The Guardian reports that the privately-run laboratories that analyse swabs from people in the community, including care homes, were stretched to capacity even in late August, and were unable to process all the Covid test samples coming in and seeking help from the NHS.
The Guardian has seen an NHS England email sent on 24 August to all NHS labs which process hospital Covid tests, “regarding the urgent call for support from the pillar 2 team” – the Lighthouse labs analysing the community swabs.
The appeal was so urgent that labs were asked to respond within 24 hours.
Full story in The Guardian, 15 September 2020
