The government’s daily briefing (Report, 1 May) suggested there was a well calculated, organised programme monitoring the testing of staff within a hospital environment. This is far from the truth. My daughter is working in A&E at a London hospital. NHS workers on the frontline were told at short notice that they could sign up by booking a testing appointment. Of course, many health workers were keen to get tested and endeavoured to sign up. The upshot was the hospital computer systems crashed. On Wednesday, the hospital was suddenly flooded with outside testing staff. It would appear the testing was a bit of flannel to make sure the 100,000 target was met. I believe this testing is a stunt and find the trivialisation of the dire situation we are in beyond belief.
Sandra Roberts
Twickenham, Middlesex
• Whether or not the government has reached its target of 100,000 tests for coronavirus is irrelevant if the results are not available. Two weeks ago, at the care home where my husband is a resident with late-stage Alzheimer’s, three residents were tested for possible Covid-19. As a precaution, residents were confined to their rooms and staff remained in isolation on site.
The manager attempted to get results and was variously told “if you haven’t heard anything, it’s the virus” and “if you haven’t heard anything you’re probably clear”.
On Thursday, the three residents were again tested by someone in full personal protective equipment (the staff are using face shields donated by local businesses from their 3D printers), demonstrating that testing figures are meaningless unless results are produced and made available to those who need to know.
Ann Jolly
Emsworth, Hampshire
• No social scientist would combine tests conducted with possible tests in the pipeline to produce an indicator of policy outcome. That government’s scientific advisers did so is further evidence that they have forfeited their independence to become part of the government’s propaganda machine. This co-option process is familiar the world over and perhaps unavoidable, but they should not pretend to be independent, nor should the government claim they are to legitimise its policy failures.
Alan Walker
Professor of social policy and social gerontology, University of Sheffield
• As a teacher during the lockdown, I post tests out to my pupils and tell everyone that they have been tested. They haven’t been returned completed, they haven’t been marked and I have no idea how accurate the results might be if the tests are returned. Nevertheless, I proudly claim that I have tested all my pupils.
This is an extremely close analogy to Matt Hancock’s fatuous claim to have met his target of 100,000 tests for Covid-19. The only difference is that if my pupils have cheated, or I make up a result, it is not a matter of life and death – except if my pupils grow up and become Conservative politicians.
John Broughton
Calver, Derbyshire
• Given the government’s methodology for counting tests, should I assume that HMRC will consider my next tax bill paid when I inform it that my cheque is in the post?
Dr Corin Howitt
Manchester
• Matt Hancock says that the achievement of 100,000 tests a day is incredible. I don’t believe it either.
Anthony Camacho
Bristol
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