Coronavirus: Queen's launches rapid Covid-19 testing pilot for students

Queen's University in Belfast will begin an asymptomatic coronavirus testing programme on campus on Monday as part of a national pilot scheme.

This month the government confirmed it was planning to carry out mass testing of students for Covid-19.

Queen's University said testing would allow students who had remained on campus for the first term to return home for Christmas "with confidence".

It expects to conduct 6,000 weekly tests by the end of December.

It said the testing, which will continue in the second term, would help ensure its campus remained a safe place.

"The tests will be conducted using lateral flow devices that have recently been approved for use as a screening device for Covid-19," it said.

"These tests can give rapid results, although participants are required to have two tests no less than three days apart."

Rapid or "lateral flow" tests need high levels of the virus in the body in order to work.

Some health professionals have raised concerns about the accuracy of rapid tests, warning that they may miss as many as half of coronavirus cases.

About 90,000 people were tested in the first week of a mass-testing trial in Liverpool using the "lateral flow" system.

Queen's University said it was pleased to "be one of the first places in the UK to pilot asymptomatic testing at scale".

• What is mass testing and how does it work?

It emphasised that the pilot scheme was "for those who are not displaying symptoms" of the virus.

The scheme has been backed by Health Minister Robin Swann who said he welcomed the university's participation.

"[It] will help us to understand how asymptomatic testing can be implemented and extended more widely in the future to other parts of Northern Ireland," said the minister.

The president and vice-chancellor of the university, Prof Ian Greer, said the university was "keen to be involved" in the testing programme after being approached to take part.

"We hope that the programme will help the health authorities to develop the best approach to mass testing whilst... helping us to drive down instances of the virus in our campus community and keeping it safe for our staff and students," he said.