Covid-19 testing compared to other jurisdictions (FOI)

​Request

On 16 December it was reported in local press that Chief Minister John Le Fondré said that the high infection rates remained a factor of the Island’s testing regime.

The above statement has been repeated a number of times, please tell me when the Chief Minister first formed this opinion; and also please could you help me in finding the following information:

A

The statistics and source of these that support the above statement, or a deeper explanation of the above statement.

B

Please name the comparative jurisdiction / regional area(s).

C

Please explain how the Jersey testing regime differs to those areas

Response

A to C

The weekly report contains a graph showing comparison testing rates in jurisdictions with which Jersey has significant travel links (UK, Ireland, France, Portugal, Poland, Germany and Spain).

Weekly Epidemiological Report

We have also looked at testing rates in Iceland, Denmark and Luxembourg, where testing rates are higher than the above named jurisdictions and a graph is shown below:

Testing rates Graph 

The comparison between testing regimes is explained below for each jurisdiction:

Table denoting testing strategies used between February and December 2020 (Community and Specific Target groups shown only, ü indicates individual strategy occurred at any point and any duration from February to December)

Testing strategy table