Throughout the succession of government announcements since the coronavirus outbreak arrived in the UK, ministers have heard persistent calls for NHS workers to be tested. Yet the latest figures for England reveal just 2,000 out of about half a million frontline staff have been tested so far. Industry bodies describe hospitals being able to test just a handful of staff a day, prompting press descriptions of a “scandal”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has issued a video message declaring he has been saying “for weeks and weeks” that testing is “how we will unlock the coronavirus puzzle”. Dr Yvonne Doyle, of Public Health England, says there is now capacity for 3,000 tests a day on frontline staff, with the aim to increase that “to hundreds of thousands within the coming weeks”.
Meanwhile, up to 3,000 additional armed forces reservists are being called up to aid the military response to the coronavirus pandemic. Individuals with specialist skills will provide medical and logistical support to the NHS, engineers and accountants, the Ministry of Defence says. And British Airways is expected to suspend some 36,000 staff – about 80% of its workforce – later, after reaching a broad deal with union representatives. No staff are expected to be made redundant.
Tales from the front line
We hear harrowing accounts of hospitalisation from those who have survived the virus. Pregnant Karen Mannering, from Kent, tells us she was “fighting for mine and my baby’s life”, while bed-bound for three days without visitors. “It was a very lonely, dark time… I was scared I was going to die and my family say they had prepared for the worst,” she says.
We also have interviews with some of thousands of former NHS workers coming out of retirement to help the sick. “It’s very hard to stop being a doctor,” says Dr Jane Williams, 64, from Surrey, who hopes to work from home on triage for the 111 telephone service. “The sooner that I can be deployed to help, the better.”
And BBC Stories meets the army of volunteers making scrubs for doctors, sending spare masks to hospitals and making hand sanitiser from chemicals. Meanwhile, Reality Check runs the rule over some more of those dubious virus claims doing the rounds on social media. Remember, you can find loads of trustworthy advice and explainers on our dedicated page.
Credit: BBC.com
The post Coronavirus briefing: NHS staff testing ‘scandal’ and harrowing survival tales appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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