Health Secretary Matt Hancock has this afternoon confirmed to the Commons that there is now a “priority list” for who will be able to access a coronavirus test with five categories included.
First is support acute clinical care staff, second to support and protect people in care homes, third NHS staff including GPs and pharmacists, fourth targeted testing for outbreak management and surveillance studies, fifth for teaching staff.
Mr Hancock said: “We need to prioritise the tests for those who need them most to save lives, protect the most vulnerable and make sure our health and care services and schools can operate safely.
“Today we’ve published our list of where tests are being prioritised, setting out how we will make sure tests are allocated where they’re needed most.
“First to support acute clinical care, second to support and protect people in care homes, third NHS staff including GPs and pharmacists, fourth targeted testing for outbreak management and surveillance studies, fifth for teaching staff with symptoms so we can keep schools and classes open, and then the general public when they have symptoms, prioritising those in areas of high incidence.”
Mr Hancock stressed only those with one of three main coronavirus symptoms – a cough, fever or loss of taste or smell – should seek a test saying: “The testing capacity we have is valuable and we must together prioritise it for the people who need it the most,”
