The Government will no longer publish the number of people given coronavirus tests daily.
The Department of Health And Social Care (DHSC) will continue to release figures on the total number of tests provided.
But as some people are tested more than once, officials have in the past issued a figure for the number of individuals tested as well.
The government "temporarily" stopped publishing the figure in May, amid claims the number of individuals tested was "embarrassingly" small - something Number 10 denied.
Officials said they had only stopped until they had found a way to ensure people weren't being counted twice - and would resume when that was possible.
Today, Number 10 admitted they'd given up on that plan.
Boris Johnson's official spokesman said: "DHSC will no longer publish the number of people tested daily anymore, and will instead publish the number of daily tests processed.
"This is because the daily people tested statistic only counts new people being tested.
"For example, someone who was tested in February, and then tested again this month, would be counted once.
"Considering hospital and care home staff will now be tested on a regular basis, we don’t think this statistic would be an accurate reflection of the amount of daily testing that is taking place.
"Test and trace statistics published weekly will include the number of people who have been tested."
The spokesman was unable to explain why the system of counting could not be changed to give a daily figure, as it had been previously.
Number 10 is also under pressure to provide a figure for the number of at-home tests which have been returned.
At present, the tests are counted when they are dispatched, but not when the actual analysis takes place.
The spokesman was also unable to explain why this figure could not be supplied.
