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Covid test shortages set to last for weeks, Matt Hancock admits

 (Independent)
(Independent)

The shortage of coronavirus tests hitting outbreak hotspots across the UK is likely to last for “weeks" the Health Secretary has admitted.

Matt Hancock was responding to an urgent question in parliament on Tuesday, amid reports of people are being told to travel to the other side of the country to get checked.

Asked by chair of the health select committee Jeremy Hunt whether he was still confident that the problem could be solved next week, he replied: I think we will be able to solve this problem in a matter of weeks … we are managing to deliver record capacity, but as he well knows demand is also high: the response to that is to make sure we can deliver prioritisation."

MP after MP stood up in the debate to warn of people unable to get tested in their local area. Sarah Owen, MP for Luton North, said: "We've heard case after case of failure when it comes to testing.

"I've heard from parents, teachers, a vicar in Luton North all saying there are no walk-in tests, no drive-through tests, and no home kits available when they need it. The secretary of state talks about capacity but what we need to see is access to testing. Capacity is nothing without access to testing."