DR Hilary Jones has lashed out at private labs selling coronavirus testing kits for up to £375 – dubbing them “disgusting”.
It emerged yesterday that celebrities, members of the nobility and many of Britain’s largest businesses are sidestepping government rules by paying for private coronavirus tests.
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In fact, more than 2,000 people have paid £375 each for a home kit produced by a Harley Street clinic after being refused testing by the NHS, according to The Telegraph.
And around 60 large firms, including an oil company and a major telecoms business, have reportedly ordered the tests for their entire workforce.
Following this revelation, Good Morning Britain’s resident doctor Dr Hilary furiously blasted the “scum” scammers, who are selling these kits online.
Speaking to hosts Piers Morgan and Ranvir Singh, who was covering for self-isolating Susanna Reid, he said: “It disgusts me, actually.
“The fact that you’ve got private testing – first of all, we don’t know if it’s accurate. If it is accurate, why should some people be able to buy when we’ve got frontline staff not being able to be able to get it.
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“The government should requisition this laboratory today and use those tests more appropriately.”
Piers also laid into the private labs, adding: “We’re hearing about wealthy people buying their own ventilators! This should not be happening!”
“No, it should not be happening,” Dr Hilary agreed.
“”I didn’t know that was possible, actually. The other thing is that there are a lot of scams going around.
This should not be happening
Piers Morgan
“A lot of scum perpetrating scams selling £20 kits which are totally inaccurate and potentially really dangerous because they are giving people reassurance when they shouldn’t have it.”
Earlier, Susanna pointed out that she wasn’t allowed to be tested despite the fact that she was having to self-isolate because her son was showing symptoms.
Piers commented: “You don’t know your son has coronavirus. You might have absolutely no reason and you might go back into the world and you might actually get it.”
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Susanna added: “And remember, we heard from the world health organisation – test, test, test – and here, we’re not testing until isolating… it might be just a cough!”
Dr Mark Ali, medical director of the Harley Street Clinic in central London, said that his clinic was offering a newly developed test at a cost of £375 each.
The clinic has partnered with a “large laboratory” in the north of England that has previously tracked viruses, including Sars and Mers.
Since launching the test last week the clinic has been inundated with requests from people who had been refused testing after calling the NHS 111 helpline.
It comes after Public Health England announced last week that people would no longer be tested for the coronavirus unless their symptoms were severe enough to merit hospital treatment.
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Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government’s chief scientific adviser, said. “We simply don’t have mass testing available for the population now.
“People are producing all sorts of tests that might be more readily applicable in the wider community. Those are being looked at by Public Health England to see which of them work.”
The NHS has also admitted that it is not testing enough of its staff, and called for more kits “as a matter of urgency”.
Health service leaders yesterday begged counterparts at Public Health England (PHE) to establish a new system of staff testing to stem the flow of doctors and nurses with general symptoms, such as coughs, unnecessarily isolating at home.
The absences threaten to undermine efforts to put the NHS on a “war footing” to cope with potentially tens of thousands of Covid-19 patients as the outbreak spikes.
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Coronavirus deaths in Britain yesterday hit 71 with a 45-year-old the youngest killed – amid fears 55,000 may have the deadly bug.
Health authorities confirmed a shocking 14 more deaths in England over the past 24 hours, with Scotland and Wales also recording two more tragic fatalities.
Cases also exploded by 407 to 1,950 – a chilling 26 per cent jump in what is the biggest daily increase yet.
