The UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who had been self-isolating after his COVID-19 diagnosis last week, on Thursday he returned to the frontline to address the daily
During a Downing Street briefing where he set out the government’s strategy to boost testing for the deadly virus.
Under a new step-by-step plan, the minister said the government’s new goal is to have 100,000 COVID-19 tests a day by the end of April.
The rate of infection is currently believed to be doubling every three-four days,” said the minister, adding that he was back “redoubled” in his determination to fight this virus.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson continues to be in self-isolation aftertesting positive for coronavirus last Friday, had posted a video message on Twitter pledging the government would “massively ramp up” testing because that would “unlock the coronavirus puzzle”.
“I want to say a special word about testing, because it is so important, and as I have said for weeks and weeks, this is the way through,” Johnson said.
“This is how we will unlock the coronavirus puzzle. This is how we will defeat it in the end”, the prime minister added.
At the daily briefing, Hancock also revealed another massive leap in the UK’s death toll, which rose by a further 569 to hit a total of 2,921 — the second day in a row when the country registered a spike in deaths of over 500 in a single day.
The number of UK patients who died after testing positive for coronavirus has risen by 569 to 2,921, from Wednesday’s tally of 2,352.
It is the biggest daily increase, just surpassing the previous day’s huge hike of 563.
There are now 33,718 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, it has been confirmed, which represents a rise of 4,244 from the 29,474 reported on Wednesday.
Amid criticism of the UK not having taken the decisive testing steps as neighbouring Germany where the death toll from COVID-19 is much lower, Hancock said the UK had not gone into this crisis with a huge diagnostics industry, as Germany had.
He admitted a lack of materials such as swabs and reagents, which is a global challenge.
According to the latest figures provided by the US-based Johns Hopkins University, there are more than 1,013,157 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections globally and 52,983 fatalities around on Friday.
Around 210,263 patients have fully recovered after getting infected by the deadly virus.