Sign showing hand washing measures at a COVID-19 testing centre

Sign “Have you washed your hands? Help stop the spread of germs”, showing a person sneezing into a tissue, displayed in the laboratory areas at Cambridge COVID-19 Test Centre, based at the Anne McLaren Building on the University of Cambridge Biomedical Campus, April 2020 - April 2021

Good hand hygiene is one way to prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria, including COVID-19. Washing with soap and water or using hand sanitiser has been recommended throughout the pandemic.

Delivered in just five weeks rather than the normal six month fit out for a testing laboratory the Cambridge COVID-19 Test Centre tested 3 million samples during its year of operation. 14 robots speeded up the testing rate by six times. The Test Centre was originally a collaboration between the University of Cambridge, AstraZeneca, and GSK, staffed by volunteers from the three sites, many of leaving their studies or roles for a few months, or taking on additional jobs. Volunteers worked in shift patterns in the same role to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In June 2020, the testing centre transition to a directly employed workforce, rather than relying on volunteers. The laboratory was run by Charles River Laboratories with 200 staff.