Government has hit its 100,000 tests per day target, says Health Secretary

THE Government says it has hit its target for 100,000 coronavirus tests per day, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock saying it was an “incredible achievement”.

Speaking at the daily Downing Street press briefing, Mr Hancock said 122,347 tests were performed in the 24 hours up to 9am on Friday, adding that testing would help “unlock” the UK’S lockdown.

But questions have been raised over how the tests have been counted, with changes in the last few days meaning newer home test kits have been counted as they are dispatched.

The overall total also includes tests dispatched to “satellite testing locations” — such as hospitals that have a particularly urgent need — but does not detail whether the tests have actually been used. When he set the target, Mr Hancock said the UK “will carry out” 100,000 tests every day by the end of April.

The Government’s national testing co-ordinator, Professor John Newton, told reporters there had been “no change” to the methodology but said advice had been sought on counting as “new ways of delivering tests” were brought in.

He said: “There has been no change to the way that tests are counted. As we’ve developed new ways of delivering tests we’ve taken advice from officials as to how this should be counted.

“So, the tests that are within the control of the programme, which is the great majority, are counted when the tests are undertaken in our laboratories.

“But any test which goes outside the control of the programme, they’re counted when they leave the programme, so that is the tests that are mailed out to people at home and the tests which go out in the satellite.

“So that is the way they are counted, have always been counted, and the way we were advised to count them by officials.”

He said some 27,497 kits sent out to homes were included in the total alongside 12,872 tests delivered to satellite locations.