Covid Scotland: Negative lateral flow tests option needed for vaccine passports

Scotland’s vaccine passport should include an option of a recent negative lateral flow test, as an alternative to proof of double vaccination, an epidemiologist has told MSPs.

Irene Petersen, professor of epidemiology and health informatics at University College London, told Holyrood’s Covid-19 committee on Thursday that doing so would encourage more people to use the passport.

The Scottish Government is expected to next week confirm plans to extend the passport to other businesses from December 6.

Prof Petersen said: "I think it would increase uptake of the Covid pass if you allowed people to include a recent negative test, for example within 72 hours.

An NHS Test and Trace COVID-19 self-testing kit .

"Some people may decide to go and get the vaccine because it makes life a lot easier, but it should also allow people to get entry if they can prove they have a negative test.

"I am aware that is part of the Danish Covid pass – and they allow people who have had a recent infection to also have a Covid pass.”

She added: “I think actually the lateral flow test is one of the most important control of Covid, apart from the vaccines, of course.”

Prof Peterson, who recently published a scientific paper showing lateral flow tests were more than 80 per cent effective at detecting any level of Covid-19 infection and likely to be more than 90 per cent effective at detecting who is most infectious, said from a public health perspective, lateral flow tests could replace PCRs.

Gavin Stevenson, of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, said: “[The issue] is that a proportion of customers – and it's a very small portion overall, but it is much more focused for places like nightclubs – [are not] double vaccinated. Now obviously, they cannot get the vaccine passport, therefore they cannot get into a premises. That's clearly a barrier.

"In terms of adding the option of a negative lateral flow test, then that would certainly remove that barrier, if a customer could either prove that they were double vaccinated or prove that they had a recent negative lateral flow test and therefore gain admission.

"That would be a helpful and welcome addition to the scheme.”

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