Suspected slavery surges in the U.K. with a record 10,000 reports in one year - NBC News

The U.K. has seen a surge in suspected slavery cases with more than 10,000 people referred to the British government for help in 2019, official data showed Thursday - a record rise of 52 percent in year.

Amid fears coronavirus will worsen abuse, anti-slavery groups called for more action to help people at risk of exploitation and trafficking, after a record 10,627 suspected slaves were referred to the government's National Referral Mechanism (NRM) support scheme.

"We need to think about how the system is working in practice for the people it was set up to identify and help," said Kate Roberts, manager of rights group Anti-Slavery International's UK programme.

"Why were so many people exploited within the UK unable to access help before their exploitation reached the point of trafficking and modern slavery?"

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Those accepted into the NRM get support, including housing, healthcare and a small living stipend while officials decide whether they are a genuine ex-slave eligible for extra help.

Britain is home to at least 136,000 modern slaves, according to the Global Slavery Index by rights group Walk Free Foundation. Labour exploitation - from men working in car washes to children forced to carry drugs - is the most common form.

Growing awareness of modern slavery and better training for police and other first responders who can refer suspected victims into the NRM has boosted the number of cases, said a spokeswoman for the interior ministry.

Thursday's data showed that two-thirds of suspected slaves referred to the scheme in 2019 said they were exploited in Britain, with labour exploitation the most common form of abuse.

Four in 10 cases involved alleged child victims.

The anti-trafficking group Focus on Labour Exploitation said the new figures showed greater action was needed to enforce labour standards and protect the vulnerable.

Britain's independent anti-slavery commissioner Sara Thornton has also raised concerns that the current lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus could increase abuse.

"I am concerned that for those trapped in a situation of exploitation, potentially with their abusers. Self-isolation will leave vulnerable victims at significant risk," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation earlier this week.

Anti-slavery campaigners have previously said that those in the NRM scheme likely represent only the "tip of the iceberg" of the true number of victims.

Thomson Reuters Foundation

The Thomson Reuters Foundation is the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org

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2020-04-03 12:19:53Z
CAIiEBkjv3fZ6Cp1rGlPs6SHhyYqGQgEKhAIACoHCAowvIaCCzDnxf4CMM2F8gU

UK government blamed for death of NHS worker from Covid-19 - CNN

Although Thomas Harvey never got a test for Covid-19 before he died, an NHS Trust confirmed to CNN that he had picked up the virus. According to his daughter, the 57-year-old health care assistant was let down by both the hospital where he helped care for recovering stroke patients, and by emergency responders.

Tamira alleges that London's Goodmayes Hospital failed to provide necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to her father. And just a few days before Harvey's death, emergency services "refused" to come to take him to hospital, Tamira says, despite family concerns that he wasn't "breathing properly."

The NHS trust responsible for the hospital where Thomas worked told CNN on Wednesday that there were no symptomatic patients when Thomas Harvey went off work sick, and that it has been following national PPE guidance. CNN reached out to NHS England, which leads the public health service in England and oversees emergency services, via phone and email and has yet to receive a response.

The London Ambulance Service (LAS) did not respond directly to Tamira's claims that they "refused" to take Thomas Harvey to the hospital. They did however, confirm that they were "seeing unprecedented demand" for both their 999 and 111 services at this time, with more than 8,000 calls coming into their 999 control rooms each day. Additionally, when they were called on the day of Harvey's death, medics arrived in "six minutes," the LAS said.

But Tamira remains adamant that the blame for her father's death should ultimately lie in the hands of the UK government.

She believes that Harvey picked up the virus at work due to a lack of PPE. Before he died, he told Tamira that the protective equipment supplied wasn't substantial. "He told me on the ward they only had flimsy aprons and gloves," she said. She says she is now concerned for the welfare of other medical professionals and patients at the Hospital.

The novel coronavirus pandemic is now hitting the UK hard, with more than 34,000 recorded cases and the country's death toll rising to more than 2,900, according to Johns Hopkins University figures.

The UK government is also under growing pressure after it admitted on Wednesday that fewer than 3,000 frontline health care workers, out of around 500,000, had been tested. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government planned to "massively" increase testing to try and solve the "coronavirus puzzle" on Wednesday night.

