Health Secretary Matt Hancock has written to members of a Conservative Party email list inviting them to apply for a Coronavirus test, as ministers struggle to hit their target of 100,000 tests a day.
The message also contained a button which took users through to the government website offering the tests.
Under pressure over claims the UK was behind other countries such as Germany, Mr Hancock pledged 100,000 tests for Covid-19 would be carried out a day by the end of this month.
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But yesterday capacity stood at just 70,000, and the actual number of tests conducted was just over 43,000.
Professor John Newton, director of public health improvement for Public Health England has said he is confident the 100,000 daily test target will be met by tomorrow’s deadline, however.
Yesterday Mr Hancock announced a massive expansion in the number of people eligible for a test – including to all those aged over 65 with symptoms.
He highlighted the new policy in the email titled: “Access to coronavirus testing expanded further. Apply now”.
Sent under Mr Hancock’s name it read: “Dear Friend,
“At yesterday’s daily coronavirus briefing I announced a further expansion of our testing programme.
“Testing is now available to all over 65s and members of their households, if they have symptoms.
“Additionally, any worker who needs to leave their home in order to go to work, and their households, if any of them have symptoms can also get a test.
“This means construction workers to emergency plumbers, research scientists to those in manufacturing – can now be tested.
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“If this applies to you, or anyone in your household, please go online now and apply for a test.”
Sources close to Mr Hancock defended the email saying ministers wanted to advertise the policy to as many people as possible.
In a bid to increase the number of tests being carried out, the Government has also confirmed a series of regional centres where they will be administered, including sports stadiums and airports.
1/50 28 April 2020
NHS staff at the Mater hospital in Belfast, during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
2/50 27 April 2020
The sun rises behind redundant oil platforms moored in the Firth of Forth near Kirkcaldy, Fife. Global oil prices have crashed after the coronavirus pandemic reduced demand, with analysts warning that the oil majors may be looking at one of their biggest quarter-on-quarter profitability hits in history.
PA
3/50 26 April 2020
Frankie Lynch celebrates on the Mall where the finish of the London Marathon was due to take place today after running 2.6 miles instead of 26 miles to raise money for The Running Charity
Reuters
4/50 25 April 2020
A muslim woman walks past balloons outside the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London
Reuters
5/50 24 April 2020
An empty Brighton Pier, closed during the Coronavirus pandemic as temperatures reach 20 degrees in the South East
Rex
6/50 23 April 2020
Farmers work with vehicles to prepare a field next to a field of flowering rapeseed near Pontefract, West Yorkshire
AFP/Getty
7/50 22 April 2020
The Northern Lights, the Milky Way and a Lyrid meteor at the Bathing House near Howick, Northumberland, as the Lyrid meteor shower reached its peak
PA
8/50 21 April 2020
Badger the Border Collie surrounded by bluebells at Shrawley Wood in Worcestershire
PA
9/50 20 April 2020
A dog walker on Blyth beach in Northumberland
PA
10/50 19 April 2020
A piece of coronavirus themed street art grafitti in East London
AFP via Getty
11/50 18 April 2020
Members of the City Specialist Cleaning team spray disinfectant around posts in the town centre of Eastleigh, Hampshire
PA
12/50 17 April 2020
A taped-up bench in the hamlet of Diglea, Greater Manchester
AFP/Getty
13/50 16 April 2020
A woman wearing a protective face mask and gloves walks past graffiti in Bow, London
Reuters
14/50 15 April 2020
A burned down mobile phone mast in London. According to reports, at least 20 mobile phone masts across Britain are believed to have been vandalised and government and telecom sources are increasingly concerned about the impact of conspiracy theories linking coronavirus to 5G networks
EPA
15/50 14 April 2020
The new Nightingale Hospital in Washington, Tyne and Wear, being fitted out
PA
16/50 13 April 2020
Walkers enjoy the bluebells in Wanstead Park in London
PA
17/50 12 April 2020
A woman prays at the closed doors of Westminster Cathedral ahead of the Easter morning mass in London
PA
18/50 11 April 2020
A man jogs on an empty beach in Scarborough as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
19/50 10 April 2020
Military personnel testing people at a coronavirus test centre in the car park of Chessington World of Adventures
Reuters
20/50 9 April 2020
Posters drawn by children displayed in support of the NHS in a building near St Thomas’ Hospital in London
Getty
21/50 8 April 2020
A street cleaner in front of Coronavirus messaging on Picadilly Circus in London
Getty
22/50 7 April 2020
A jogger on the Millennium Bridge in London, as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
23/50 6 April 2020
A Royal Signals soldier practices during training held by the British Army. They are preparing them to support the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust in the battle against coronavirus
Ministry of Defence/Reuters
24/50 5 April 2020
A police officer advises a woman to go home after spotting her enjoying the sun in Primrose Hill, London
AP
25/50 4 March 2020
New Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer speaks on the announcement of his victory in the leadership race of the Labour Party
AFP via Getty
26/50 3 April 2020
Health Secretary Matt Hancock and NHS staff stand on marks on the ground, put in place to ensure social distancing guidelines are adhered to, at the opening of the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre in London, a temporary hospital with 4000 beds which has been set up for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday April 3, 2020. Split into more than 80 wards containing 42 beds each, the facility will be used to treat Covid-19 patients who have been transferred from other intensive care units across London.
