In the fight against coronavirus mass testing is absolutely crucial - now the government has set a target of 100,000 a day by the end of the month.

That doesn't translate in to 100,000 people, though, as sometimes different checks need to be carried out on the same person. But it is still a huge jump from the previous goal of 25,000 a day, and an even bigger leap from the current 12,799 capacity.

Kent expert says testing should have been stepped up earlier

Health secretary Matt Hancock - himself struck down by Covid-19 for a week - returned to public duty today to give the daily press briefing.

He said the rate of Covid-19 infection is currently doubling every three to four days, with 12,949 people now in hospital.

"We will strain every sinew to defeat this virus once and for all," he told the public.

But the government and in particular his department is coming under increased scrutiny for a lack of testing, especially within the NHS. to date just 5,000 of more than 500,000 medics have been checked for the virus.

Currently there are 5.7% of doctors absent due to it.

Mr Hancock said: "The roll out of testing is the fastest in history... but unlike some countries we did not go in to the crisis with a huge diagnostics industry... and have had to build from a lower base.

"The first priority of testing has to be the patients for which the result could be the difference between life and death and not NHS staff."

He also stressed some tests are just not good enough and in one case one he is being "urged to buy" was wrong on three of four occasions.

New labs and testing sites are to spring up across the country in the coming weeks solely for NHS staff and their families.

He concluded: "As the Prime Minister said 'mass testing is how we unlock the coronavirus puzzle'."

Mr Hancock had earlier said yesterday 45 million pieces of PPE were delivered and today Public Health England has released new guidance on what medics should wear to protect themselves.

The lack of PPE in care facilities has also been widely condemned and yesterday the head of the Royal College of Nursing in the south east said nurses were facing "impossible decisions" on a daily basis as a result of poor supplies.

The health secretary reiterated £300 million has been provided to pharmacies and announced the government is writing off £13.4 billion of hospitals' historic debt.

Later in the conference national medical director Stephen Powis added we will still see "a high number of deaths for a few weeks yet until we start to see benefits from the measures we are taking".

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