'He always wanted to put others before himself'

When Harvey collapsed in the bathroom at this home in Hackney, London on March 29, family members had to use an ax to break down the door to reach him. Police and paramedics soon arrived to assist but the 57-year-old went into cardiac arrest and died in his living room.

Tamira described the whole experience as "devastating" but she does not fault the effort of the police and the paramedics in their attempts to save her father's life on March 29. She is, however, critical of the fact that he wasn't tested for the virus, and angry that more was not done to prevent his death.

"I think he was neglected from the start. It's just a tragedy... It's a mixture of emotions. Loads of questions of why and how this happened. The fact he wasn't tested, none of us were tested. My mother is overwhelmed as they have been together for so long and she has lost her best friend," she told CNN.

Harvey initially thought he had the flu. Then, in mid-March, his condition rapidly deteriorated, said Tamira. His breathing was heavy, he lost his appetite and gradually he resorted to hand actions to tell his family to stay clear -- because he was finding it so difficult to speak.

"His breathing woke me up from my sleep because it was really loud... He was breathing like a car that was on its last legs," she said.

A few days before his death, the father-of-seven confined himself to the living room and isolated himself away from his family -- in an effort to stop them catching the virus. "He always wanted to look after people. He always wanted to put others before himself," Tamira said in an emotional interview.

In the early hours of March 29, Tamira's brother heard Harvey leave the living room and move towards the toilet. When his wife went to check in on him, he had collapsed. The way Harvey had fallen had blocked the door and meant the family couldn't immediately reach him to help, Tamira said.

"I told my mum to get an ax we had for like chopping meat and she chopped down the door. We were taking off the top half of it. We made a little hole and my brother just started punching the door and breaking the door with his bare hands," she said.

"The police arrived and took down the rest of the door. My brother and police moved him into the living room. Then he went into cardiac arrest. They tried to resuscitate him a few times. They tried really hard ... they did their best. They were there for a good hour trying to bring him back."

Tamira criticized what she described as emergency responders' failure to do more to help her father earlier. In total, she says the family called 999 on three occasions. On March 22, paramedics did make the trip to come and treat Harvey.

A few days before his death, on March 26, the family called for a second time to try and get Harvey into a hospital to access more specialized care, but were instead directed online. "He was neglected on the second account we called paramedics -- they told us to go online. How is that going to help someone who is not breathing?" said Tamira.

The third was the day of his death. "Sadly, despite the best efforts of our staff, the patient died at the scene. We would like to express our sympathy to the family at this very difficult time," a spokesperson for the London Ambulance Service (LAS) said.

LAS confirmed to CNN that it made two trips to Harvey's home, but did not respond to Tamira's allegations that they "refused" to come once.

A GoFundMe page set up to help support the Harvey family with funeral expenses has already raised more than £23,000 ($28,400).

The family now wants to share his story to raise awareness of just how severe they believe Covid-19 to be. "We need to take this more seriously. Some people are treating it like it's the flu but it's just unexpected -- it just creeps up on you. People need to understand the severity," Tamira stressed.

"I feel like he really wanted to stay with us and he tried his best, that is why it's so devastating. It wasn't his time. He fought really hard for his life."

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2020-04-03 09:42:51Z
CAIiEMGFP4mHdc_U94N_X6rB6foqGQgEKhAIACoHCAowocv1CjCSptoCMPrTpgU

UK vows to boost coronavirus testing after criticism, as officials release guidance on who to save first - CNN

"That is the goal and I am determined we will get there," said Hancock, who had been self-isolating for seven days with coronavirus.

But the new pledge came before the UK has even met its current target of 25,000 tests per day.

Hancock set out the government's order of priority for testing people for coronavirus: Patients first, expanding to NHS (National Health Service) staff and their families, critical key workers third and "over time we will expand to community."

He said the government intends to reach the target through a five-pillar testing strategy:

1. Swab testing in Public Health England labs and within the NHS in hospitals.

2. Partnerships with universities, research institutes and companies like Amazon and Boots to build new labs and testing sites across the country, to be initially used solely for frontline NHS staff and their families.

3. Blood tests designed to tell if people have had the virus and are now immune. These could potentially be done at home with a finger prick, Hancock said. The government is currently working with nine companies.

4. Surveys to find out what proportion of the population already had the virus, using an antibody test. There is capacity for 3,500 of these tests a week.