PA
27/50 2 April 2020
A child at Westlands Primary School paints a poster in support of the NHS in Newcastle-under-Lyme
Reuters
28/50 1 April 2020
Staff wearing PPE of gloves and face masks, as a preactionary measure against Covid-19, disinfect an ambulance after it arrived with a patient at St Thomas’ Hospital in north London
AFP via Getty
29/50 31 March 2020
Llandudno Pier remains closed and deserted of tourists during the pandemic lockdown in Wales
Getty
30/50 30 March 2020
Waves break against the pier at Tynemouth, on the North East coast
PA
31/50 29 March 2020
Waves crash over a car on the seafront during windy conditions in Broadstairs, Kent
PA
32/50 28 March 2020
Derbyshire Police dye the “blue lagoon” in Harpur Hill, Buxton black, as gatherings there are “dangerous” and are “in contravention of the current instruction of the UK Government”
PA
33/50 27 March 2020
A road sign advising drivers to ‘stay home protect NHS saves lives’ is visible on the M80 near Banknock as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
34/50 26 March 2020
A postman wears a mask and gloves to deliver letters in Broadstairs, Kent, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson has put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday March 26, 2020. The UK’s coronavirus death toll reached 463 on Wednesday.
PA
35/50 25 March 2020
Members of the public out exercising on Brighton beach at sunset
Getty
36/50 24 March 2020
Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas’ hospital
Getty
37/50 23 March 2020
Commuters travel on the London underground during the Coronavirus pandemic
Getty
38/50 22 March 2020
People walk on the seafront after recent incidents of members of the public ignoring government advice on social distancing on in Hove
Getty
39/50 21 March 2020
A general view of an empty Trafalgar Square in London. There have as of now been 3,983 diagnosed coronavirus cases in the UK and 177 deaths
Getty
40/50 20 March 2020
Swans swim on the banks of the River Severn in Worcester
PA
41/50 19 March 2020
A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow’s street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss
PA
42/50 18 March 2020
Students tend to Spring Lambs at Moreton Morrell College in Warwickshire
PA
43/50 17 March 2020
Caerphilly Castle in South Wales joins Tourism Ireland’s Global Greenings campaign to mark St Patrick’s Day
PA
44/50 16 March 2020
Shoppers form long queues ahead of the opening of a Costco wholesale store in Chingford
Getty
45/50 15 March 2020
Players sing songs in the changing room after their game of football at Hackney Marshes in London
Reuters
46/50 14 March 2020
Empty shelves in the laundry aisle of an Asda store in London
PA
47/50 13 March 2020
Runners and riders compete in the JCB Triumph Hurdle during day four of the Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse. Thousands of people attended where Gold Cup day amid great uncertainty as sports events up and down the United Kingdom are postponed and cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak
PA Images via Reuters Connect
48/50 12 March 2020
A worker makes her way along rows of daffodils, removing any rogue varieties, at Taylors Bulbs in Holbeach, Lincolnshire. The fourth generation family company plant over 35 million bulbs every year, and have held The Royal Warrant as Bulb Growers to Her Majesty The Queen since 1985
PA
49/50 11 March 2020
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak poses for pictures with the Budget Box outside 11 Downing Street ahead of Britain’s first post-Brexit budget
AFP/Getty
50/50 10 March 2020
A Tate Modern gallery assistant interacts with the ‘Silver Clouds’ installation, at a press view of major new Andy Warhol exhibition at Tate Modern, which features classic pop art pieces and works never shown before in the UK
PA
1/50 28 April 2020
NHS staff at the Mater hospital in Belfast, during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
2/50 27 April 2020
The sun rises behind redundant oil platforms moored in the Firth of Forth near Kirkcaldy, Fife. Global oil prices have crashed after the coronavirus pandemic reduced demand, with analysts warning that the oil majors may be looking at one of their biggest quarter-on-quarter profitability hits in history.
