Now test scheme hit by shortage of vital lab gear

SHORTAGES of vital equipment such as swabs threaten to further derail ministers’ target of 500,000 virus tests a day, experts warn.

Swiss drugs giant Roche warned of a ‘very significant drop’ in its processing capacity due to problems following a move to a new warehouse.

It said it was prioritising the dispatch of Covid-19 and antibody tests but warned the issues with the supply chain may not be resolved for up to three weeks.

Last night Downing Street played down the latest problem to hit the beleaguered test and trace system, insisting supplies would be ‘uninterrupted’. But scientists were less convinced and warned the knock-on effect may contribute to the Government missing its ambitious target of half a million daily tests by the end of October.

Latest figures show just 261,336 tests were carried out, while capacity was at 306,173 – almost 200,000 below the target.

The shortage is thought to include vital reagents, screening kits and swabs, with Roche one of the biggest suppliers to the flagship Lighthouse laboratories.

The backlog could affect tests including for cancer and heart disease while Roche also provides materials for a wide range of procedures including blood and urine tests, as well as diabetic care.

The warehouse in West Sussex is its only UK distribution centre. A Roche spokesman said: ‘We deeply regret there has been a delay in the dispatch of some products and apologise to any of our customers who have been impacted.

‘As well as extending working hours, we have recruited extra staff and, where they can, our dedicated teams on the ground are working with customers to distribute products and minimise service disruption.’ The latest glitch – which Roche said was caused by a move to an automated warehouse capable of processing higher volumes of equipment – is the second testing setback to emerge this week.

Officials blamed old software for the failure to report almost 16,000 positive cases and transfer them to test and trace. The PM’s spokesman said Roche had alerted health officials to an issue with its supply chain and was ‘working to resolve this urgently’. Xiaojun Wang, Professor of Operations

Management at Bristol University, said it could cause significant disruption. ‘It certainly adds more difficulty in achieving the UK’s daily testing capacity to 500,000 by the end of October,’ he said.

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Munira Wilson said it would ‘leave many people incredibly anxious’. She added: ‘This does not only have serious consequences for our ability to test for Covid-19, but others with potentially incredibly serious illnesses will also be unable to get the blood tests or screening they need.’

Meanwhile, GPs across London have reportedly been told patients who have already taken blood tests may need to retake them.