UK vows to ‘massively’ increase coronavirus testing amid criticism

LONDON (AP) — Political opponents, scientists, and even usually supportive newspapers lambasted British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday over his government’s broken promises on wider testing for the COVID-19 virus.

Johnson’s Conservative government vowed weeks ago to rapidly increase the number of tests for the new coronavirus to 10,000 a day, then 25,000 a day by mid-April.

But progress has been slow.

The government says 10,412 tests were performed Tuesday, the first time the daily target was met.

Like some other countries, the UK has limited virus testing to hospitalised patients, leaving people with milder symptoms unsure whether they were infected.

Many scientists say wider testing — especially of health care workers — would allow medics who are off work with symptoms to return if their results are negative, and would give a better picture of how the virus spreads.

Johnson tested positive for the virus a week ago and revealed last Friday that he had mild symptoms of COVID-19 disease.

He has continued working while in self-isolation and promised in a video message that the government was “massively increasing testing.”

Testing “is how we will unlock the coronavirus puzzle. This is how we will defeat it in the end,” Johnson said.

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