A government promise to test 100,000 people a day for coronavirus by the end of April is unlikely to be achievable, scientists have warned.
The Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) says its members are already “testing to the limit of our materials” and that a lack of vital equipment is stopping them from scaling up.
The body, which represents around 17,000 NHS lab scientists and staff, says it stands ready to carry out more Covid-19 tests but needs more chemical reagents, test tubes and swabs to do so.
The government has been facing growing pressure to increase the rate of screening as the UK - which is currently carrying out just 10,000 tests a day - has lagged behind countries such as Germany and South Korea.