Government to commit to 100,000 tests a day ‘by the end of the month’

By Gareth Jones

Health Secretary Matt Hancock led today’s government press briefing, in which he unveiled a new ‘five pillar’ testing strategy to tackle the coronavirus that he said will deliver 100,000 tests a day by the end of this month.

Acknowledging the mounting criticism from the media and health professionals over the comparative lack of testing rolled out by the UK government, Hancock said that the UK had to overcome a number of challenges in ramping up a widespread testing programme. He noted that the UK does not have a huge diagnostic industry, unlike Germany, for example – so the UK was starting from a lower base. There was also significant global demand for materials required for the tests (eg swabs and chemicals) and a challenge of prioritisation (Hancock stated that patients requiring lifesaving treatment have been prioritised).

In overcoming these challenges, Hancock said the government’s new ‘five pillar’ testing strategy would increase testing capacity “significantly”. Firstly, there would be an increase in swab testing in the NHS, to identify those who currently have the virus. This would be assisted by the new facilities provided by commercial partners (including universities and companies such as Amazon and Boots). These tests would be provided for NHS front line staff to begin with, then be provided for critical key workers and the community. The government will also roll out blood tests, which can identify those who have the virus and also the relevant antibodies. Hancock said that these could be done at home with a finger prick and identify those who are able to go back to work. Another key aspect of testing would be population surveillance programmes, in order to understand the rate of infection. Taken together, these would provide 100,000 tests a day by the end of this month.

In addition to the new testing strategy, Hancock announced that £13.4bn of historic NHS debt would be written off by the government. He said this will put the service in a "stronger position" to fight the coronavirus, and for its long-term future. These announcements came as official figures show that there were a further UK 569 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 2,921.