LONDON (Reuters) – Testing as many people as possible for the coronavirus is vitally important but a global shortage of the materials needed is causing a supply bottleneck, British medical authorities said on Wednesday.
FILE PHOTO: Chief Medical Officer for England, Chris Whitty speaks at a briefing on COVID-19 measures, as the number of coronavirus cases grow around the world, in London, Britain, March 19, 2020. REUTERS/Simon Dawson
Not all staff working within Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) are being tested, a major concern for health workers and a cause of mounting criticism of the government’s response.
“We do not have sufficient testing and this is a global problem because basically every country is wanting this new test, for a disease that wasn’t actually being tested for anywhere three months ago,” said Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, at a news conference.
“There is a global shortage and that’s a bottleneck for us,” he said, speaking alongside Prime Minister Boris John