BRITAIN should have moved much faster to mass test the population for coronavirus in a bid to get on top of the outbreak, the Chief Medical Officer admitted tonight.
After weeks of refusing to admit the nation’s ability to test for Covid-19 was below par, Professor Chris Whitty said Britain would have to “learn the lessons” from Germany – where hundreds of thousands are tested each week.
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Last week Germany tested over 330,000 people for coronavirus – more than the UK has managed throughout the crisis – which had led to fewer deaths and the curve of their crisis flattening much sooner.
Only last week Cabinet Minister Michael Gove said the lack of tests was down to a global chemical shortage.
Britain is testing around 14,000 people a day for the virus.
But speaking today at Downing Street, Professor Witty said: “We all know that Germany got ahead in terms of its ability to do testing for the virus and there’s a lot to learn from that and we’ve been trying to learn the lessons from that.”
Despite the need to learn the lesson, First Secretary of State Dominic Raab reiterated the government’s commitment to test 100,000 people a day by the end of the month.
COMMITMENT ‘STILL STANDS’
That is despite the government admitting the antibody test – which will enable mass testing to see if people have had the virus with little or no symptoms – not being ready until next month.
Mr Raab said the Government’s commitment “still stands”.
He said: “What I hope people understand is that we are striving every sinew to get both sets of tests to the highest level we can.
“That involves tapping the domestic sources and supplies, but also using the foreign office network and we’re teaming up with DfID and the Department for International Trade, to try and get as many international supplies.
“But of course, lots of these things are in very high demand, but we’re doing everything we can on every front to get all of the testing capabilities we need.”
He added: “We’ve had 7,500 NHS workers and their families tested and we’ve got nine drive-through sites currently operational in Nottingham, Chessington, Greenwich, Wembley, Sandwell, Manchester, Belfast, Edgbaston and Glasgow, and Cardiff will be the tenth which will be open shortly.
“So we are making progress on that.”
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