“Very few” PCR tests left at London testing sites
There are currently “very few available” PCR tests at testing sites in London, according to the government’s official website.
Earlier today the government’s official booking website briefly showed there were no PCR tests available at any testing sites in England, according to reports.
A screenshot of the official site, published by the BBC, showed a “none available” message next to testing centres for each of the nine English regions – but the website now shows that tests are available at testing sites across the regions in plentiful, except in London.
PCR home tests can still be booked though.
The government continue to advise anyone displaying any Covid-19 symptoms – a high temperature, a new continuous cough or a loss of smell – to get a PCR test as soon as possible, even if the symptoms are just mild.
The shortage of PCR tests for booking at test sites in London comes a day after online retailer Amazon launched its own Covid PCR test kits for travellers, selling them for £34.99 each.
The news comes amid a wave of omicron cases in the UK, and as the government push to offer all adults in the UK a booster jab before the end of the year.
A surge in demand for lateral flow tests, after the government mandated daily testing for anyone double-jabbed who comes into contact with a Covid-19 cases, resulted in kits running out on the government website yesterday.
The shortage could become an even bigger problem on Wednesday when the NHS Covid pass will be made mandatory for nightclubs and venues with large crowds subject to parliamentary approval.
People who are yet to be jabbed may struggle to gain entry to venues without the possibility of using a negative lateral flow test result as an alternative to a vaccine passport.