5. Pharmaceutical giants will assist in building a British diagnostics industry at scale.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed to boost the country's coronavirus testing efforts after facing a barrage of criticism for screening fewer people than other nations at a similar stage of the epidemic.

The number of deaths linked to confirmed cases of the coronavirus reached a new UK high on Wednesday, the latest figures available, with 569 deaths recorded in a day, taking the total to 2,921.

Those deaths came as the British Medical Association (BMA) released new ethics guidelines for doctors that mean older patients with a low chance of survival could have life-saving ventilators removed so the machines can be given to healthier patients.

Newspaper headlines on Thursday blasted the government's failure to test more, even in typically loyal British media outlets. "Why mass testing must be our No. 1 priority -- and why we lag behind the rest of the world," said the Telegraph's online edition.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister told reporters Thursday that a total of 10,412 tests were carried out across the country on Tuesday.

A total of 2,800 NHS workers have now been tested at drive-in testing facilities, Downing Street said.

"We acknowledge that more needs to be done in relation to testing. We need to be testing more people and we need to be making progress very quickly," the spokesman said.

Many health workers are self-isolating after showing possible symptoms of the coronavirus but could return to work sooner if testing showed they were not infected.

The latest figures come eight days after Johnson asserted that the UK was "massively ramping up" its nationwide testing program, and would continue to increase the number of tests carried out each week. The Prime Minister, who is himself in self-isolation after testing positive for the virus, posted a video to Twitter on Wednesday evening in which he lamented a "sad, sad day" in reference to the previous day's death toll of 563.

He stressed his efforts to increase the country's testing capacity, as well as listing the measures already put in place to deal with the pandemic and urging people to respect the restrictions currently in place.

"I want to say a special word about testing, because it is so important, and as I have said for weeks and weeks, this is the way through," Johnson said. "This is how we will unlock the coronavirus puzzle. This is how we will defeat it in the end."

Shortage fears

Earlier in the day, Paul Cosford, emeritus medical director of Public Health England, told Sky News that the UK was aiming to reach 25,000 tests a day by the middle of April.

Germany's leading virologist Christian Drosten said last Thursday that his country was carrying out 500,000 tests a week.

Authorities in Spain have said they are conducting between 15,000 and 20,000 tests a day.

Meanwhile, Italy has carried out more than 540,000 coronavirus tests in total, according to its Civil Protection agency. More than 34,000 were conducted nationwide on Wednesday, the agency said.

In France, which has focused testing on those seriously ill in hospital and health workers, the number of tests carried out "averages 9,000 daily," the National Health Agency told CNN. A health minister said Tuesday that France had the capacity to conduct 20,000 tests daily.

Cosford said Public Health England was in contact with its peers in Germany as the UK seeks to step up its coronavirus testing capacity.

"We're in constant discussions with colleagues in Germany -- and other countries -- around what they're doing, where their sources are coming from, what their supply system is. Of course we need to build this further," Cosford said

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty warned last Wednesday that the UK did not have "sufficient testing" capabilities to identify cases, telling reporters that there was a "global shortage" of available tests.

UK health workers have also voiced concerns that personal protective equipment and some medical supplies are running low.

The government is "confident" that enough protective equipment is now reaching the medical front lines, Downing Street said Thursday.

In a positive development, a spin-off company of the Britain's prestigious University of Cambridge has developed a "rapid diagnostic test for Covid-19" which can deliver a result in "less than 90 minutes," the university said in a statement Thursday.

"The SAMBA II machines, developed by Diagnostics for the Real World, provide a simple and accurate system for the diagnosis of Covid-19 infection," the statement said. A Cambridge hospital expects to receive the first 10 machines this week, it added.

Older, sicker patients could lose ventilators

The BMA said its new guidance had been prepared for doctors who will need to make "grave decisions" about who should receive "scarce lifesaving resources" if the country's health system is overwhelmed by coronavirus cases.

"As such, some of the most unwell patients may be denied access to treatment such as intensive care or artificial ventilation," the BMA's ethics guidance note states.

"This will inevitably be indirectly discriminatory against both the elderly and those with long-term health conditions, with the latter being denied access to life-saving treatment as a result of their pre-existing health problems."

