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A28 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 2 april 2020
UK's Johnson under fire for low number of COVID-19 tests

By JILL LAWLESS tests, for the delay in ramp-
Associated Press ing up testing.
LONDON (AP) — When “There is a massive de-
Prime Minister Boris Johnson mand for raw materials
developed a cough and and commercial kits -- this
fever, he got a test for the is not unique to the U.K. --
new coronavirus. Most oth- and many places no lon-
er Britons won’t be offered ger have stock of essential
one. reagents,” said Stephen
Johnson’s Conservative Baker, professor of molecu-
government was under fire lar microbiology at the Uni-
Wednesday for failing to versity of Cambridge.
keep its promise to increase The United States has also
the amount of testing be- struggled to boost its testing
ing done for COVID-19, capacity. A test produced
even as the country saw its by the Centers for Disease
biggest day-to-day rise yet Control suffered early reli-
in deaths among people ability problems and there
with the virus, to 2,352. were delays in engaging
The issue has become an the private sector to ramp
incipient political crisis for up testing capacity. U.S.
Johnson, who has mild testing is now growing rap-
symptoms and is working National Health Service staff wait in their cars to take a coronavirus test at a drive through centre in idly, but varies widely from
from isolation in the prime north London, Wednesday, April 1, 2020. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms state to state.
minister’s Downing Street for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it Public health experts have
apartment. can cause more severe illness or death. estimated the U.S. should
Richard Horton, editor of (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) Associated Press be testing between 100,000
medical journal The Lan- Many scientists say wid- the government said 9,793 ing front-line health care and 150,000 patients daily
cet, said Britain’s handling er testing -- especially of tests had been performed workers is a priority — how- to track and contain the vi-
of the COVID-19 crisis was health care staff -- would in the previous 24 hours, the ever only 2,000 have been rus. Health and Human Ser-
“the most serious science allow medics who are off highest daily total yet. tested so far, from a Nation- vices Secretary Alex Azar
policy failure in a genera- work with symptoms to re- Critics contrast the U.K. al Health Service workforce said Monday that the U.S.
tion.” turn if they are negative, with Germany, which re- of more than 1 million. is testing “nearly 100,000
In a tweet, he noted that and would give a better acted quickly as reports of Yvonne Doyle, medical samples per day" and had
England’s deputy chief picture of how the virus the new respiratory virus director of Public Health now tested more than
medical officer said last spreads. emerged from China at the England, said authorities 1 million samples for the
week that “’there comes a Communities Secretary end of last year. It began were setting up five drive- coronavirus. It wasn’t clear
point in a pandemic where Robert Jenrick conceded producing a test for CO- through testing centers for if that figure represented
that (testing) is not an ap- Wednesday that “we do VID-19 in January, weeks medical staff. actual patients or samples
propriate intervention.” need to go further and we before the U.K. Germany “The intention here is to processed.
“Now (testing is) a priority,” need to do that faster.” now has the capacity to get from thousands to hun- British officials defend their
Horton said. "Public mes- The U.K. initially performed do 500,000 tests a week. dreds of thousands in the record at developing and
sage: utter confusion.” about 5,000 tests a day, but Jenrick said the U.K.’s test coming weeks," she said at deploying a test for CO-
Like some other countries, the government promised tally should hit 15,000 a day a news conference. VID-19. They also say that
the U.K. has restricted test- to increase that number “within a couple of days” British officials blame short- while too little testing is a
ing to hospitalized patients, to 10,000 by the end of last and 25,000 a day in a cou- ages of swabs to take weakness, so is too much,
leaving people with milder week and to 25,000 by mid- ple of weeks. But progress samples and of chemicals because testing vast num-
symptoms unsure whether April. The target has been has been agonizingly slow. known as reagents, which bers of healthy people
they have had the virus. elusive. On Wednesday, The government says test- are needed to perform the would be wasteful.q

Reporting for duty: Airline crew sign up to help hospitals

By DAVID KEYTON and hospitals currently front line of the pandemic.
Associated Press overwhelmed by a surging Palmgren says he signed
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Filip number of patients and ill up out of civic duty when
Palmgren had wanted to medical staff. he got the offer from his for-
work on planes since he Scandinavian Airlines, mer employer.
was a child. Now, after just known also as SAS, an- “I immediately replied to
two years as a flight atten- nounced in mid-March the the email,” he said. "I felt
dant, the 21-year old has temporary layoff of up to this was a very huge oppor-
lost his job because of the 10,000 employees, 90% of tunity for me to help and to
coronavirus crisis and will its workforce amid a drop contribute to society and
Former Scandinavian Airlines flight attendant, Mathilda Malm be soon heading to work in demand for internation- help the healthcare, which
tests her hands for bacteria as she learns basic skills on to assist in a hospital instead to help al travel as governments I think is very important in
in nursing homes and hospitals due to the coronavirus outbreak, save patients. clamped down on public these times.”
in Stockholm, Wednesday, April 1, 2020. The airline announced in He is part of a first group events to contain the virus In the U.K., budget carrier
mid-March the temporary layoff of up to 10,000 employees, 90%
of its workforce amid a drop in demand for international travel of 30 laid-off employees of outbreak. easyJet and Virgin Atlan-
as governments clamped down on public events to contain the Scandinavian Airlines who With the help of a founda- tic have asked their laid-off
virus outbreak. With the help of a foundation, it is one of several have started training this tion, it is one of several air- staff to do the same, with
airlines offering former staff the chance to work on the front line week to learn basic skills lines offering former staff the support of the British
of the pandemic. (AP Photo/David Keyton Associated Press to assist in nursing homes the chance to work on the government.q