---

Government Aims To Increase Testing For Coronavirus (COVID-19) To 25,000 A Day 
For Hospital Patients

The government will increase the number of people tested for COVID-19 to 25,000 hospital patients a day - a misleading headline in so many ways, with our headline above being more accurate.

First of all it hides the fact that this is only an aim, and secondly it ignores the reality that this government has had from December 2019 when the first cases of the Coronavirus first appeared in China, to take immediate and urgent action.

Further still, Public Health England moved last week to stop testing people for coronavirus if their symptoms were not severe enough to warrant hospital treatment. The criteria is clearly stated in the 18th March 2020 guidance document for the testing of patients, and can be read in full by clicking the pic to the right.

To date most of the action has taken place with words and little action according to the hundreds of British scientists that signed an open letter to the government with regard to the total lack of Government action.

But the usual mantra of 2 We are clearly still in the early phase of this crisis." is still trotted out to excuse the lack of appropriate action, such as locking down major cities like London, Birmingham and Manchester.

With the cavalier attitude of the selfish, and mostly young people, who insist we should all just "take it on the chin", as was stated on Channel 4 News whilst in a stacked out gymnasium in central London; the spread of the virus will

But issueing press releases with promises of action and wishfull thinking seems the way to go for this Government, as they meet criticism with an 'it will be alright on the night' mentality!

Furthermore, the Trump-like myth creating by employing false rhetoric, is ell and truly part of Boris Johnson's bid to con the public yet again, as he did during the general election. This statement in the press release concerning testing, is a classic example:

"Over 50,000 tests for coronavirus have already been completed. It is anticipated that, with increased capacity to 25,000 daily, testing levels in the UK could soon exceed that in China."

Johnson and the Government know that a testing kit for Coronavirus (Covid-19) for use by the general public, exists already! It is the same as that which celebrities such as Idris Elba and some MPs, have access to!

The full press release is below. (Emphasis in bold and graphic is ours)

---

Testing for coronavirus (COVID-19) will increase to 25,000 a day 

Officials are working to increase the number of tests that can be conducted by Public Health England and the NHS to 25,000 a day.

The increased capacity is expected to be ready within 4 weeks, with highest-priority cases being tested first.

The announcement follows a meeting at Downing Street last night (Tuesday 17 March), where the Prime Minister and Health Secretary promised industry leaders that they would be given whatever support they need to help government increase testing capabilities across the country.

The Prime Minister also called on companies to work with the government to rapidly develop a test to establish whether people have developed immunity. This will help get NHS and other critical public sector staff back to work as fast as they can.

The increased testing will also include developing a point-of-care swab test outside of hospitals, so people with suspected symptoms can quickly find out if they have coronavirus.

The UK has one of the most sophisticated public health systems in the world and was one of the first countries outside China to have assured testing capability for the novel coronavirus.

Over 50,000 tests for coronavirus have already been completed. It is anticipated that, with increased capacity to 25,000 daily, testing levels in the UK could soon exceed that in China.

Last week, the NHS and PHE increased testing to 5,000 a day and that number continues to increase. By next week it is hoped that testing will increase to 10,000 per day.

Since the end of February, there has been a robust surveillance programme in place. PHE is testing a sample of the population to help us understand the level of virus circulating in the community.

This robust surveillance determines what proportion of the population is affected – and is used by modellers to estimate where we are in the pandemic and to assess the impact of the measures that have been taken.

 Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

"Public safety is my top priority, and radically ramping up testing for coronavirus is a key part of our plan to protect lives. We are already among the best in the world for coronavirus testing and today we are launching a national effort to increase our testing capability even further.

Our aim is to protect life, protect the most vulnerable, and relieve pressure on our NHS – so it is right that we prioritise testing for those most at risk of severe illness. We will always do the right thing at the right time, based on the best scientific advice, and will do whatever it takes to protect life."

Professor Sharon Peacock, Director of the National Infection Service at PHE, said:

"This is a timely boost to the UK’s testing capacity, which is a vital element in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. By working together with industry we can increase the country’s testing ability – allowing us to better map the spread of infection in the community and to protect our healthcare workers on the frontline of our response.”

---

Of course the last sentence is total fabrication as the Government knows full well, the equipment to protect NHS front-line staff is woefully inadequate in terms of it's availability!

But worse is no doubt to come as the Government will employ the same companies who failed in their Breast and Bowel Cancer lab testing and in some cases cost lives, will be in the line for adding to their profits with false claims and dodgy testing capability.

Already the disgusting motivation from private healthcare companies to capitalise on the Coronavirus (Covid-19) and maximise profit can be seen with a Harley Street clinic offering a Covid-19 test for the price of £350, yet the general public have no ability to get themselves tested.

With celebrities like Idris Elba and MPs having the ability to pay for the private testing, it is clear that the same black market that is operating with regards to hygiene products and some foodstuff in supermarkets, and as of now, unchallenged by the authorities; will mushroom in the coming days as the lack of testing kits for the public continues.

Expect too for more false advertisements promoting testing kits, pens and wands etc to be advertised in the media and an increase in spam emails and in the number of Covid-19 inspired scams to be appearing.

Source: Gov.UK / unionsafety / BBC News / Evening Standard

Designed, Hosted and Maintained by Union Safety Services