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“Around a million people” are currently self-isolating due to coronavirus, the care minister has confirmed ahead of a planned relaxation of testing rules.
“We don’t actually collect that data on a daily basis but it’s obvious if you look at how many people tested positive yesterday – around 215,000 – they’ll all be self-isolating. About a million people are self-isolating right now,” Gillian Keegan told Sky News.
“We get the tested positive and we get those figures, so you can add those up over the days. But obviously what we don’t know is how many people after day six and day seven have tested negative. It’s around a million people, though.”
Ms Keegan added that yesterday was a record day for home deliveries of testing kits, with 741,000 sent out yesterday.
Pressed on the recent testing difficulties, Ms Keegan added the current “surge in demand” amid unprecedented case rates had created a situation that was “obviously difficult”. Ms Keegan admitted some people “are waiting too long” for confirmation on whether or not they have coronavirus.
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On Off 8:11AM
NHS ordered to investigate reports that heart attack victim told to get a taxi to hospital
The health minister has asked NHS England to look at reports that people are being asked to transport heart attack or stroke sufferers themselves as ambulances are overstretched.
The advice is said to have been given out at North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, the Health Service Journal reported.
“That is not what we have put in place at all,” Ms Keegan told Sky News. “We have more ambulance crews in operation than we have ever had, we also gave £55 million extra just for this period to cover staff and make sure we had increases in staff and staffing levels.
“I’ve actually asked NHS England to look at that particular case because that doesn’t sound to me like that’s an acceptable approach – people should be able to get an ambulance if they have a heart attack and that’s why we’ve put that extra funding in place.”
She added that any decision to introduce further measures is “not one to be taken lightly… It’s not easy to lock down a country, it comes with costs and consequences”.
8:05AM
Key workers not covered by daily lateral flow scheme can get tests ‘very easily’
Key workers not covered by a new daily lateral flow testing scheme can get tests ‘very easily’, the care minister has said.
“It’s fire, police, emergency services, I think Border Force, testing lab staff – they’re quite critical at the moment – and some elements of transport. But not everybody in transport would be considered critical, and would need to have this daily test delivered to them every day,” Gillian Keegan told Sky News.
“They can get tests very easily, actually. The main channel for most people is to get tests via the main channels, either booking to get something sent to your home or pharmacies.”
Ms Keegan said there had been a “couple of surges in demand” which meant tests had not been available, but added ministers and officials had worked over Christmas to triple its capacity by the end of February.
While people waiting a week for a PCR result is not “typical”, she conceded “some people are waiting too long” until confirmation on whether or not they have Covid.
7:57AM
Good morning
“Around a million people” are currently self-isolating due to coronavirus, the care minister has confirmed ahead of a planned relaxation of testing rules.
Here’s the front page of today’s Daily Telegraph:
?️The front page of tomorrow’s Daily Telegraph:
‘Testing rules to be relaxed to solve staff shortages’#TomorrowsPapersToday
Sign up for the Front Page newsletterhttps://t.co/x8AV4Oomry pic.twitter.com/4vTH8yctYh
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) January 4, 2022 8:11AM
NHS ordered to investigate reports that heart attack victim told to get a taxi to hospital
The health minister has asked NHS England to look at reports that people are being asked to transport heart attack or stroke sufferers themselves as ambulances are overstretched.
The advice is said to have been given out at North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, the Health Service Journal reported.
“That is not what we have put in place at all,” Ms Keegan told Sky News. “We have more ambulance crews in operation than we have ever had, we also gave £55 million extra just for this period to cover staff and make sure we had increases in staff and staffing levels.
“I’ve actually asked NHS England to look at that particular case because that doesn’t sound to me like that’s an acceptable approach – people should be able to get an ambulance if they have a heart attack and that’s why we’ve put that extra funding in place.”
She added that any decision to introduce further measures is “not one to be taken lightly… It’s not easy to lock down a country, it comes with costs and consequences”.
8:05AM
Key workers not covered by daily lateral flow scheme can get tests ‘very easily’
Key workers not covered by a new daily lateral flow testing scheme can get tests ‘very easily’, the care minister has said.
“It’s fire, police, emergency services, I think Border Force, testing lab staff – they’re quite critical at the moment – and some elements of transport. But not everybody in transport would be considered critical, and would need to have this daily test delivered to them every day,” Gillian Keegan told Sky News.
“They can get tests very easily, actually. The main channel for most people is to get tests via the main channels, either booking to get something sent to your home or pharmacies.”
Ms Keegan said there had been a “couple of surges in demand” which meant tests had not been available, but added ministers and officials had worked over Christmas to triple its capacity by the end of February.
While people waiting a week for a PCR result is not “typical”, she conceded “some people are waiting too long” until confirmation on whether or not they have Covid.
7:57AM
Good morning
“Around a million people” are currently self-isolating due to coronavirus, the care minister has confirmed ahead of a planned relaxation of testing rules.
Here’s the front page of today’s Daily Telegraph:
?️The front page of tomorrow’s Daily Telegraph:
‘Testing rules to be relaxed to solve staff shortages’#TomorrowsPapersToday
Sign up for the Front Page newsletterhttps://t.co/x8AV4Oomry pic.twitter.com/4vTH8yctYh
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) January 4, 2022
