Coronavirus (COVID-19) targeted community testing: national evaluation evidence and insights - final report

5. Conclusion

From the evidence presented here, the indications are that the targeted community testing programme up to the end of September 2021 has been effective at finding cases, including asymptomatic cases, and thus likely to have helped reduce transmission. A total of 93,466 positive cases were detected between 18 January and 26 September 2021, 31% of which were in those classed as asymptomatic (29,387).

In addition, the creation of additional capabilities around testing and the targeted nature of the programme - combining data-driven, flexible location of test sites, consideration of community characteristics and geography, and sustained communication and engagement is likely to have enhanced access to testing and encouraged certain groups to engage more with testing.

TCT is ongoing as part of the continued testing strategy, one of the four pillars supporting efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Considerations for the ongoing programme include:

• Sustained and continuous communications with clear messaging on different pathways and eligibility, along with targeted messaging for specific groups to encourage engagement
• Simplification of the testing system and associated information such that people do not need to think about whether they qualify or not for the range of opportunities on offer
• The demonstrated importance of interpretation of data in the context of local intelligence and understanding of the unique requirements of local populations
• Continued development of mobile and flexible response capabilities that can respond to different stages of the pandemic