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A drive-through coronavirus testing web site has been arrange at Chessington World of Adventures
Testing is the answer to “unlock the puzzle” of coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has mentioned.
Mr Johnson was talking after it was revealed some 2,000 NHS England workers have been examined for the virus, out of a workforce of about 1.2 million.
The PM mentioned the federal government wanted to “massively ramp up” testing in order that NHS workers who’re self-isolating unnecessarily can return to work.
It got here because the UK had its largest day by day enhance in deaths – 563.
As of 17:00 on Tuesday, the UK’s total demise toll from the virus was 2,352.
‘Rallying name’
Mr Johnson, who’s self-isolating in Downing Road after contracting the virus, has confronted widespread criticism over his authorities’s testing technique.
Talking in a video message on Twitter on Wednesday evening, he mentioned: “I wish to say a particular phrase about testing, as a result of it’s so essential, and as I’ve mentioned for weeks and weeks, that is the best way by.
“That is how we are going to unlock the coronavirus puzzle. That is how we are going to defeat it in the long run.”
Mr Johnson mentioned extra coronavirus testing would allow workers who’re self-isolating – both as a result of they’ve signs or share a family with somebody who’s sick – to know if they’re uninfected and may safely return to work.
Antibody exams – which search for indicators of immunity within the blood – may present who has had coronavirus and is subsequently not susceptible to being contaminated or passing the an infection on to others, the prime minister mentioned.
Nonetheless, these exams will not be but prepared to be used and it’s not clear when they are going to be.
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Dr Yvonne Doyle informed mentioned the “intention” was for testing for frontline workers to extend from “1000’s to a whole lot of 1000’s throughout the coming weeks”
On Wednesday, Dr Yvonne Doyle, Public Well being England medical director, informed the day by day coronavirus briefing in Downing Road the “intention” was for testing for frontline workers to extend from “1000’s to a whole lot of 1000’s throughout the coming weeks”.
The prime minister’s official spokesman mentioned the federal government was working with NHS England, Public Well being England and different organisations to spice up check capability with an extra community of labs and testing websites.
Well being Secretary Matt Hancock has held talks with trade figures, issuing what his division mentioned was a “rallying name” to enhance diagnostic functionality.
Nonetheless, some NHS trusts have mentioned they’re restricted within the variety of exams they will perform as a result of continued shortages of swabs, reagents and testing kits.
One massive English district hospital within the Midlands reported it was solely in a position to check three workers members per day as a result of a scarcity of swabs, NHS Suppliers mentioned.
One other belief within the West Midlands mentioned that whereas it may perform as much as 300 exams per day, a scarcity of reagent and testing equipment availability meant solely 20 have been carried out day by day.
Regardless of there being capability for 12,750 day by day exams, solely 8,630 have been taken on Monday, the prime minister’s official spokesman mentioned.
As of 9:00 on Wednesday, 152,979 individuals within the UK had been examined for the virus with 29,474 confirmed optimistic.
- Tips on how to perceive the coronavirus demise toll
New check a ‘game-changer’
In the meantime, Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge has turn out to be the primary within the UK to make use of a brand new, a lot faster Covid-19 check for workers and sufferers.
Known as Samba two, it provides a end in simply 90 minutes – versus the 24 hours exams at present take – and has been tailored from an HIV check by a small Cambridge expertise firm.
The chief govt of Cambridge College Hospitals NHS Basis Belief, Roland Sinker, informed the BBC it might be a “game-changer” in serving to them deal with the disaster.
In different developments:
- British Airways is anticipated to announce it would droop round 36,000 workers as a result of disaster
- The DWP says there have been 950,000 new common credit score claims from the mid-March shutdown till 31 March – the traditional determine for a two-week interval is 100,000
- As much as 3,000 armed forces reservists are being known as as much as help the army response to the coronavirus pandemic
- Enterprise Secretary Alok Sharma has issued a stark warning to banks, after issues that as much as a million firms may fold as a result of they might be denied emergency loans
- Defence Secretary Ben Wallace turned the fourth cupboard minister to self-isolate
- Prior to now 15 days, NHS 111 has responded to greater than 1.7 million inquiries from individuals involved they could have signs of coronavirus
- Wimbledon has been cancelled for the primary time since World Conflict Two due to the pandemic
- All Champions League and Europa League matches have been suspended “till additional discover” by Uefa
- The Edinburgh Pageant, as a result of happen in August, has additionally been cancelled
- New analysis suggests a lack of scent or style could also be an indication that you’ve coronavirus
- Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has written to Jacob Rees-Mogg, Chief of the Home of Commons, to make sure Parliament can function “just about” within the occasion social distancing measures stay in place on 21 April, when MPs plan to return to work
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