It says imposing an age cut-off would be illegal, but adds that older patients with pre-existing respiratory problems would have a "very high chance of dying despite intensive care," and are therefore lower priority for admission.

The UK government has previously warned the country's health system could be overwhelmed if strict social distancing measures are not followed.

A converted convention center in London is due to start operating this week as a massive field hospital for coronavirus cases and could soon be the biggest intensive care unit in the country.

A temporary mortuary is also being built in east London as the death toll from coronavirus in the city continues to grow.

CNN's Sarah Dean, Luke McGee, Vasco Cotovio, Barbara Wojazer, Valentina Di Donato and Ingrid Formanek contributed to this report.

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2020-04-02 18:12:59Z
52780704750383

UK vows to boost coronavirus testing after criticism, as officials release guidance on who to save first - CNN

"That is the goal and I am determined we will get there," said Hancock, who had been self-isolating for seven days with coronavirus.

But the new pledge came before the UK has even met its current target of 25,000 tests per day.

Hancock set out the government's order of priority for testing people for coronavirus: Patients first, expanding to NHS (National Health Service) staff and their families, critical key workers third and "over time we will expand to community."

He said the government intends to reach the target through a five-pillar testing strategy:

1. Swab testing in Public Health England labs and within the NHS in hospitals.

2. Partnerships with universities, research institutes and companies like Amazon and Boots to build new labs and testing sites across the country, to be initially used solely for frontline NHS staff and their families.

3. Blood tests designed to tell if people have had the virus and are now immune. These could potentially be done at home with a finger prick, Hancock said. The government is currently working with nine companies.

4. Surveys to find out what proportion of the population already had the virus, using an antibody test. There is capacity for 3,500 of these tests a week.

5. Pharmaceutical giants will assist in building a British diagnostics industry at scale.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed to boost the country's coronavirus testing efforts after facing a barrage of criticism for screening fewer people than other nations at a similar stage of the epidemic.

The number of deaths linked to confirmed cases of the coronavirus reached a new UK high on Wednesday, the latest figures available, with 569 deaths recorded in a day, taking the total to 2,921.

Those deaths came as the British Medical Association (BMA) released new ethics guidelines for doctors that mean older patients with a low chance of survival could have life-saving ventilators removed so the machines can be given to healthier patients.

Newspaper headlines on Thursday blasted the government's failure to test more, even in typically loyal British media outlets. "Why mass testing must be our No. 1 priority -- and why we lag behind the rest of the world," said the Telegraph's online edition.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister told reporters Thursday that a total of 10,412 tests were carried out across the country on Tuesday.

A total of 2,800 NHS workers have now been tested at drive-in testing facilities, Downing Street said.

"We acknowledge that more needs to be done in relation to testing. We need to be testing more people and we need to be making progress very quickly," the spokesman said.

Many health workers are self-isolating after showing possible symptoms of the coronavirus but could return to work sooner if testing showed they were not infected.

The latest figures come eight days after Johnson asserted that the UK was "massively ramping up" its nationwide testing program, and would continue to increase the number of tests carried out each week. The Prime Minister, who is himself in self-isolation after testing positive for the virus, posted a video to Twitter on Wednesday evening in which he lamented a "sad, sad day" in reference to the previous day's death toll of 563.

He stressed his efforts to increase the country's testing capacity, as well as listing the measures already put in place to deal with the pandemic and urging people to respect the restrictions currently in place.

"I want to say a special word about testing, because it is so important, and as I have said for weeks and weeks, this is the way through," Johnson said. "This is how we will unlock the coronavirus puzzle. This is how we will defeat it in the end."

Shortage fears

Earlier in the day, Paul Cosford, emeritus medical director of Public Health England, told Sky News that the UK was aiming to reach 25,000 tests a day by the middle of April.

Germany's leading virologist Christian Drosten said last Thursday that his country was carrying out 500,000 tests a week.

Authorities in Spain have said they are conducting between 15,000 and 20,000 tests a day.

Meanwhile, Italy has carried out more than 540,000 coronavirus tests in total, according to its Civil Protection agency. More than 34,000 were conducted nationwide on Wednesday, the agency said.

In France, which has focused testing on those seriously ill in hospital and health workers, the number of tests carried out "averages 9,000 daily," the National Health Agency told CNN. A health minister said Tuesday that France had the capacity to conduct 20,000 tests daily.

