BIVDA represents the industry sector who manufacture and distribute diagnostic tests to the NHS. These rely on a high level of automation and so industry has service engineers and technical specialists working in NHS pathology laboratories alongside NHS staff to ensure that the equipment is maintained and allowing diagnostic test results to be issued without delay.  Doris-Ann Williams, BIVDA’s Chief Executive said “This equipment will have been subjected to infected samples and we believe our industry staff  designated as key workers, should be vaccinated in line with the guidance issued from the JCVI Green book chapter on COVID-19.  If these key specialists are infected by COVID there will not be sufficient resource to support the very analysers that perform the testing”.

It is likely there will be key workers in other sectors of the life science industries who also work alongside frontline NHS clinical staff and BIVDA would support vaccination for these individuals as well.  BIVDA has been working closely with Government Ministers throughout this pandemic and is confident that they will support vaccinations for these critical industry personnel. 

ENDS