Source · Select Committees · Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Recommendation 195
195
Despite undergoing a large increase in testing capacity over the first lockdown period— reaching over...
Conclusion
Despite undergoing a large increase in testing capacity over the first lockdown period— reaching over 200,000 daily tests by the beginning of June 2020298—the test and trace service in England then struggled to keep up with a sharp increase in demand following the reopening of schools and universities in September 2020. To tackle that increase, NHS Test and Trace had to “limit the number of tests available, lengthen turnaround times, and commission extra assistance from NHS and ‘surge’ laboratories”.299 The Government was also forced to prioritise testing for those in the NHS and in care homes, as explained by the then Executive Chair of NHS Test and Trace, Baroness Harding.300