Cosford said Public Health England was in contact with its peers in Germany as the UK seeks to step up its coronavirus testing capacity.

"We're in constant discussions with colleagues in Germany -- and other countries -- around what they're doing, where their sources are coming from, what their supply system is. Of course we need to build this further," Cosford said

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty warned last Wednesday that the UK did not have "sufficient testing" capabilities to identify cases, telling reporters that there was a "global shortage" of available tests.

UK health workers have also voiced concerns that personal protective equipment and some medical supplies are running low.

The government is "confident" that enough protective equipment is now reaching the medical front lines, Downing Street said Thursday.

In a positive development, a spin-off company of the Britain's prestigious University of Cambridge has developed a "rapid diagnostic test for Covid-19" which can deliver a result in "less than 90 minutes," the university said in a statement Thursday.

"The SAMBA II machines, developed by Diagnostics for the Real World, provide a simple and accurate system for the diagnosis of Covid-19 infection," the statement said. A Cambridge hospital expects to receive the first 10 machines this week, it added.

Older, sicker patients could lose ventilators

The BMA said its new guidance had been prepared for doctors who will need to make "grave decisions" about who should receive "scarce lifesaving resources" if the country's health system is overwhelmed by coronavirus cases.

"As such, some of the most unwell patients may be denied access to treatment such as intensive care or artificial ventilation," the BMA's ethics guidance note states.

"This will inevitably be indirectly discriminatory against both the elderly and those with long-term health conditions, with the latter being denied access to life-saving treatment as a result of their pre-existing health problems."

It says imposing an age cut-off would be illegal, but adds that older patients with pre-existing respiratory problems would have a "very high chance of dying despite intensive care," and are therefore lower priority for admission.

The UK government has previously warned the country's health system could be overwhelmed if strict social distancing measures are not followed.

A converted convention center in London is due to start operating this week as a massive field hospital for coronavirus cases and could soon be the biggest intensive care unit in the country.

A temporary mortuary is also being built in east London as the death toll from coronavirus in the city continues to grow.

CNN's Sarah Dean, Luke McGee, Vasco Cotovio, Barbara Wojazer, Valentina Di Donato and Ingrid Formanek contributed to this report.

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2020-04-02 18:01:00Z
52780701785542

UK in crisis on testing as officials release guidance on who to save first - CNN

The number of deaths linked to confirmed cases of the coronavirus reached a new UK high on Wednesday, the latest figures available, with 569 deaths recorded in a day, taking the total to 2,921.

Those deaths came as the British Medical Association (BMA) released new ethics guidelines for doctors that mean older patients with a low chance of survival could have life-saving ventilators removed so the machines can be given to healthier patients.

Newspaper headlines on Thursday blasted the government's failure to test more, even in typically-loyal British media outlets. "Why mass testing must be our No 1 priority -- and why we lag behind the rest of the world," said the Telegraph's online edition.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister told reporters Thursday that a total of 10,412 tests were carried out across the country on Tuesday.

A total of 2,800 National Health Service (NHS) workers have now been tested at drive-in testing facilities, Downing Street said.

"We acknowledge that more needs to be done in relation to testing. We need to be testing more people and we need to be making progress very quickly," the spokesman said.

Many health workers are self-isolating after showing possible symptoms of the coronavirus but could return to work sooner if testing showed they were not infected.

The latest figures come eight days after Johnson asserted that the UK was "massively ramping up" its nationwide testing program, and would continue to increase the number of tests carried out each week. The Prime Minister, who is himself in self-isolation after testing positive for the virus, posted a video to Twitter on Wednesday evening in which he lamented a "sad, sad day" in reference to the previous day's death toll of 563.

He stressed his efforts to increase the country's testing capacity, as well as listing the measures already put in place to deal with the pandemic and urging people to respect the restrictions currently in place.

"I want to say a special word about testing, because it is so important, and as I have said for weeks and weeks, this is the way through," Johnson said. "This is how we will unlock the coronavirus puzzle. This is how we will defeat it in the end."

Shortage fears

Health Minister Matt Hancock, now back at work after a week in isolation battling Covid-19, will set out plans later Thursday on increased testing, Downing Street said.

Earlier in the day, Paul Cosford, emeritus medical director of Public Health England, told Sky News that the UK was aiming to reach 25,000 tests a day by the middle of April.

