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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 4 hours later)
The UK government has pledged to do 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of April.The UK government has pledged to do 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of April.
It is managing just over 40,000 with two days to go. It managed 43,563 in the 24 hours up to 09:00 on 28 April.
The government says it has the capacity to carry out 75,000 tests a day, but not all of this capacity is being used.
Who can get tested?Who can get tested?
The staff and residents of care homes can now be tested, even if they don't have any symptoms. The list of people who can be tested for coronavirus has grown, as more sites to do the swabs and labs to process them have become available.
Testing is also being extended to the wider public in England. At first, across the UK, the focus was on the sickest patients in hospitals, followed by health, care and emergency services staff, then other essential workers and their families.
It means anyone over 65, or anyone in their household, who currently has symptoms can be tested. The same will apply to anyone who has to leave home to go to work, and the people they live with. Most recently in England, testing has been expanded to anyone with symptoms who is:
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to follow suit.Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to follow suit.
Hospital patients, NHS and care staff, emergency services, essential workers and their families can also get tested. These are the "do I have it?" - not the "have I had it?" - tests. They are for people with symptoms to find out if they currently have the virus.
The list of key workers includes teachers, police officers and transport workers. In care homes, staff and residents in England can now be tested even if they don't have any symptoms.
These tests are for people who want to find out if they currently have the virus. But the test can't tell if you've had coronavirus in the past.
The government says it has the capacity to carry out 75,000 tests a day, but not all this capacity is being used. If a test is negative, a key worker 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.
How are the tests being offered?How are the tests being offered?
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. 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.
Key workers in England and Scotland who are self-isolating because they or a family member have coronavirus symptoms can be referred for a test by their employer.Key workers in England and Scotland who are self-isolating because they or a family member have coronavirus symptoms can be referred for a test by their employer.
They can also book online themselves and choose whether to attend a regional test site, or ask for a home test kit. Those eligible can also book online themselves and choose whether to attend a regional test site, or ask for a home test kit - although supplies are limited.
However, with thousands of people using the site since its launch, many have found that tests are no longer available. But, with thousands of people using the site since its launch, many have found that testing slots run out quickly.
Some have also reported turning up to their booked appointment and being turned away due to demand.
If a test is negative, the key worker 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.
Wales is adopting a needs-based approach to testing for NHS and "critical" non-NHS workers.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.In Northern Ireland, key workers can be tested at one of three drive-through centres.
How easy is it to get tested? The British Medical Association had said the accessibility of centres was a major problem, with some driving hundreds of miles to their nearest site - especially difficult for people suffering symptoms of Covid-19.
The government hopes to have up to 50 test sites by the end of April. There are currently 41 drive-through centres across the UK with plans for more in the coming week.
But there has been criticism that getting tested is not always simple once a test has been arranged.
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.
Equally, it has been difficult for some to get in a car and travel to a testing site while suffering symptoms of Covid-19.
The government hopes to ease this by offering an option of home testing kits - but the supply of these is limited.
Why is testing important?Why is testing important?
People are tested to diagnose them individually, and to work out how far the virus has spread. People are tested to diagnose them individually, but it can also be used to understand how far the virus has spread in the population.
It helps people, including NHS workers, know whether they are safe to be at work. For this second reason, a total of 20,000 households in England will take part in a study where they will be tested every month for a year - both for active coronavirus infections and for antibodies that would indicate a past infection.
It can also help the health service plan for extra demand, including in intensive care units. It also helps people, including NHS workers, know whether they are safe to be at work. And it can help the health service plan for extra demand, including in intensive care units.
Testing could also inform decisions around social distancing and lockdowns. And testing can inform decisions around social distancing and lockdowns.
A total of 20,000 households in England will take part in a study to track coronavirus in the general population, as well as testing them for the antibodies that would indicate a past infection.
It will help the government identify how much the virus is circulating and whether the rate of infection is increasing.
The findings will help the government's strategy for easing the lockdown.
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.
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. It took several weeks to expand from an initial eight public health laboratories to a wider network of private and university 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.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.
As of 26 April, the UK had carried out eight tests per 100,000 people, whereas Italy had done 30 per 100,000 and South Korea 12, according to data collated by online scientific publication Our World in Data from official sources. Germany had carried out 25 per 100,000 as of 19 April, according to its latest figures.As of 26 April, the UK had carried out eight tests per 100,000 people, whereas Italy had done 30 per 100,000 and South Korea 12, according to data collated by online scientific publication Our World in Data from official sources. Germany had carried out 25 per 100,000 as of 19 April, according to its latest figures.
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 also been held back by challenges in getting hold of swabs, testing kits and chemical reagents.
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. No home antibody test has yet been found to be reliable enough to be used.
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. A more reliable laboratory antibody test is in use at Porton Down, but it is currently being reserved to estimate population-level immunity - not to give individuals information about their infection status.
These are tests that can be used at home. A more reliable laboratory antibody test is in use at Porton Down, but it is currently being reserved to estimate population-level immunity - not to give individuals information about their infection status.
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".
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Correction 25 April 2020: An earlier version of this article incorrectly said that France had conducted just under 140,000 tests a day by 21 April. The figure of just under 140,000 refers instead to the number of tests it had carried out weekly.
What do I need to know about the coronavirus?What do I need to know about the coronavirus?