Coronavirus: Care home staff tested fortnightly from Monday

Weekly tests will continue in north Wales care homes

Care home staff in most of Wales will be tested fortnightly for coronavirus instead of weekly, from Monday.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said he was making the change as Covid-19 rates in care homes have "remained low".

But homes in north Wales, where infection rates have been higher than the rest of Wales recently, will continue to have weekly tests.

The policy change will be reviewed in early October.

When he initially announced the plan to move to fortnightly testing, Mr Gething said low prevalence of positive tests in the residential care sector meant there was an increase in false results being returned.

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In a statement to Senedd members on Thursday he outlined why he was maintaining weekly tests in north Wales.

"The rates of positive tests in care homes in north Wales, although relatively small in number, have been higher than in the other areas of Wales during the past few weeks," he said.

"The higher prevalence rates for the wider population in north Wales than in the other areas of Wales, together with outbreaks in some communities in north Wales, may have impacted on care homes in the region.

"For these reasons, and to provide continued assurance to vulnerable residents and their families, I am asking care homes within the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board area to continue undertaking weekly testing of their staff for the next eight weeks and we will continue to closely monitor the testing data in the care homes and the wider community."