COVID-19 PROMPTS ONGOING CONCERN

SELF-TEST
Gibraltar saw a change in posture as the pandemic receded, in line with the practice in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. The move was to home self-testing which was preceded by a relaxation of the sale of such kits locally in pharmacies. The new process relies entirely on the honesty of individuals to take a test when they experience symptoms. Then on a positive result, the individual needs to have the home test verified through a professional test which is arranged via the highly efficient 111 process.
HONESTY
However, this means that the outcome and the reporting of positive tests depends on the willingness of people to come forward and report themselves. The difference between this system and the previous one is that, before the change, the reporting was done automatically on the back of a positive test result.
PANORAMA understands that some 10% of the number of WHO-reported 204 cases in Gibraltar were in hospital or elderly care settings. While this is not a cause for alarm, given where we once were, it will nonetheless raise some concern. Indeed, the total number could well have surpassed 30 cases by now. It should be noted though that there are many asymptomatic cases who are only detected when tested prior to admission into hospital for some other illness.

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23-06-22 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR