Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 16
16
By comparison, because testing capacity was limited during the earlier stages of the pandemic, the...
Conclusion
By comparison, because testing capacity was limited during the earlier stages of the pandemic, the Department said it had sought clinical advice on where that capacity was best deployed. Eligibility for tests changed as capacity increased and the Department noted that testing was the area which had evolved the most over time.46
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
4.3 The ability to test and trace for COVID-19 is critical to ending transmission in the community. The department will continue to grow capacity and resilience, including being prepared for winter when demand for testing is likely to increase. The department has greatly increased UK daily swab test capacity from 2,000 people a day in March 2020 to passing the 500,000 target on 31 October 2020 by increasing capacity within existing labs, opening and partnering with new labs, bringing in hundreds of additional staff for the labs, and introducing cutting-edge testing techniques and technologies which will both decrease turnaround times and further boost capacity.