Germany's leading virologist Christian Drosten said last Thursday that his country was carrying out 500,000 tests a week.

Authorities in Spain have said they are conducting between 15,000 and 20,000 tests a day.

Meanwhile, Italy has carried out more than 540,000 coronavirus tests in total, according to its Civil Protection agency. More than 34,000 were conducted nationwide on Wednesday, the agency said.

In France, which has focused testing on those seriously ill in hospital and health workers, the number of tests carried out "averages 9,000 daily," the National Health Agency told CNN. A health minister said Tuesday that France had the capacity to conduct 20,000 tests daily.

Cosford said Public Health England was in contact with its peers in Germany as the UK seeks to step up its coronavirus testing capacity.

"We're in constant discussions with colleagues in Germany -- and other countries -- around what they're doing, where their sources are coming from, what their supply system is. Of course we need to build this further," Cosford said

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty warned last Wednesday that the UK did not have "sufficient testing" capabilities to identify cases, telling reporters that there was a "global shortage" of available tests.

UK health workers have also voiced concerns that personal protective equipment and some medical supplies are running low.

The government is "confident" that enough protective equipment is now reaching the medical front lines, Downing Street said Thursday.

In a positive development, a spin-off company of the Britain's prestigious University of Cambridge has developed a "rapid diagnostic test for Covid-19" which can deliver a result in "less than 90 minutes," the university said in a statement Thursday.

"The SAMBA II machines, developed by Diagnostics for the Real World, provide a simple and accurate system for the diagnosis of Covid-19 infection," the statement said. A Cambridge hospital expects to receive the first 10 machines this week, it added.

Older, sicker patients could lose ventilators

The BMA said its new guidance had been prepared for doctors who will need to make "grave decisions" about who should receive "scarce lifesaving resources" if the country's health system is overwhelmed by coronavirus cases.

"As such, some of the most unwell patients may be denied access to treatment such as intensive care or artificial ventilation," the BMA's ethics guidance note states.

"This will inevitably be indirectly discriminatory against both the elderly and those with long-term health conditions, with the latter being denied access to life-saving treatment as a result of their pre-existing health problems."

It says imposing an age cut-off would be illegal, but adds that older patients with pre-existing respiratory problems would have a "very high chance of dying despite intensive care," and are therefore lower priority for admission.

The UK government has previously warned the country's health system could be overwhelmed if strict social distancing measures are not followed.

A converted convention center in London is due to start operating this week as a massive field hospital for coronavirus cases and could soon be the biggest intensive care unit in the country.

A temporary mortuary is also being built in east London as the death toll from coronavirus in the city continues to grow.

CNN's Luke McGee, Vasco Cotovio, Barbara Wojazer, Valentina Di Donato and Ingrid Formanek contributed to this report.

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2020-04-02 15:24:13Z
52780699755194

UK in crisis on testing as officials release guidance on who to save first - CNN

The number of deaths linked to the coronavirus reached a new UK high on Tuesday, the latest figures available, with 563 deaths recorded in a day, taking the total to 2,532.

The spike in deaths came as the British Medical Association (BMA) released new ethics guidelines for doctors that mean older patients with a low chance of survival could have life-saving ventilators removed so the machines can be given to healthier patients.

Newspaper headlines on Thursday blasted the government's failure to test more, even in typically-loyal British media outlets. "Why mass testing must be our No 1 priority -- and why we lag behind the rest of the world," said the Telegraph's front page.

Paul Cosford, emeritus medical director of Public Health England, told Sky News on Thursday that the UK was testing nearly 15,000 people a day and aims to reach 25,000 a day by the middle of April. Only "about 2,000" frontline National Health Service (NHS) workers have so far been tested for the virus, he said.

The latest figures come eight days after Johnson asserted that the UK was "massively ramping up" its nationwide testing program, and would continue to increase the number of tests carried out each week. The Prime Minister, who is himself in self-isolation after testing positive for the virus, posted a video to Twitter on Wednesday evening in which he lamented a "sad, sad day" in reference to the latest death toll.

He stressed his efforts to increase the country's testing capacity, as well as listing the measures already put in place to deal with the pandemic and urging people to respect the restrictions currently in place.

