examined the considerable successes of the UK’s National Measurement Laboratory, working closely with the MHRA, UKHSA, NHS laboratories and other partners, in developing the underpinning reference measurement system during COVID-19 to support test accuracy and how this learning is already providing support for the next future infectious disease outbreak.
