Doctors urge the UK to continue with free testing

The United Kingdom courted further controversy over its COVID-19 policy last week, when reports emerged that the government was considering scrapping free testing for the novel coronavirus.

The Guardian newspaper said the UK Treasury is pushing for a halt to most free polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests by the end of next month, while The Daily Telegraph reported that the National Health Service Test and Trace program is set to have its budget slashed by billions of pounds.

Sweden announced on Feb 9 that it was doing away with free testing, with the head of the country's public health agency, Karin Tegmark-Wisell, saying the nation had "reached a point where the cost and relevance of the testing is no longer justifiable," according to AP News.

The reports in the UK prompted the Association of Directors of Public Health to release a statement urging the government to stick with the current system, where the public can get PCR and lateral flow, or LFT, tests free of charge.

The association said that until the pandemic is "largely over everywhere", surveillance must continue for new variants "that could cause significant new waves".

"This requires PCR testing, not just LFTs," the association said. "The introduction of charges for LFTs is likely to have a detrimental impact on take up, especially amongst disadvantaged communities."

In a statement released on Friday, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: "This is not the time to take risks. We need to operate in an evidence-based and incremental way, and that's why the overwhelming majority of NHS leaders want to see the continued access to free testing."

In a survey, 79 percent of NHS leaders strongly disagreed with plans to scrap free tests, and 75 percent were against lifting the self-isolation law.

In arguably the most prominent suggestion that the government could be acting against the advice of some of its own scientists, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, or SAGE, which advises it on COVID-19 policy, released a statement on Feb 11 warning of the risks of paid testing and an end to the isolation law.

Lifting the legal requirements to isolate "is likely to lead to further ambiguity among the public about the need for strict adherence," the statement read.

"This will disproportionately impact vulnerable sections of the population, for example those who face greater pressure to work outside the home when ill, because of financial hardship, precarious employment, or caring responsibilities."