Two ‘mega labs’ pave way to one million tests a day

MORE than one million Covid tests a day will be possible in the new year as the Government announced the creation of two “mega labs”.

The two laboratories, in Leamington Spa, Warks, and in Scotland, will double the current capacity of 520,000 tests a day with each capable of providing 300,000 daily results.

Although current capacity is 520,000, the latest figures show just under 380,000 tests were conducted, the most since the start of the pandemic.

The laboratories will potentially deliver on Boris Johnson’s pledge for all tests to be processed in less than 24 hours after the Government’s test and trace faced major delays, with some people waiting more than three days.

Health department officials said it could also allow for asymptomatic people as well as those with symptoms to

have gold-standard PCR tests on the NHS. Economies of scale mean it should also reduce the £150 cost of the tests.

The mega labs will each create 2,000 jobs including the wider supply chain and help establish a new national diagnostic infrastructure that can process tests for other illnesses including cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

The announcement came as Covid cases in the UK rose to 24,962, up 13 per cent on last Sunday, with 168 deaths, up 24 per cent week on week.

Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said: “The radical expansion of testing has been one of the successes of this pandemic, as it means more people can get a test more conveniently than ever before.

“We didn’t go into this crisis with a significant diagnostics industry, but we have built one, and these two mega labs are another step forward.

“Transforming the UK’S diagnostic facilities is not only essential to beating this virus, but it is necessary to build back better – so we are better prepared in future for testing on a massive scale.”