No lateral flow tests in UK for third consecutive day

There are no lateral flow tests available to order in the UK for the third consecutive day.

There are no lateral flow tests available to order in the UK for the third consecutive day with experts warning Omicron case numbers will be “staggering” in the coming days.

The Government website currently states that there are “no home delivery slots left” advising people to get tests from pharmacies or collection points, however, media reports suggest many of these are also unavailable.

Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, warned this morning that the new variant was “probably the most significant threat we’ve had since the start of the Covid pandemic.”

A member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has also warned that the NHS may be overwhelmed next month.

Professor Graham Medley said “we could see numbers of people being admitted to hospital getting very large” if infections keep rising and affecting older age groups.

Today, December 15, new booster vaccines have been opened to all adults, causing massive queues at medical centres and on the Government website.

There are concerns that Plan B restrictions will not be enough to curb the virus and Plan C and Plan D are now rumoured to be coming into place.

The UK Health Security Agency said on Monday that “due to exceptionally high demand, ordering lateral flow tests on gov.uk has been temporarily suspended to fulfill existing orders.”

Dominic Raab, Deputy Prime Minister, has insisted the issue is not due to a lack of supply and instead blamed “the allocation and distribution, or the delivery, of it.”

Raab told BBC Breakfast: “We know that in relation to the online system there were some challenges yesterday [Monday] and that’s partly because of the proportion they’ve got each day.”

“We’re making sure that however people may wish to order them and procure them, we’re ramping up not just the capacity…but the ability to distribute and to deliver.”


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Written by

Laura Kemp

Originally from UK, Laura is based in Axarquia and is a writer for the Euro Weekly News covering news and features. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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