Scientists have warned the UK will ‘fly blind’ on Covid-19 if the ONS infection study is scrapped

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Leading scientists have warned that ending the UK’s “gold standard” monitoring of Covid-19 would leave Britain “blind” in the face of new waves of the pandemic and would be tantamount to turning off a heart monitor for a sick patient.

The government will confirm the future of the ONS infection survey in the coming days and experts expect it to be removed or scaled back as part of the “Living with Covid” plan.

The survey is used to monitor how many people have Covid at any one time and whether certain regions or age groups are at particular risk.

It is understood that ministers want to avoid the £390m annual cost of moving forward with the entire project, although the government insists a final decision has yet to be made.

Andrew Goddard, President of the Royal College of Physicians, told members: “I would go on record that it would be very short-sighted to defund the ONS Covid-19 surveys as they are currently being discussed. They give us information that only a few other countries have, and turning off this data collection would be more like Turning off the cardiac monitor in a ST-elevation myocardial infarction patient. [serious heart attack]. “

Helen Salisbury, primary physician, wrote in British Medical Journal Termination of the study means that we will be “blinded with regard to the prevalence of infection, the occurrence of mutations, and the ongoing risk.”

Stephen Reacher, who advises the government on behavioral sciences, said: “If we finished all the testing and finished clearing the ONS infection, what would we do if a new variant emerged? How would we know?”

Access to free PCR and lateral flow tests is also expected to be limited from the end of March as part of the plan ministers are discussing this week. Only weak groups are more likely to get a guaranteed test.

Duncan Robertson, an analysis specialist at Loughborough University, said: IOne of the by-products of making rapid tests less available, or more expensive, is that the number of cases and deaths from Covid is likely to drop as a result. The government takes pride in “following the data,” but if the data is less reliable, the response will be less powerful.

Screening for ONS Covid infection is another area in which Covid tests are used. This is very important if we want to be aware of how Covid and future variants of Covid will spread throughout the county. To cancel these tests, which take random samples of people from across the country, would be a huge mistake.”

“The cost of the NSO survey is relatively small and has provided vital information at critical times during the pandemic,” added immunologist Dennis Keenan.

Senior government advisers, including Sir Patrick Vallance and Sir Chris Whitty, have not commented on the “living with Covid” strategy, but are expected to address ministers and the public in the coming days.

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