PA
3/50 26 April 2020
Frankie Lynch celebrates on the Mall where the finish of the London Marathon was due to take place today after running 2.6 miles instead of 26 miles to raise money for The Running Charity
Reuters
4/50 25 April 2020
A muslim woman walks past balloons outside the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London
Reuters
5/50 24 April 2020
An empty Brighton Pier, closed during the Coronavirus pandemic as temperatures reach 20 degrees in the South East
Rex
6/50 23 April 2020
Farmers work with vehicles to prepare a field next to a field of flowering rapeseed near Pontefract, West Yorkshire
AFP/Getty
7/50 22 April 2020
The Northern Lights, the Milky Way and a Lyrid meteor at the Bathing House near Howick, Northumberland, as the Lyrid meteor shower reached its peak
PA
8/50 21 April 2020
Badger the Border Collie surrounded by bluebells at Shrawley Wood in Worcestershire
PA
9/50 20 April 2020
A dog walker on Blyth beach in Northumberland
PA
10/50 19 April 2020
A piece of coronavirus themed street art grafitti in East London
AFP via Getty
11/50 18 April 2020
Members of the City Specialist Cleaning team spray disinfectant around posts in the town centre of Eastleigh, Hampshire
PA
12/50 17 April 2020
A taped-up bench in the hamlet of Diglea, Greater Manchester
AFP/Getty
13/50 16 April 2020
A woman wearing a protective face mask and gloves walks past graffiti in Bow, London
Reuters
14/50 15 April 2020
A burned down mobile phone mast in London. According to reports, at least 20 mobile phone masts across Britain are believed to have been vandalised and government and telecom sources are increasingly concerned about the impact of conspiracy theories linking coronavirus to 5G networks
EPA
15/50 14 April 2020
The new Nightingale Hospital in Washington, Tyne and Wear, being fitted out
PA
16/50 13 April 2020
Walkers enjoy the bluebells in Wanstead Park in London
PA
17/50 12 April 2020
A woman prays at the closed doors of Westminster Cathedral ahead of the Easter morning mass in London
PA
18/50 11 April 2020
A man jogs on an empty beach in Scarborough as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
19/50 10 April 2020
Military personnel testing people at a coronavirus test centre in the car park of Chessington World of Adventures
Reuters
20/50 9 April 2020
Posters drawn by children displayed in support of the NHS in a building near St Thomas’ Hospital in London
Getty
21/50 8 April 2020
A street cleaner in front of Coronavirus messaging on Picadilly Circus in London
Getty
22/50 7 April 2020
A jogger on the Millennium Bridge in London, as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
23/50 6 April 2020
A Royal Signals soldier practices during training held by the British Army. They are preparing them to support the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust in the battle against coronavirus
Ministry of Defence/Reuters
24/50 5 April 2020
A police officer advises a woman to go home after spotting her enjoying the sun in Primrose Hill, London
AP
25/50 4 March 2020
New Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer speaks on the announcement of his victory in the leadership race of the Labour Party
AFP via Getty
26/50 3 April 2020
Health Secretary Matt Hancock and NHS staff stand on marks on the ground, put in place to ensure social distancing guidelines are adhered to, at the opening of the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre in London, a temporary hospital with 4000 beds which has been set up for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday April 3, 2020. Split into more than 80 wards containing 42 beds each, the facility will be used to treat Covid-19 patients who have been transferred from other intensive care units across London.
