The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Hancock says testing target was achieved
Health secretary hails ‘incredible achievement’ of 122,347 tests in the space of 24 hours
The government has hit its target for 100,000 coronavirus tests per day, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock saying it was an “incredible achievement”.
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 lockdown.
It comes as doubts were cast over how the tests have been counted.
Guidance on the official government website appears to have changed in the days before the testing deadline.
In the days prior to Tuesday there was no reference to how tests were counted.
But on Tuesday the guidance said the count included: “(i) test conducted with a result and (ii) test posted to an individual at home.” On Thursday the page said the test number of tests includes “tests processed through our labs (and) tests sent to individuals at home or to satellite testing locations”.
Shadow health minister Justin Madders said: “We want the
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This is not a serious disease for the vast, vast, vast majority of children and indeed young people. PROFESSOR STEPHEN POWIS
government’s test, isolate and trace strategy to succeed and welcomed expanding who was eligible to get a test, but counting a test put in the post is not the same as a conducted test and getting results.”
A total of 27,510 people had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Thursday, up by 739 on the day before.
Mr Hancock said fertility services will be restarted next week.
Meanwhile, NHS England’s national medical director Professor Stephen Powis said the “science is still evolving” on how much children contribute toward virus spread, adding: “We do need to be cautious as we think of reopening schools.”
Asked if parents would be fined for not sending their children to school when learning centres are reopened, Mr Hancock vowed the government would only allow pupils to return when it was safe to do so.
He added: “It’s important to remember the reason we had to take the decision to close schools was because of the impact of schools on transmission, not on the safety of children.”
Prof Powis said: “The key thing is this is not a serious disease for the vast, vast, vast majority of children and indeed young people.
“There have been some very rare reports about complications in children, we are continuing to look for that and trying to understand if there is any link.
“But the overall message is for children this is a mild disease.”