COVID-19: Around 600 million lateral flow tests could have gone unused, watchdog says | UK News

About 600 million rapid-result coronavirus tests could have gone unused after just 14% of those distributed were registered with the NHS Test and Trace, a public spending watchdog said.

Only 96 million of the 691 million coronavirus Lateral flow testing in England has been recorded since mass testing was rolled out by Test and Trace in October, the National Audit Office (NAO) found.

Labor called the results “overwhelming” and said it was “astonishing” that 595 million tests were missing.

Ministers had hoped the expansion of lateral flow testing, which can return results within 30 minutes, would help people return to their workplaces, with tests available to order online or collect at local pharmacies. .

Test and Trace bosses had predicted that between 655 million lateral flow tests would be used in the UK between March and May of this year, according to the NAO’s “Test and Trace in England – Progress Update” report. published Friday.

While nearly 700 million were distributed in England, the watchdog said that “only a small proportion of the tests distributed were recorded as used”.

“NHS T&T does not know whether tests that were not recorded have been used or not,” says the progress report, which covers from November 2020 to April 2021.

“He has launched a research program to understand why the recording of test results is so poor and is working to raise awareness of the need to record results and improve their ability to track tests.”

Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, said the lack of records was an “urgent challenge” that needed to be addressed.

“Since our last report in December, NHS Test and Trace has introduced many changes, including mass testing, closer collaboration with local authorities, and initiatives to identify and contain variant forms of COVID-19[female[feminineSaid the Comptroller and Auditor General.

“However, there are some urgent challenges that need to be addressed if one is to …