I just wish that the test rates could be improved dramatically, rather than obsessing over particular numbers. Brian above points out that number of tests is not the same as number of people tested which is going to be true everywhere, since in every country people will need multiple tests.

The key number is in any case, the number of different people tested, rather than the raw numbers tested. Clearly there is a bottleneck in the system which cannot be wished away - if the government wants to be credible about this, it needs to be precise about the exact bottlenecks and what is being done to address them.

All in all, there is no substitute for having a diverse supply with devolved management - the NHS is too big, too clumsy and too centralised. It may be good at getting a facility like the ExCel centre up and running (with military help), but it is damn useless at getting things like mass testing up and running!

Anyhow, here is a problem from the Indian sub-continent, the place where the virus really could get unlimited traction:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/74926907.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Just to add, a lot of people who work cash in hand will get no help from the Govt. You may say "serves them right", but these people still have to eat and pay rent. They will continue to work illegally, or may be forced to turn to crime

Always the danger when you are recruiting a Dads Army to fight an enemy that likes to kill older people

Especially since Indonesia pretended to be virus free for several weeks when people were already dying of it there. All the numbers for infection rates are bull - utter and complete bull - they are indicative only - however, the figures from Indonesia are not even a fraction of the true situation - same for India/Pakistan/Iran etc. Our test rates are pathetic, but those countries, they are not even worth mentioning:

"As of yesterday, India had conducted 38,442 tests, equivalent to 32 per million citizens, compared to almost 2,000 per million in the UK and more than 6,500 in South Korea."

Plus, we need a lot of workers in the fields to harvest our food. We're getting a foretaste of the likely impact of Brexit, delivered in spades (pardon the play on words).

The cross connections and dependencies across the economy are being brought into stark focus. Take aviation as an example: you stop flights so airlines very quickly get into difficulties. But then the airports suffer; the ground handlers, the catering companies, the security people, the car parks, the buses and taxis. As that ripples out you have A whole wave of further impacts.  

The modern global economy has never been tested like this. The more complex and interconnected the relationships the more fragile/risky they become when confronted by a threat that is beyond the limits of most contingency planning/disaster recovery.

I’m not sure if the numbers refer to the number of people or number of tests. Is this stated somewhere? Secondly yesterday’s data will be the number of results AFAIK not the number of people tested.

The actual number of people with Covid-19 will of course be significantly higher.

India could easily end up being the worst affected country. They are woefully unprepared for it 

Terrible! But I thought retired staff returning to the NHS were to cover for younger staff reassigned to COVID-19 patients, rather than having to deal with coronavirus themselves.

Yes, that question keeps being raised and I'm not sure which it is.

I'd say it was measuring the results of the test and not the conducting of the test, given that they're also giving us the figure for positives, which they can only do after getting the result.

Assuming that's the case, and that there's a lag of several days, we're not seeing the current position and some of criticism may not be justified.

 I agree with this. Earlier in the crisis I mentioned that I have had tests on the NHS (as my late parents did) and the experience has generally been mediocre at best and shocking at worst. It has often taken a long time for results to come back and sometimes they went missing. On another occasion they ended-up sitting on someone's desk. In the case of my ultrasound a third party company processed the results and em'd them to my NHS surgery within 24 hours. Unfortunately the em was never received (I assume it went into the spam folder) and two weeks later a paper copy had to be requested. There was then a tremendous argument about whether or not I was allowed to see the paper copy. I had to insist it was my right and eventually it was given to me. 

Is that correct? Reading the article he had been working part-time and caught the virus over two weeks ago, which I think pre-dates the call for retired staff to return?

Not sure where we are with this but 10,412 test were apparently done yesterday.

Testing update for England from Public Health England (@PHE_uk):

10,412 tests were carried out yesterday in England.

Testing capacity for inpatient care in England currently stands at 12,799 tests per day. pic.twitter.com/h2pHHNLUGh

— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) April 1, 2020

We have to distinguish between tests actually carried out and test results, which come a couple of days or more later - that would explain at least part of the confusion and discrepancy - but clarity in the messaging is required - when a Minister claims x thousand tests carried out, it would not cost him if he clarifies that is "tests made, results not yet back".

Please give it a break   

Good spot, just quickly scan read it before posting as am busy at work. Not sure when the call was put out but he may have decided to return full-time before that call was made out.

Sorry to be thick, but do you mean the daily increase in the death rate as opposed to the death rate?

An intensive care consultant in a Welsh Covid-19 hotspot has said her unit at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport is full of people aged 20, 30 and 40.

Dr Ami Jones told ITV News:

We have already surged beyond our standard capacity. It’s not just the vulnerable and elderly that are getting poorly - my unit is full of 20-, 30- and 40-year-olds.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2020/apr/01/uk-coronavirus-live-nhs-testing-covid-19-updates-latest

Nope. I won’t because the lies are obvious. You do, of course, have the option of banning me if you find it so offensive.

Sorry, my bad....should have said increase in deaths 

Apparently they tested over ten thousand yesterday so I would expect that to be reflected in the results when they are reported in a few days time. I suspect 5 days or so ago hey we’re testing around 8K.

Thought so. That means that there's a fair chance that Spain will start seeing a fall in deaths by the weekend. I suppose the next question is whether the fall in deaths will be as rapid as the rise. I suspect that it will be initially but that it will be very hard to eliminate them entirely for a while.