The Times - UK (2020-09-15)

(Antfer) #1

No coronavirus tests are available in


the country’s ten worst hotspots for the


disease, with shortages likely to


continue for weeks.


Ministers are drawing up plans to


restrict “frivolous demands” for tests,


The Times understands, after accepting


that they did not anticipate so many


people applying for them.


At present more than 200,000 tests


are being carried out each day, but


demand is much higher, with requests


for tests from care homes and children


returning to school being blamed for


shortages around the country.


Laboratories are struggling to


process all samples sent to them,


forcing testing centres to cut back on


appointments. Hundreds of people


who have virus symptoms are waiting


more than five days for a result.


LBC radio reported yesterday that no


walk-in, drivethrough or home tests


were available in the ten areas with


highest infection rates, after attempting


to book them with postcodes in Bolton,


Salford, Bradford, Blackburn, Oldham,


Preston, Pendle, Rochdale, Tameside


and Manchester.


Although capacity is being increased,


officials accept that it is unlikely to keep


up with demand until a laboratory


capable of handling 50,000 tests a day


opens in the Midlands, which is not


expected to be for at least two weeks.


“We are in for a rough few weeks,” one


source said.


Lord Bethell of Romford, the testing


minister, told peers yesterday that “we


Chris Smyth Whitehall Editor


Forget Mars


... scientists


find a sign of


life on Venus


Tom Whipple Science Editor


Evidence that alien life might exist in
the atmosphere above Venus has been
discovered by astronomers.
A gas has been found in the clouds
around the planet that is strongly asso-
ciated with life, raising the possibility
that microbes might be present there.
The phosphine molecules were
spotted by astronomers, who said that
they had failed to find a non-biological
explanation for their presence. On
Earth, phosphine is taken as a sign of life
and is found, for instance, in swamp gas
after being released by microbes.
The scientists think it is possible that
despite the environment of Venus —
where surface temperatures are high
enough to melt lead and there are
clouds of sulphuric acid — microbial
life might have found a way to survive
more than 55km above the planet.
However, they conceded that it was not
proof of life, and there may be chemical
processes we do not understand.
Jane Greaves, from the University of
Cardiff, looked for the phosphine
precisely because astronomers think it
may be a key indication of life. The gas
disappears rapidly and must be replen-
ished, with scientists being unable to
find a plausible non-living source.
She said she was “stunned” by the
discovery. “We looked at all sources on
the surface, photochemistry in the
atmosphere, and energetic events like a
meteor strike or volcano going off,” she
said. “We just couldn’t make it go away.”
The research, published in the journal
Nature Astronomy, used ground-based
telescopes to seek phosphine at a level
far higher than on Earth. If life is
present, the only way to confirm it
would be sampling the atmosphere.
Caleb Scharf, director of the
Columbia Astrobiology Centre, New
York, said the research was a “wake-up
call for thinking about life in unusual
places that are right in our planetary
backyard”, but cautioned that the
findings were far from conclusive. He
said that it would take more evidence
for him to get excited, adding: “The field
is littered with ‘failed’ life detections.”

Virus tests


run out as


labs struggle


with demand


are throwing everything we can at the
test and trace system” but that demand
had been too great. He added: “I
welcome enormously the return of
children to school but... this has led to
a very large increase in the number of
children who are being sent to testing
centres, often bringing their parents
and other household members with
them, and that has put an enormous
pressure on the system.”
Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow
health secretary, said it “beggars belief
ministers didn’t use summer to build up
testing capacity in time for children
back at school and many returning to
the workplace”.
About 100,000 tests a day are being
allocated to care homes, after ministers
said that a long delayed promise of
frequent testing for staff and residents
was being met. Lord Bethell said that
this meant longer waits for people with
symptoms.
Care homes are also complaining of
longer waits for test results and have
said that inspectors are going from
home to home without frequent testing.
The number of confirmed Covid-
cases has risen sharply. A further 2,
positive results were reported yesterday
after more than 3,000 were recorded
for three days in a row.
Matt Hancock, the health secretary,
is drawing up plans to restrict access to
tests. He said last week that he did not
want to do so and changed the wording
on the NHS website to urge people not
to book a test if they did not have

symptoms. But faced with shortages he
Continued on page 2, col 5

Crackdown planned to stop ‘frivolous’ checks


Tot to trot At two, Betsy Smith of Calne, Wiltshire, is the youngest member of
her pony club. Her mother says she was riding before she could toddle. Page 5

CATERS NEWS AGENCY

Tuesday September 15 2020 | thetimes.co.uk | No 73265 2G £2 £1.10 to subscribers


Boris Johnson saw off a threat to


his political authority last night after


former cabinet ministers attempted a


parliamentary revolt against him.


Senior Tories, led by the ex-


chancellor Sajid Javid, defied a three-


line whip and abstained on legislation


that would give ministers the power to


Negronis at dawn


Do you


have


Covid


Secret diary of an MP’s wife face?


you


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id


?????????


INSIDE


TIMES


Former chancellor leads Tory attacks on Brexit law change


Oliver Wright Policy Editor override parts of the EU withdrawal
agreement. In the end the government
comfortably won the vote by a majority
of 77 with the support of the DUP.
Among Tories who abstained was Mr
Javid, along with two former attorney-
generals, Geoffrey Cox and Jeremy
Wright. Two former Northern Ireland
secretaries, Karen Bradley and Julian
Smith, also failed to vote, as did the


chairman of the foreign affairs select
committee, Tobias Ellwood.
Tory MPs warned the prime minister
that unless he removed the threat to
violate international law they could
vote against the government when pro-
posals are scrutinised in the Commons
next week. Mr Johnson insisted that the
government would not back down,
warning that failure to act would allow

the EU to “blockade” Northern Ireland
and cut it off from trade with the rest of
the United Kingdom.
He accused the EU of putting a “re-
volver on the table” of negotiations and
threatening to use its power “to break
up our country”. He said: “I understand
how some people will feel unease over
the use of these powers. I share that
sentiment myself... we cannot have a

situation where the very boundaries of
our country could be dictated by a
foreign power or international organi-
sation. No British prime minister, no
government, no parliament could ever
accept such an imposition.”
Mr Javid said: “One of the UK’s
greatest strengths is respect for the rule
of law. Breaking international law is a
Continued on page 2, col 3
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