Amid COVID testing chaos, UK says: We're trying to fix it

[snoop1130]

Amid COVID testing chaos, UK says: We're trying to fix it

By Hannah McKay

 

People queue at a test centre following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Southend-on-sea, Britain September 16, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

 

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA, England (Reuters) - Amid growing anger over a bottleneck in Britain's creaking coronavirus testing system, the government promised on Wednesday to do whatever it takes to boost laboratory capacity that has left people across the land with no way to get a COVID-19 test.

 

In an attempt to slow one of the highest coronavirus death tolls in the West, Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised in May to create a "world-beating" system to test and trace people exposed to the virus.

 

But repeated attempts by Reuters reporters to get COVID-19 tests failed, while at a walk-in testing centre at Southend-on-Sea in eastern England hundreds of people were queuing to get a test - some from as early as 0500 GMT.

 

"Laboratory capacity has been an issue, we are working our way through that," Justice Secretary Robert Buckland told Sky News.

 

"We'll do whatever it takes to make sure we have that capacity," he told BBC TV. "We know where the pressure points are, we are piloting new walk-in test centres."

 

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Tuesday that fixing the system would take weeks. Buckland said health workers, care home workers and school children and their parents should get priority for tests.

 

Though Britain's testing problems are acute, other major European countries have also had hiccups.

 

Germany introduced free tests for returning travellers this summer on concerns over rising infection numbers, but it backtracked only a few weeks later as labs faced capacity constraints while a data blunder in Bavaria meant around 1,000 people with positive results were not told.

 

France is conducting around 1 million COVID-19 tests per week, according to the government, but it is struggling to keep pace with demand. Long queues snake outside testing centres in Paris, and often stretch around the block. Very few appointments are available for tests for several weeks in advance.

 

In Britain, the chairman of parliament's health committee, Jeremy Hunt, said testing capacity would have to be significantly boosted so that everybody could have a test.

 

"If that sounds a long way out - if we roughly quadruple the testing capacity that we're currently planning, not 500,000 a day, but 2 million a day, you would be able to test everyone in the population once a month," Hunt said.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-09-16

 

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[Matzzon]

If ani´t fixed it by now, then I would not put to much hope into that they can achieve that.

[nobodysfriend]

 First , they wanted ' herd immunity ' ...

British politicians did not recognize what happened really ... 42000 died , a good part of them would have survived ...

Now the same politicians manage their ' Brexit ' in the same way ... good luck with that ...

Pure incompetence .

[gamini]

The UK still has the highest death rate per capita in the world from the covid virus. 

 Whilst Thailand has almost the lowest. The Thai bashers dont like that. They will never accept the fact that it is sheer incompetence on the part of the British government obsessed with Brexit and nothing else. Boris Johnson is no better than Trump. Thank God I live in Thailand not the UK we seem to be managing things much better than other countries.

[chilli42]

It’s not clear to me why so many people are trying so desperately to be tested.  Do all these people have Covid symptoms or they just want to know?  If it’s the latter testing is a complete waste of time.

[PETERTHEEATER]

I was born a cynic. The repeated failings of politicians in whom I placed my trust have reinforced that attitude. I looked to BJ as being an unconventional leader but one who would get things done but he has failed. At age eighty I now have no trust in anyone in or seeking political appointments. Sod the lot of 'em!

[rickudon]

3 hours ago, gamini said:

The UK still has the highest death rate per capita in the world from the covid virus. 

 Whilst Thailand has almost the lowest. The Thai bashers dont like that. They will never accept the fact that it is sheer incompetence on the part of the British government obsessed with Brexit and nothing else. Boris Johnson is no better than Trump. Thank God I live in Thailand not the UK we seem to be managing things much better than other countries.

Wrong. UK is the 10th highest (source, Worldometers). Don't post what you don't know.

 

Yes the UK government is utterly incompetent - Anyone with any intelligence has been kicked out over the last 2 years. We now have idiot ministers backed by yes men lackeys. Easy to see what is going to happen next year with the economy.....

[dunroaming]

1 hour ago, chilli42 said:

It’s not clear to me why so many people are trying so desperately to be tested.  Do all these people have Covid symptoms or they just want to know?  If it’s the latter testing is a complete waste of time.

There aren't enough tests for key workers to get regularly tested which is crucial.  Also they must make testing readily available for schoolchildren as many are being kept at home even if they just have a sniffle.  My son is at college and almost a third of the students are at home because they cannot get tests locally.  Some centres that can accommodate them are a hundred miles away. It is a total screw up by this pathetic government.

[3NUMBAS]

4 hours ago, gamini said:

The UK still has the highest death rate per capita in the world from the covid virus. 

 Whilst Thailand has almost the lowest. The Thai bashers dont like that. They will never accept the fact that it is sheer incompetence on the part of the British government obsessed with Brexit and nothing else. Boris Johnson is no better than Trump. Thank God I live in Thailand not the UK we seem to be managing things much better than other countries.

thats because the majority are BAME not whitey locals

gumment cant do anything about them being especially likely to get infected at the local mosques and house partys

[3NUMBAS]

6 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

 First , they wanted ' herd immunity ' ...

British politicians did not recognize what happened really ... 42000 died , a good part of them would have survived ...

Now the same politicians manage their ' Brexit ' in the same way ... good luck with that ...

Pure incompetence .

high % are not brits but ethnics black and mixed race ethnics.so dont blame the gumment for that

[Yinn]

7 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

 First , they wanted ' herd immunity ' ...

