Something worth deep investigation is the role of the New Zealand Microbiology Network, a closed and very exclusive group of representatives of medical laboratories which had contracts to supply the old DHBs (but which, tellingly, did not admit representatives of laboratories which acquired contracts to the Ministry and Te Whatu Ora during the epidemic, nor any medical microbiologists not employed by provider organisations). The NZMN was the Ministry's source of advice on all Covid testing. There are a number of aspects in which in my opinion the interests of this group, and in particular those of the dominant member of the group, a commercial laboratory which provides over 80% of community laboratory testing in NZ, had priority over those of the country:
1. Advocacy of mass testing, rather than targeted on the very ill, and, for epidemiological purposes, comprehensive testing in surveillance practices strategically placed around the country: just as much information, of better quality, and at a fraction of the cost.
2. Resistance to implementation of serological testing, which would have given a measure of the extent of asymptomatic infection.
3. Slowing of the uptake of saliva based PCR testing, which though marginally less sensitive, is much less invasive. This, in my opinion, was purely about keeping out the competition.
4. Very substantially slowing the introduction of RAT tests. Again, in my opinion a purely self interested commercial issue - the RATs when they came, caused a collapse of volumes of PCR tests. [Just as pointless, but the massive profits were going to the makers of the RATs rather than to the member laboratories of the NZMN]
A hard look at conflicts of interest, and even of cartel-like behaviour may be justified.
The leaky sieve exposed!
lol!
Something worth deep investigation is the role of the New Zealand Microbiology Network, a closed and very exclusive group of representatives of medical laboratories which had contracts to supply the old DHBs (but which, tellingly, did not admit representatives of laboratories which acquired contracts to the Ministry and Te Whatu Ora during the epidemic, nor any medical microbiologists not employed by provider organisations). The NZMN was the Ministry's source of advice on all Covid testing. There are a number of aspects in which in my opinion the interests of this group, and in particular those of the dominant member of the group, a commercial laboratory which provides over 80% of community laboratory testing in NZ, had priority over those of the country:
1. Advocacy of mass testing, rather than targeted on the very ill, and, for epidemiological purposes, comprehensive testing in surveillance practices strategically placed around the country: just as much information, of better quality, and at a fraction of the cost.
2. Resistance to implementation of serological testing, which would have given a measure of the extent of asymptomatic infection.
3. Slowing of the uptake of saliva based PCR testing, which though marginally less sensitive, is much less invasive. This, in my opinion, was purely about keeping out the competition.
4. Very substantially slowing the introduction of RAT tests. Again, in my opinion a purely self interested commercial issue - the RATs when they came, caused a collapse of volumes of PCR tests. [Just as pointless, but the massive profits were going to the makers of the RATs rather than to the member laboratories of the NZMN]
A hard look at conflicts of interest, and even of cartel-like behaviour may be justified.
Sooner or lately, it always comes down to money. Just look at the growth in wealth of certain MPs during this time...