"I want to say a special word about testing, because it is so important, and as I have said for weeks and weeks, this is the way through," Johnson said. "This is how we will unlock the coronavirus puzzle. This is how we will defeat it in the end."

Shortage fears

Earlier Wednesday, UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma said the country was looking to grow its testing capacity from 10,000 a day to hundreds of thousands.

Germany's leading virologist Christian Drosten said last Thursday that his country was carrying out 500,000 tests a week.

Authorities in Spain have said they are conducting between 15,000 and 20,000 tests a day.

Meanwhile, Italy has carried out more than 540,000 coronavirus tests in total, according to its Civil Protection agency. More than 34,000 were conducted nationwide on Wednesday, the agency said.

In France, which has focused testing on those seriously ill in hospital and health workers, the number of tests carried out "averages 9,000 daily," the National Health Agency told CNN. A health minister said Tuesday that France had the capacity to conduct 20,000 tests daily.

Prof. Cosford said Public Health England was in contact with its peers in Germany as the UK seeks to step up its coronavirus testing capacity.

"I absolutely accept that we need to build this further. There is a lot of work that is going on in order to get this testing capacity in place," Cosford said. "We're in constant discussions with colleagues in Germany -- and other countries -- around what they're doing, where their sources are coming from, what their supply system is. Of course we need to build this further."

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty warned last Wednesday that the UK did not have "sufficient testing" capabilities to identify cases, telling reporters that there was a "global shortage" of available tests.

UK health workers have also voiced concerns that personal protective equipment and some medical supplies are running low.

In one positive development, a spin-off company of the Britain's prestigious University of Cambridge has developed a "rapid diagnostic test for Covid-19" which can deliver a result in "less than 90 minutes," the university said in a statement Thursday.

"The SAMBA II machines, developed by Diagnostics for the Real World, provide a simple and accurate system for the diagnosis of Covid-19 infection," the statement said.

Addenbooke's Hospital, part of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, expects to receive the first 10 machines this week, it added.

Older, sicker patients could lose ventilators

The BMA said its new guidance had been prepared for doctors who will need to make "grave decisions" about who should receive "scarce lifesaving resources" if the country's health system is overwhelmed by coronavirus cases.

"As such, some of the most unwell patients may be denied access to treatment such as intensive care or artificial ventilation," the BMA's ethics guidance note states.

"This will inevitably be indirectly discriminatory against both the elderly and those with long-term health conditions, with the latter being denied access to life-saving treatment as a result of their pre-existing health problems."

It says imposing an age cut-off would be illegal, but adds that older patients with pre-existing respiratory problems would have a "very high chance of dying despite intensive care," and are therefore lower priority for admission.

The UK government has previously warned the country's health system could be overwhelmed if strict social distancing measures are not followed.

A converted convention center in London is due to start operating this week as a massive field hospital for coronavirus cases and could soon be the biggest intensive care unit in the country.

And a temporary mortuary is being built in east London as the death toll from coronavirus in the city continues to grow.

In a letter to residents, the Mayor of Newham Council, Rokhsana Fiaz, said the mortuary is being built in the Manor Park area because it is close to a cemetery and crematorium.

"The facility will act as a holding point before a respectful and dignified cremation or burial can take place to send a loved one on their final journey. Sadly relatives will not be able to visit the site," she said in the letter.

CNN's Vasco Cotovio, Barbara Wojazer, Valentina Di Donato and Ingrid Formanek contributed to this report.

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2020-04-02 14:25:45Z
CAIiEMTnCRmaL5PHZ30tO-GyHO8qGQgEKhAIACoHCAowocv1CjCSptoCMPrTpgU

UK in crisis on testing as officials release guidance on who to save first - CNN

The number of deaths linked to the coronavirus reached a new UK high on Tuesday, the latest figures available, with 563 deaths recorded in a day, taking the total to 2,532.

The spike in deaths came as the British Medical Association (BMA) released new ethics guidelines for doctors that mean older patients with a low chance of survival could have life-saving ventilators removed so the machines can be given to healthier patients.

Newspaper headlines on Thursday blasted the government's failure to test more, even in typically-loyal British media outlets. "Why mass testing must be our No 1 priority -- and why we lag behind the rest of the world," said the Telegraph's front page.