British politicians did not recognize what happened really ... 42000 died , a good part of them would have survived ...

Now the same politicians manage their ' Brexit ' in the same way ... good luck with that ...

Pure incompetence .

UK highest in Europe. 

 

Sad many people die because Boris. 

 

He same Trump IMO. Say anything sound good, but everything DO is terrible.

Both is born New York.

Both have terrible hair style.

Both lie.

Both cheat the wife.

Both think themself smarter than the doctor. Not listen.

Both have 10,000+ people die because they stupid. 

Both complain about world trade “not fair”. 

 

Boris the spreader. 

 

[Yinn]

33 minutes ago, 3NUMBAS said:

thats because the majority are BAME not whitey locals

gumment cant do anything about them being especially likely to get infected at the local mosques and house partys

• When looking at total number of deaths involving COVID-19 88.6% were of people from a White ethnic group, 6.2 % from an Asian ethnic group, 4.0% from a Black ethnic group and 0.5 % from an Other ethnic group.

link 

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/coronaviruscovid19relateddeathsbyethnicgroupenglandandwales/2march2020to15may2020

Edited September 17, 2020 by Yinn

[dunroaming]

15 minutes ago, Yinn said:

• When looking at total number of deaths involving COVID-19 88.6% were of people from a White ethnic group, 6.2 % from an Asian ethnic group, 4.0% from a Black ethnic group and 0.5 % from an Other ethnic group.

link 

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/coronaviruscovid19relateddeathsbyethnicgroupenglandandwales/2march2020to15may2020

I am afraid you are wasting your time trying to argue with numbnuts.  Racists tend to not be able to comprehend facts

[RayC]

1 hour ago, 3NUMBAS said:

high % are not brits but ethnics black and mixed race ethnics.so dont blame the gumment for that

Newsflash: There are white Brits, black Brits, Brown Brits, numerous other shades of Brit. The common denominator? They are all Brits.

[RayC]

Rhetorical question: Is there no end to this government's incompetence?

[roquefort]

11 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

 First , they wanted ' herd immunity ' ...

British politicians did not recognize what happened really ... 42000 died , a good part of them would have survived ...

Now the same politicians manage their ' Brexit ' in the same way ... good luck with that ...

Pure incompetence .

Actually herd immunity was the right way to go, as Sweden has proved. That was the UK plan until the serial doom predictor Neil Ferguson came out with a model which showed vastly inflated fatalities and the government got cold feet.

As it is, barely more deaths than in a bad flu season (Hong Kong flu 1968) and huge collateral damage in deaths from cancer and other untreated illnesses, suicide, spouse abuse, children's lost education etc.....the list is endless and never even considered by the politicians.

The only thing I agree with you on is that they are incompetent

[chickenslegs]

8 minutes ago, roquefort said:

Actually herd immunity was the right way to go, as Sweden has proved. That was the UK plan until the serial doom predictor Neil Ferguson came out with a model which showed vastly inflated fatalities and the government got cold feet.

As it is, barely more deaths than in a bad flu season (Hong Kong flu 1968) and huge collateral damage in deaths from cancer and other untreated illnesses, suicide, spouse abuse, children's lost education etc.....the list is endless and never even considered by the politicians.

The only thing I agree with you on is that they are incompetent

In terms of deaths per 100,000 population, Sweden's approach has not proven to be "the right way to go". A little better than the UK, but worse than France, Netherlands, and Ireland.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_death_rates_by_country

 

 

[Yinn]

11 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

In terms of deaths per 100,000 population, Sweden's approach has not proven to be "the right way to go". A little better than the UK, but worse than France, Netherlands, and Ireland.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_death_rates_by_country

 

 

Maybe he not like Sweden people.

[MRToMRT]

On 9/17/2020 at 11:15 AM, Yinn said:

 

Sad many people die because Boris. 

 

He same Trump IMO. Say anything sound good, but everything DO is terrible.

Both is born New York.

Both have terrible hair style.

Both lie.

Both cheat the wife.

Both think themself smarter than the doctor. Not listen.

Both have 10,000+ people die because they stupid. 

Both complain about world trade “not fair”. 

 

Boris the spreader. 

Perhaps a good military education, or even re-education, would make them better? For all of the UKs problems it still beats coupville in a lot of comparisons. My son is out marching in the streets for just environmental issues not for freedom or democracy. 

[Yinn]

4 hours ago, MRToMRT said:

Perhaps a good military education, or even re-education, would make them better?

Trump have bone spurs.

 

 

4 hours ago, MRToMRT said:

 

For all of the UKs problems it still beats coupville in a lot of comparisons. My son is out marching in the streets for just environmental issues not for freedom or democracy. 

Unbelievable this protesters do it now.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/14/magazine/i-dont-want-to-spread-covid-19-can-i-sit-out-the-protests.html

[MRToMRT]

2 hours ago, Yinn said:

Trump have bone spurs.

Ahhh, that explain why the Thai leaders are better than most. Probably the best. 

 

Trump may be a prikk but he's a prikk who was democratically elected not someone put in place by his 250 hand chosen cronies.

 

 

 

Edited September 18, 2020 by MRToMRT

[from the home of CC]

doesn't matter how efficacious therapeutics and emergency treatment are if hospitals become overrun with patients - this alone will cause unnecessary deaths. The push from the alcohol and airline industries to allow them to conduct business was expected, it's just too bad the shot callers lacked the backbone to look out for the health of the country and not just the interest (and pockets) of a few. If the scientists are correct it could be a very hard winter..