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A laboratory in Somerset has joined the fight to tackle coronavirus and provide frontline NHS staff with testing kits.

For five weeks, SYNLAB has been providing NHS staff and patients in Somerset and across the country with 24/7 COVID-19 testing from its Taunton laboratory.

The laboratory is also helping increase access to coronavirus tests as the government aims to have 100,000 COVID-19 tests a daily by the end of April.

The site has seen a continued increase in test numbers available since the service was introduced in March and has plans in place to increase the total number of tests we can deliver to 1,100 each day over the coming month.

At the same time, its staff have been gearing up to undertake a series of clinical trials in partnership with the NHS to evaluate the use of 'antigen' testing - a more rapid way of testing for COVID-19 within a hospital environment.

This new approach could see test results available within 10-20 minutes instead of up to five hours.

The trials will provide evidence as to the effectiveness of these tests and how they can be used to improve the care of patients with COVID-19, as well as help manage the flow of patients in hospitals.

Watch the video above which explains the laboratory's work

(Image: SYNLAB)

Dr David James, SYNLAB's Chief Medical Officer, said: "From the outset, we have been working in collaboration with the NHS and public health bodies, both nationally and locally, to ensure SYNLAB is involved in the national effort to fight coronavirus.

"I'm incredibly proud of my colleagues, both in our pathology services and elsewhere across the SYNLAB UK & Ireland business.

"Everyone has made a tremendous effort to respond quickly to the coronavirus pandemic by getting essential resources to the NHS on the front-line, establishing and delivering COVID-19 testing, and supporting international efforts to find a reliable antibody test that can be used here in the UK.

"It is fantastic that we are now offering COVID-19 tests 24/7 with plans to increase capacity to offer 1,100 tests a day over the coming month.

(Image: SYNLAB)

"We recognise that what we're doing is still a fraction of what’s needed overall, but have been really keen to do our bit. We hear that these tests are making a significant difference to patients and to the NHS, and are pleased we have been able to make such an important contribution."

Jonathan Higman, CEO of Yeovil District Hospital, one of Southwest Pathology Services' partners, said the partnership allows the hospital to have "local access to the latest testing facilities and expertise" and thanked their technicians for their "important role they are playing in our response to the coronavirus and our work to keep patients and staff safe."

A spokeswoman for SYNLAB has said the company has donated three sets of test kits for two antibody tests to public health bodies in the last week.

These kits are in very short supply, and having them will enable public health specialists to evaluate more of the various antibody tests currently under development.