Dr. Damien Kenny:

I thank the Deputy. The first question on how many samples per run is a little easier. One thermocycler can do nine samples in a run, which takes approximately 60 minutes. Again, if we are to bring pooling into that, the system has been validated for three samples in a pool, so one could have three separate samples which would increase that potentially to 27, depending on whether one looked at pods or not. We are looking at internal validation now for five and ten and maybe moving up to as much as 25. As it stands, with our validation of three pooled samples in one of the assays, and we can run nine on an hourly basis, we have opportunity to extend that while of course ensuring the data are valid. Depending on how many machines one has, it can be extended if one is running two or three machines simultaneously.

On serial testing and kit testing, I do not think it is my place to get into a debate on what is the best testing system for aviation. One must choose the appropriate testing strategy for the service one is trying to provide. If there is a person who is symptomatic, some of the cheaper antigen testing is fairly reasonable but if one is embarking on screening to evaluate asymptomatic patients and detect sub-clinical virus in patients before they become clinical but could still spread that virus, particularly in the context of variants as travel opens up, then this is where our system really provides a lot of benefit. Travel is based on convenience, particularly for people who travel a lot and travel for business. There are different forms of travel; people will travel for recreation but also for more business-related matters. As a result, particularly for those who are travelling regularly or travelling for business-related matters and who may be moving through a number of different jurisdictions, having a system whereby we can detect the virus and determine that they do not have it present, then a single test at that stage should be adequate. On antigen testing in other settings, as has been alluded to elsewhere and in the Ferguson report, testing twice a week may be necessary in some environments, including factories, etc. I believe testing once in a travel period should be adequate in the context of the real-time PCR because of the sensitivity of the test and the accuracy it provides.