Germany has conducted at least 6x the number of tests conducted in the UK....
History books will reflect poorly on the decisions taken by the PM in the early days of the outbreak... still the herd will vote for the befuddling wonder boy.
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History books will reflect poorly on the decisions taken by the PM in the early days of the outbreak... still the herd will vote for the befuddling wonder boy.
Subscribe to read | Financial Times
German laboratories are conducting more than 50,000 coronavirus tests a day, according to data released on Wednesday that laid bare differences in strategy and capacity across Europe.
The Robert Koch Institute, which is co-ordinating Germany’s public health response to the pandemic, said the total number of tests conducted since the start of the crisis had reached at least 918,460. That number was likely to be revised upwards as some laboratories processing test results had yet to pass on data from earlier weeks, it added.
Germany has led the way in Europe with large-scale testing of its population for the virus, which is one of the reasons why the country’s Covid-19 mortality rate is lower than its neighbours. So-called antigen tests are carried out on people showing even mild symptoms as long as they are referred by a doctor.
Britain, France and Spain, by contrast, have limited their testing to the very sick or have been constrained by a shortage of testing kits, the chemicals that go into them, and laboratory capacity, among other things. There has been an outcry in all three countries about the lack of testing for doctors, nurses and social care workers who risk spreading infection to patients. The three countries are all rushing to ramp up testing despite the supply bottlenecks.
Over the past week, Germany conducted 354,521 coronavirus tests, a small increase on the 348,619 carried out in the prior seven days. Some health officials have estimated the weekly testing rate to be even higher, suggesting Germany was conducting as many as 500,000.
According to the Robert Koch Institute, last week’s test data were based on information from 143 laboratories, while the previous seven days involved information from 176. It was not immediately clear whether this mismatch had affected the overall count.
One reason for the comparatively large number of tests — but also the time lag in publishing data on testing — is the country’s decentralised testing regime and laboratory infrastructure.
Tests are carried out not just in hospitals and doctors’ practices but in special drive-in test stations.
France, by contrast, is among Europe’s testing laggards despite having one of the most effective and well-resourced health systems in the world.
According to the latest weekly data from Santé Publique France, the public health body, and published on March 26, the country had carried out 101,000 tests in hospital laboratories and a further 6,500 in high-street diagnostic centres and private laboratories — fewer than even the UK. The British government on Wednesday said a total of 152,979 people have been tested in the UK.
The Robert Koch Institute, which is co-ordinating Germany’s public health response to the pandemic, said the total number of tests conducted since the start of the crisis had reached at least 918,460. That number was likely to be revised upwards as some laboratories processing test results had yet to pass on data from earlier weeks, it added.
Germany has led the way in Europe with large-scale testing of its population for the virus, which is one of the reasons why the country’s Covid-19 mortality rate is lower than its neighbours. So-called antigen tests are carried out on people showing even mild symptoms as long as they are referred by a doctor.
Britain, France and Spain, by contrast, have limited their testing to the very sick or have been constrained by a shortage of testing kits, the chemicals that go into them, and laboratory capacity, among other things. There has been an outcry in all three countries about the lack of testing for doctors, nurses and social care workers who risk spreading infection to patients. The three countries are all rushing to ramp up testing despite the supply bottlenecks.
Over the past week, Germany conducted 354,521 coronavirus tests, a small increase on the 348,619 carried out in the prior seven days. Some health officials have estimated the weekly testing rate to be even higher, suggesting Germany was conducting as many as 500,000.
According to the Robert Koch Institute, last week’s test data were based on information from 143 laboratories, while the previous seven days involved information from 176. It was not immediately clear whether this mismatch had affected the overall count.
One reason for the comparatively large number of tests — but also the time lag in publishing data on testing — is the country’s decentralised testing regime and laboratory infrastructure.
Tests are carried out not just in hospitals and doctors’ practices but in special drive-in test stations.
France, by contrast, is among Europe’s testing laggards despite having one of the most effective and well-resourced health systems in the world.
According to the latest weekly data from Santé Publique France, the public health body, and published on March 26, the country had carried out 101,000 tests in hospital laboratories and a further 6,500 in high-street diagnostic centres and private laboratories — fewer than even the UK. The British government on Wednesday said a total of 152,979 people have been tested in the UK.
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