Coronavirus: 106 Four Seasons care homes picked for government's year-long test study

Some 10,000 staff and residents in 106 care homes run by Four Seasons Care Homes Group will get repeat COVID-19 testing, as part of a government study to learn how the virus spreads in care homes.

Over 12-18 months, the study will track who has the virus, past exposure and infection over time.

Researchers will give residents and staff swab tests, known as PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests to check if someone currently has the virus, and blood (antibody) tests to see who had an antibody immune response.

Care minister: 'Build our understanding'

Announcing the care home study, Care Minister Helen Whately said: “We know care homes are on the frontline of our fight against coronavirus, with the virus affecting older people more acutely than the general population.

“Not only will this study provide important reassurance to thousands of residents and staff, it will also build our understanding of the rate of infection in care homes and add to our knowledge about the risk factors that mean the virus can affect individuals differently.

“The results of this study will help inform our future plans for managing the pandemic, to protect the public and those who receive care as we work to carefully return to normality.” The research, involving the Department of Health and Social Care and UCL will see care home residents and staff in England have three rounds of blood tests and three rounds of swab testing over a period of three to four months.

Residents who have an antibody response at three months, will have repeat blood tests at six and 12 months to see how long the antibody response lasts.

The first blood samples were taken on 11 June, with the first results from study participants expected to be available in July.

Some care homes felt the ‘brutality of this silent killer’

Dr Laura Shallcross of UCL Institute of Health Informatics said: “This study will provide unique insights into the proportion of care home staff and residents who have already been infected with COVID-19, and the proportion with an antibody response.

“We will also collect detailed information from care homes to try and understand why some care homes have had outbreaks and others have not.”

“This study is absolutely critical if we are to win the battle against COVID-19”, said Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, which represents independent care homes.

"There is still so much to learn about this virus; why some care homes have tested positive whilst displaying no symptoms or deaths and others have felt the full force of the brutality of this silent killer."

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