PA
27/50 2 April 2020
A child at Westlands Primary School paints a poster in support of the NHS in Newcastle-under-Lyme
Reuters
28/50 1 April 2020
Staff wearing PPE of gloves and face masks, as a preactionary measure against Covid-19, disinfect an ambulance after it arrived with a patient at St Thomas’ Hospital in north London
AFP via Getty
29/50 31 March 2020
Llandudno Pier remains closed and deserted of tourists during the pandemic lockdown in Wales
Getty
30/50 30 March 2020
Waves break against the pier at Tynemouth, on the North East coast
PA
31/50 29 March 2020
Waves crash over a car on the seafront during windy conditions in Broadstairs, Kent
PA
32/50 28 March 2020
Derbyshire Police dye the “blue lagoon” in Harpur Hill, Buxton black, as gatherings there are “dangerous” and are “in contravention of the current instruction of the UK Government”
PA
33/50 27 March 2020
A road sign advising drivers to ‘stay home protect NHS saves lives’ is visible on the M80 near Banknock as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
34/50 26 March 2020
A postman wears a mask and gloves to deliver letters in Broadstairs, Kent, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson has put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday March 26, 2020. The UK’s coronavirus death toll reached 463 on Wednesday.
PA
35/50 25 March 2020
Members of the public out exercising on Brighton beach at sunset
Getty
36/50 24 March 2020
Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas’ hospital
Getty
37/50 23 March 2020
Commuters travel on the London underground during the Coronavirus pandemic
Getty
38/50 22 March 2020
People walk on the seafront after recent incidents of members of the public ignoring government advice on social distancing on in Hove
Getty
39/50 21 March 2020
A general view of an empty Trafalgar Square in London. There have as of now been 3,983 diagnosed coronavirus cases in the UK and 177 deaths
Getty
40/50 20 March 2020
Swans swim on the banks of the River Severn in Worcester
PA
41/50 19 March 2020
A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow’s street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss
PA
42/50 18 March 2020
Students tend to Spring Lambs at Moreton Morrell College in Warwickshire
PA
43/50 17 March 2020
Caerphilly Castle in South Wales joins Tourism Ireland’s Global Greenings campaign to mark St Patrick’s Day
PA
44/50 16 March 2020
Shoppers form long queues ahead of the opening of a Costco wholesale store in Chingford
Getty
45/50 15 March 2020
Players sing songs in the changing room after their game of football at Hackney Marshes in London
Reuters
46/50 14 March 2020
Empty shelves in the laundry aisle of an Asda store in London
PA
47/50 13 March 2020
Runners and riders compete in the JCB Triumph Hurdle during day four of the Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse. Thousands of people attended where Gold Cup day amid great uncertainty as sports events up and down the United Kingdom are postponed and cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak
PA Images via Reuters Connect
48/50 12 March 2020
A worker makes her way along rows of daffodils, removing any rogue varieties, at Taylors Bulbs in Holbeach, Lincolnshire. The fourth generation family company plant over 35 million bulbs every year, and have held The Royal Warrant as Bulb Growers to Her Majesty The Queen since 1985
PA
49/50 11 March 2020
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak poses for pictures with the Budget Box outside 11 Downing Street ahead of Britain’s first post-Brexit budget
AFP/Getty
50/50 10 March 2020
A Tate Modern gallery assistant interacts with the ‘Silver Clouds’ installation, at a press view of major new Andy Warhol exhibition at Tate Modern, which features classic pop art pieces and works never shown before in the UK
PA
More than 40 sites are operational across the UK, with more expected by the end of the month.
They range from Inverness in Scotland to Plymouth.
Ministers want to reduce the amount of time spent travelling to a test centre to 45 minutes.
Locations include the Chessington World of Adventures theme park in Greater London, the Etihad stadium in Manchester and various sports clubs such as Cardiff FC, Worcester Warriors, and Londonderry rugby club.
Ikea stores in Gateshead and Wembley, London will also carry out tests, as well as airports including Manchester, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Stansted and Gatwick.
