Coronavirus: Less than a third of UK’s looming testing target met despite 46,000 attempts to book on new website

Thousands try and fail to book tests as all key workers made eligible

The government carried out under a third of the coronavirus tests required to meet its looming daily target of 100,000 – despite nearly 46,000 booking attempts on its new site.

Department of Health figures showed some 28,760 tests were carried out on Friday, when all key workers became eligible for testing.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps revealed at Downing Street’s Friday briefing that 46,000 people had attempted to book tests on the new site that day as a result of the new eligibility rules.

However, within two minutes of the government’s application site’s 8am launch, the 5,000 available home tests were been snapped up. The site was closed hours later after the 15,000 drive-through appointments were also taken.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has pledged to carry out 100,000 daily tests by Thursday.

He maintained on Friday that the target remains achievable, but added: “Nothing is guaranteed in life.”

Under the significant expansion of the testing to all key workers, NHS and social care staff, police officers, teachers, social workers, undertakers, journalists and those who work in supermarkets and food production are among those allowed to apply. Those living with a key worker are also eligible.

The Department of Health said on Friday afternoon there had been “significant demand for booking tests” and apologised for “any inconvenience”. It added: “We are continuing to rapidly increase availability. More tests will be available tomorrow.”

Dr Simon Eccles, deputy CEO at NHSX, the thanked an “amazing team who worked all night” enabled the website to reopen on Saturday, adding: “If we’d waited until we had the full 100k, to launch, no one would have had a test today.”

Home tests ran out after 15 minutes on Saturday morning and it was no longer to book at drive-through test appointment in England and Northern Ireland by 10am.

NHS England medical director Stephen Powis told the BBC on Saturday that testing capacity that day would be 50,000.

Test booking slots or home testing kits will become available from 8am each day, the Department of Health has said, with their release staggered throughout the day.

The government is trusting that those applying for tests are key workers, with no eligibility checks in place for online bookings.

“As with many other aspects of the coronavirus response, we would expect the public to respond in good faith,” the prime minister’s official spokesperson said.

“That is what they have done with other aspects of the scheme, I think we’d expect it to be the same here.”

Additional reporting by PA