Under-fire Johnson says UK will 'massively increase testing'

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain would "massively increase testing" amid a growing wave of criticism on Thursday about his government's failure to provide widespre coronavirus screening.

In a video mess posted online on Wednesday night from Downing Street, where he has been in self-isolation since anuncing on March 27 that he h contracted virus, Johnson said testing was "way through". "We're also massively increasing testing. As I have said for weeks and weeks this (testing) is way through," Johnson said.

"This is how we will unlock coronavirus puzzle, this is how we will defeat it in end." He was reacting to condemnation of his government, especially in media, after officials revealed that just 2,000 out of half-a-million staff in state-run National Health Service (NHS) h been tested.

re have also been reports of staff being turned away from drive-in test centres because y did t have correct paperwork, or ors which were deserted because testing was by appointment only.

Figures published Wednesday showed a total of 2,352 people with COVID-19 have died in UK, an increase of 563, largest single-day rise. Two of deaths were medics. Testing for general public has also been condemned as t being widespre eugh. On Tuesday, 10,000 hospital patients and NHS staff were tested in England, well below daily target of 25,000 and 70,000 a day achieved in Germany.

Various rmally pro-government newspapers condemned plans as "chaotic", a "scandal" and a "shambles" as backlash gared pace. Paul Nurse, chief executive of biomedical research centre Francis Crick Institute, told BBC Thursday that government should summon " Dunkirk spirit" and let 'small ship' labs start screening for killer disease.

So far, Public Health England (PHE), body tasked with testing, has insisted all screening should be carried out centrally. PHE medical director Professor Paul Cosford defended his organisation's work. "At very outset we identified this, we got tests in place, we designed tests in our laboratories. We have played our part," he told BBC rio.

Britain is currently in lockdown, with shops shut and public asked to stay at home to try to limit spre of coronavirus. government has promised an ermous pack of support for businesses and employees hit by measures, but is facing questions about how quickly money is getting through.

New government figures show 950,000 people applied for state welfare support kwn as universal credit in last fortnight. It is available to unemployed and those on low incomes. National plane carrier British Airways is expected to anunce it will suspend 36,000 staff later on Thursday. 

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PHOTO CREDIT- PTI