Tag: testing

Responding to reports that everyone over age of five in the UK with symptoms can now be tested for coronavirus, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Munira Wilson said: “The coronavirus crisis is leaving the most vulnerable at risk. Thousands of families will face financial hardship and people are rightly worried about their loved ones. “The move towards testing everyone over the age of five with symptoms is welcome. However, Ministers must explain why the level of testing is still so low compared to some countries, what is being done to increase capacity, particularly in care homes, and to speed up processing of results. “We must ensure no one is left behind as we tackle this cruel virus. We cannot afford to see Ministers throw away valuable time, as we have seen…

Responding to Michael Gove's appearance on Sophy Ridge this morning, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “The Liberal Democrats have been calling for a comprehensive test, trace and isolate strategy from early in the crisis and like so many have been frustrated by the slowness in Ministers' actions.  “Yet the Government's latest approach on tracing is totally inadequate. The experience in other countries suggests we will need more than 18,000 people to undertake the tracing work and the failure of Whitehall Ministers to engage with communities to deliver an effective tracing strategy is lamentable.  “Ministers must listen to others on tracing given their testing strategy has been so poorly delivered. Even now, the UK’s testing capacity, in particular the speed of testing, and the availability of protective equipment…

Responding to the Prime Minister's promise to reach 200,000 tests for coronavirus a day by the end of May, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Munira Wilson said: “The Health Secretary's target of 100,000 tests per day for coronavirus was always going to be a hostage to fortune, and the truth is, Hancock missed it. “Even on their dubious accounting, the Government has not made the target on a single day since 30 April. The Prime Minister’s new commitment to 200,000 tests by the end of May must be accompanied by a proper strategy and must not be a headline chasing PR stunt. “Rather than setting another arbitrary target, we need a clear plan that sets out how widespread community testing will be scaled up and easily accessible to all who need it. A…

Responding to the press conference from Number 10, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Munira Wilson said: “It is extremely sad that the UK now has the most deaths from Coronavirus in Europe. Each death is a tragedy, and heartbreaking for the family and friends who are grieving. “It is also deeply concerning that the numbers of deaths in care homes continue to grow, and still weeks into the crisis many care home workers still do not have the PPE they need. “More broadly on the Government response to the Coronavirus there will undoubtedly be questions about why the Government abandoned testing and tracing in March, and how Ministers will scale up to the level we need in the coming weeks.  “The Government must ensure as a priority that we do not leave…

Responding to claims from the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, that the Government has gone well past its goal of 100,000 tests a day to combat coronavirus, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey:  “The Health Secretary's arbitrary target of 100,000 tests by the end of April was always a hostage to fortune, and the truth is, he missed it. It’s extremely disappointing the Government have decided to massage the metrics rather than admit they fell short, as this will only undermine public confidence. “Everyone wants the country to succeed in beating this awful disease but the British public won’t be so easily fooled by manipulation. It's deeply regrettable but we're still miles off the large-scale testing programme that will be an essential part of any plan to ease out of…

Responding to today's press conference, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “It’s welcome to see the Prime Minister back at work and to know we are moving past the peak. Millions of people have made that happen with their unbelievable efforts to save lives during this difficult period. “The next step out of this crisis must be a strategy of test, trace and isolate on a huge scale and it’s worrying that the UK is still far behind other countries on testing rates.  “Special efforts to protect care home residents and staff must be scaled up faster too, as the support for these vulnerable people and these amazing workers has just been far too slow.”

Responding to the Health Secretary’s press conference where he announced a move towards tests for all essential workers, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Munira Wilson said: “NHS and social care workers are protecting us and putting themselves on the line every single day. They need us to protect them.  “The move towards tests for all essential workers is a welcome step, but the Government should have already started tracing weeks ago. Ministers must also face up to why the UK is still using less than half its coronavirus testing capacity. “Our priority must be protecting the most vulnerable in our society. We can only do that with even larger numbers of people working on tracing, including using local tracing experts, and setting out plans to support people as they isolate."