NEW REPORT: 'Testing Times: The urgent need to decentralise COVID-19 diagnostic testing in the United Kingdom' by our @matthewlesh makes the case for allowing private, university and charity labs to test for COVID-19. 
➡️ The UK has fallen to the bottom quarter of OECD countries for COVID-19 diagnostic testing, per capita .
➡️South Korea has tested four times as many people as the UK, Germany almost three times and the United States now almost twice as many, per capita.
➡️South Korea has tested four times as many people as the UK, Germany almost three times and the United States now almost twice as many, per capita.
➡️ The early decision to centralise testing to a single Public Health England (PHE) laboratory, and a single in-house test, has hampered the ability to increase testing in the UK.
➡️ PHE has been dangerously slow, excessively bureaucratic and hostile to outsiders and innovation
➡️ PHE has been dangerously slow, excessively bureaucratic and hostile to outsiders and innovation
➡️ The most successful countries, like South Korea & Germany, embraced a mixture of public, non-government and private laboratories.
➡️ Since the US removed restrictions on private testing (March 16), capacity has increased 21x, compared to UK 2x in the same time.
➡️ Since the US removed restrictions on private testing (March 16), capacity has increased 21x, compared to UK 2x in the same time.
➡️ Testing has now been expanded to 12 labs operated by PHE as well as a limited number of NHS laboratories.
➡️ Non-government labs stand ready to begin testing, it's vital the Government calls on all companies to make testing kits and develop lab capacity
➡️ Non-government labs stand ready to begin testing, it's vital the Government calls on all companies to make testing kits and develop lab capacity
Read the full report: adamsmith.org/research/testi…