Paul Cosford, emeritus medical director of Public Health England, told Sky News on Thursday that the UK was testing nearly 15,000 people a day and aims to reach 25,000 a day by the middle of April. Only "about 2,000" frontline National Health Service (NHS) workers have so far been tested for the virus, he said.

The latest figures come eight days after Johnson asserted that the UK was "massively ramping up" its nationwide testing program, and would continue to increase the number of tests carried out each week. The Prime Minister, who is himself in self-isolation after testing positive for the virus, posted a video to Twitter on Wednesday evening in which he lamented a "sad, sad day" in reference to the latest death toll.

He stressed his efforts to increase the country's testing capacity, as well as listing the measures already put in place to deal with the pandemic and urging people to respect the restrictions currently in place.

"I want to say a special word about testing, because it is so important, and as I have said for weeks and weeks, this is the way through," Johnson said. "This is how we will unlock the coronavirus puzzle. This is how we will defeat it in the end."

Shortage fears

Earlier Wednesday, UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma said the country was looking to grow its testing capacity from 10,000 a day to hundreds of thousands.

Germany's leading virologist Christian Drosten said last Thursday that his country was carrying out 500,000 tests a week.

Authorities in Spain have said they are conducting between 15,000 and 20,000 tests a day.

Meanwhile, Italy has carried out more than 540,000 coronavirus tests in total, according to its Civil Protection agency. More than 34,000 were conducted nationwide on Wednesday, the agency said.

In France, which has focused testing on those seriously ill in hospital and health workers, the number of tests carried out "averages 9,000 daily," the National Health Agency told CNN. A health minister said Tuesday that France had the capacity to conduct 20,000 tests daily.

Prof. Cosford said Public Health England was in contact with its peers in Germany as the UK seeks to step up its coronavirus testing capacity.

"I absolutely accept that we need to build this further. There is a lot of work that is going on in order to get this testing capacity in place," Cosford said. "We're in constant discussions with colleagues in Germany -- and other countries -- around what they're doing, where their sources are coming from, what their supply system is. Of course we need to build this further."

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty warned last Wednesday that the UK did not have "sufficient testing" capabilities to identify cases, telling reporters that there was a "global shortage" of available tests.

UK health workers have also voiced concerns that personal protective equipment and some medical supplies are running low.

In one positive development, a spin-off company of the Britain's prestigious University of Cambridge has developed a "rapid diagnostic test for Covid-19" which can deliver a result in "less than 90 minutes," the university said in a statement Thursday.

"The SAMBA II machines, developed by Diagnostics for the Real World, provide a simple and accurate system for the diagnosis of Covid-19 infection," the statement said.

Addenbooke's Hospital, part of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, expects to receive the first 10 machines this week, it added.

Older, sicker patients could lose ventilators

The BMA said its new guidance had been prepared for doctors who will need to make "grave decisions" about who should receive "scarce lifesaving resources" if the country's health system is overwhelmed by coronavirus cases.

"As such, some of the most unwell patients may be denied access to treatment such as intensive care or artificial ventilation," the BMA's ethics guidance note states.

"This will inevitably be indirectly discriminatory against both the elderly and those with long-term health conditions, with the latter being denied access to life-saving treatment as a result of their pre-existing health problems."

It says imposing an age cut-off would be illegal, but adds that older patients with pre-existing respiratory problems would have a "very high chance of dying despite intensive care," and are therefore lower priority for admission.

The UK government has previously warned the country's health system could be overwhelmed if strict social distancing measures are not followed.

A converted convention center in London is due to start operating this week as a massive field hospital for coronavirus cases and could soon be the biggest intensive care unit in the country.

And a temporary mortuary is being built in east London as the death toll from coronavirus in the city continues to grow.

In a letter to residents, the Mayor of Newham Council, Rokhsana Fiaz, said the mortuary is being built in the Manor Park area because it is close to a cemetery and crematorium.

"The facility will act as a holding point before a respectful and dignified cremation or burial can take place to send a loved one on their final journey. Sadly relatives will not be able to visit the site," she said in the letter.

CNN's Vasco Cotovio, Barbara Wojazer, Valentina Di Donato and Ingrid Formanek contributed to this report.

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2020-04-02 13:34:01Z
CAIiEMTnCRmaL5PHZ30tO-GyHO8qGQgEKhAIACoHCAowocv1CjCSptoCMPrTpgU