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Coronavirus: How close is the UK to 100,000 tests a day? Coronavirus: How close is the UK to 100,000 tests a day?
(about 16 hours later)
The UK government wants to do 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of April. With a week to go it's managing around 20,000, but says it has the capacity to do just over 50,000 tests. The UK government has pledged to do 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of April, but is currently managing about 20,000.
So what are the tests and how is the government going to reach its target? It has now said that up to 10 million key workers and their households in England can get tests.
What coronavirus tests are there? Could that make up the difference and how does the UK compare with other countries?
The tests currently being used in UK hospitals and at about 30 drive-through testing centres are to see if somebody has Covid-19. Who can get tested?
These are done by taking a swab of the nose or throat, which is sent off to a lab to look for signs of the virus's genetic material.
Can I get tested?
Testing is not yet available for the general public.
Hospital patients, NHS and care staff, emergency services, care home residents and now all essential workers and their families should be able to get tested.Hospital patients, NHS and care staff, emergency services, care home residents and now all essential workers and their families should be able to get tested.
But testing for the wider public will be essential when the lockdown restrictions are relaxed to help contain the outbreak. Testing is not yet available for the general public, although it will be an important part of the next phase, once lockdown restrictions are relaxed.
That relies on quick testing for people with symptoms - and then rapid tracing and testing of people they have had close contact with. How will tests for key workers be offered?
How quickly could testing expand? The tests are done by taking a swab of the nose or throat, which is sent off to a lab to look for signs of the virus's genetic material. They show whether someone is currently infected with coronavirus.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said that there is currently extra "capacity" in the system, particularly at the drive-through testing centres, because there hasn't been "enough demand". Key workers in England who are self-isolating because they or a family member have coronavirus symptoms can be referred for a test by their employer, or apply online themselves.
But this has been challenged by some of the bodies representing key workers. A number of organisations, including the British Medical Association, have said that a major issue is the accessibility of those centres. Then they can choose whether to attend a regional test site, or ask for a home test kit - although availability is limited.
A residential care home operator in Dorset said its staff faced a 240-mile round trip to Gatwick to be tested for coronavirus. If their test is negative, they can return to work if they are well enough, have not had a high temperature for 48 hours, and those living with them test negative.
In Scotland, tests are being prioritised for health and social care staff.
Wales is adopting a needs-based approach to testing for NHS and "critical" non-NHS workers.
In Northern Ireland key workers can be tested at one of three drive-through centres.
How easy is it to get tested?
The government hopes to have up to 50 test sites by the end of April. At the moment there are about 30.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said that there is currently extra "capacity" in the system.
But there has been criticism that getting tested is not always simple.
The British Medical Association has said the accessibility of centres is a major problem.
And a Dorset residential care home operator said its staff faced a 240-mile round trip to Gatwick for testing.
Why is testing important?
People are tested to diagnose them individually, and to work out how far the virus has spread.
It helps people, including NHS workers, know whether they are safe to be at work.
It can also help the health service plan for extra demand, including in intensive care units.
Testing could also inform decisions around social distancing and lockdowns.
Has the UK been too slow in testing for coronavirus?Has the UK been too slow in testing for coronavirus?
There have been suggestions the UK government did not act quickly enough.There have been suggestions the UK government did not act quickly enough.
Countries like Germany and South Korea - which have tested far more widely than the UK - rapidly stockpiled kits and made the test available to a larger number of labs.Countries like Germany and South Korea - which have tested far more widely than the UK - rapidly stockpiled kits and made the test available to a larger number of labs.
At first, Public Health England was only using its own eight laboratories, later expanding to a further 40 NHS labs. At the end of March, the government said it would work to involve more laboratories from universities, research institutes and private companies. Public Health England started with its own eight laboratories, later expanding to a further 40 NHS labs. Then the government said it would involve more laboratories from universities, research institutes and private companies.
UK testing efforts have been held back by challenges in getting hold of swabs, testing kits and reagents (a vital chemical).UK testing efforts have been held back by challenges in getting hold of swabs, testing kits and reagents (a vital chemical).
The government has been trying to ease the reagents shortage by getting pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca to make them in the UK. The government has used some pharmaceutical companies to make them in the UK.
The UK did not start with the resources to do mass testing, unlike some other countries.The UK did not start with the resources to do mass testing, unlike some other countries.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "We have the best scientific labs in the world but we did not have the scale. My German counterpart, for instance, could call upon 100 testing labs ready and waiting when the crisis struck."
But the government also took a different approach to others at the beginning of the crisis, using a smaller number of labs and keeping more control centrally.
Why is testing important?
There are two main reasons for testing people - to diagnose them individually, and to work out how far the virus has spread.
The second piece of information could help the health service plan for extra demand, including in intensive care units.
Testing could also inform decisions around social distancing measures. For example, if large numbers of people have already been infected, a lockdown might become less necessary.
And not testing more widely means many people might be self-isolating for no reason, including NHS workers.
What about antibody tests?What about antibody tests?
An antibody test shows whether someone has already had the virus.An antibody test shows whether someone has already had the virus.
They work by looking for signs of immunity, by using a drop of blood on a device that works a bit like a pregnancy test.They work by looking for signs of immunity, by using a drop of blood on a device that works a bit like a pregnancy test.
Mr Hancock has said that 15 of the most promising antibody tests had been tested, but none was good enough.Mr Hancock has said that 15 of the most promising antibody tests had been tested, but none was good enough.
Tests bought from China had been able to identify antibodies in patients who had been seriously ill with coronavirus. Tests bought from China identified antibodies in patients who had been seriously ill with coronavirus, but did not pick up the milder cases, according to head of the UK testing regime, Prof John Newton.
However, they didn't pick up the milder cases, according to Prof John Newton, who is overseeing the UK's testing regime. And it's not even clear at the moment whether antibodies guarantee immunity. The World Health Organization's head of emerging diseases, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, said there is no evidence tests can show "that an individual is immune or is protected against reinfection".
The World Health Organization's head of emerging diseases, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, said the tests measure the level of antibodies in the blood. But there is no evidence they can show "that an individual is immune or is protected against reinfection".
What else is being done?What else is being done?
A total of 20,000 households in England will take part in a study to track coronavirus in the general population.A total of 20,000 households in England will take part in a study to track coronavirus in the general population.
The study will help the government to identify how much the virus is circulating in the community and whether the rate of infection is increasing. It will help the government identify how much the virus is circulating and whether the rate of infection is increasing.
Volunteers will provide nose and throat swabs on a regular basis to see whether they have the virus.Volunteers will provide nose and throat swabs on a regular basis to see whether they have the virus.
The findings will help to inform the government's strategy for easing the lockdown. The findings will help the government's strategy for easing the lockdown.
By detecting the virus earlier, the study will enable officials to judge whether the virus is spreading, before hospitals become overwhelmed.
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What do I need to know about the coronavirus?What do I need to know about the coronavirus?