PerkinElmer has had its contract prolonged through to March 2022

PerkinElmer has had its contract, to function the NHS Test and Trace Newport Lighthouse laboratory, prolonged through to March 2022.

The laboratory has handled over two million samples after being brought online in October 2020. The contract extension will see the facility’s one-hundred and twenty-five employees retained at the new facility to preserve its capacity of distributing thousands of tests per day.

The contract postponement will guarantee that PerkinElmer expertise and solutions will remain able to respond as needed as the country transitions out of lockdown.

Managing Director of PerkinElmer in the UK and Ireland, Chris Hughes, stated: “Testing is essential so that individuals carrying the virus can be rapidly detected and virus levels within communities can be monitored. The extension of the Newport Lighthouse laboratory’s contract will enable our specialist team to continue utilising our best-in-class technologies to ensure that maximum capacity will always align with NHS Test and Trace’s testing strategy, while also being able to quickly respond to evolving public health needs.”

Lord Bethell, Health Minister, stated: “To help us face down this global pandemic, we have built the largest network of diagnostic testing facilities in British history, establishing the UK as a world-leader on testing. We have now conducted over one-hundred and sixty-six million tests to date, more than any other European country, and this would not have been possible without the work of our partners such as PerkinElmer. Regular testing is a centrepiece of our roadmap back to normal life and sites like the Newport Lighthouse Laboratory are playing a pivotal role in our cautious easing of restrictions and continued efforts to send this virus into retreat.”