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HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe noble Baroness is right, but it is sometimes difficult to know whether you have the symptoms of Covid, the flu or something else. That is why it is a complicated matter. What…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy Lords, I am enormously grateful for the thoughtful and informed questions from the Front Bench, and I echo the comments about teachers made by the noble Baroness, Lady…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI answered the question as clearly as I possibly could. This is about communication and clarity and making sure that people understand the instructions; it is not about science.…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy Lords, it is not a mutant algorithm that is sending people to hospital in France, Spain, Belgium and other countries up and down Europe, and it is not a desire to introduce a…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy noble friend is right to point out this important change. The truth is this: from the feedback we had from the public, and from our own analysis of the facts, we see that our…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI reassure the noble Baroness, Lady Meacher, that saliva testing is a massive priority for the Government. I reassure her and Professor Spiegelhalter that the positive error rate…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy Lords, it is not a question of blaming anyone or of in any way condemning people’s natural curiosity. However, the bottom line is that we have only so many resources, and…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy Lords, the statistics on prevalence are provided by the ONS. They were published yesterday and today—both the ONS and REACT figures. I would be happy to share links to those…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe noble Lord is right to be concerned about false positive results. However, our experience, our piloting and the emerging technologies suggest that that will be the case in a…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy Lords, I entirely welcome the challenge from my noble friend but, respectfully, I completely disagree with his approach. I want to flag two issues. The first is the enormous…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe noble Baroness absolutely speaks my language when she talks about the technology that is being brought into the front line. My sincere hope is that Covid will bring a benefit…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe noble Lord is entirely right to emphasise the challenge of itinerant domiciliary care. Such workers were always a vector for potential disease and are putting their own lives…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Rise of Positive TestsMy Lords, our assessment of the recent rise in positive tests is that we are deeply concerned, particularly about rates among young people, and particularly at a time when…09 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Rise of Positive TestsMy Lords, the quarantine arrangements we have put in place are essential for containing the spread of the disease. We completely sympathise with parents who have found themselves…09 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Rise of Positive TestsMy Lords, we are deeply concerned about the BAME incidence of this horrible disease. We have put in place extensive new marketing arrangements targeted at BAME audiences. We have…09 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Rise of Positive TestsWe are deeply concerned about the spread among students. Some of that spread will take place in universities, and I pay tribute to the efforts of vice-chancellors to put in place…09 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Rise of Positive TestsMy Lords, any new regulations will be in place from Monday and will capture events such as the one the noble Lord describes.09 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Rise of Positive TestsMy noble friend is entirely right to say that the measures that the Prime Minister will describe will impose a huge burden on the whole country. However, he alludes to a hope that…09 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Rise of Positive TestsMy Lords, the impact on R is not entirely clear at the moment. ONS and REACT figures will be published shortly, and they will have the statistical analysis that the noble Baroness…09 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Rise of Positive TestsThe use of different languages for promoting all aspects of our Covid response is critical. We have massively increased the number, accuracy and stylistic resonance of our…09 Sept 2020