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Testing in progress
Did the UK government hit its ‘100,000 tests per day’ target?
On 1st May, Health Secretary Matt Hancock MP claimed:
The number of tests yesterday — on the last day of April — was 122,347.
The target was 100,000 COVID-19 tests per day. ‘Tests’ includes testing kits sent out to homes and satellite centres. Even under this measure, the government failed to hit this target in later days.
Test, test, test
The UK government sought to increase its COVID-19 testing capacity.
Pledges used several wordings, differing in meaningful ways. On 2nd April through social media, the Office of the Prime Minister stated:
We will test 100,000 people per day by the end of the month.
On the same day, a Department of Health and Social Care press release said:
The UK will carry out 100,000 tests for coronavirus every day by the end of this month, Health Secretary Matt Hancock pledged today.
Some people will have more than one test for clinical reasons. This is not the same target.
