As fears over a new wave of Coronavirus infections grow, campaigners are demanding that free tests for the virus return. Health workers alongside some MPs backed a petition that was delivered to Downing Street yesterday urging the Government to bring back free lateral flow tests.
The petition also calls on the Prime Minister to bring back the requirement for people with the virus to isolate. As well as that it calls on Boris Johnson to bring back financial help for people who have to isolate with the virus.
Last week infections surged by 43% to a high of 1.4 million UK cases. That is being blamed on waning immunity, increased mixing and new more infections Omicron variants, reports The Mirror.
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The petition is led by the co-chair of Keep Our NHS Public Dr John Puntis. He has said: "The Government must take some responsibility for the current level of infection, and a predicted new wave.
“Restoring free lateral flow tests and encouraging self-isolation would help decrease viral spread and protect against new variants and further surges, as well as decreasing the risk of long Covid.” Random testing has suggested that cases are up from 989,800 in the previous week.
With that in mind the latest figure is the highest since May. However it is well below March when it was 4.9 million. In England it is believed that around one in 50 have the virus and that is up from one in 70 just a week ago.
However in Wales it is believed that one in 45 have the virus again up from one in 75 just a week ago. In Scotland it has also gone up from one in 40 to one in 30 in just one week.
As for Northern Ireland it has also gone up from one in 65 to one in 45 in a week. Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has said: “It’s absurd the Government has scrapped free lateral flow testing.”
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