Is the UK testing more than other countries?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told MPs on Wednesday: "We are now testing more per head of population than France, Germany and Spain and conducting more tests than any other European country."

Sep 17, 2020 - 02:58

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Is the UK testing more than other countries?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told MPs on Wednesday: "We are now testing more per head of population than France, Germany and Spain and conducting more tests than any other European country."

He’s right - according to data collected by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), an EU agency.

For the week ending 30 August, the figures show:

UK - 19 tests per 1,000
France -13 tests per 1,000
Germany - 13 tests per 1,000
Spain - 12 tests per 1,000

A few countries in Europe rank higher than the UK on this measure though, including Denmark on 42 tests per 1,000.

When it comes to overall tests, as of 30 August, the UK had processed just over 15 million antigen tests (the tests which tell you whether you currently have coronavirus).

This total is higher than any other country in Europe, according to ECDC figures. Germany, for example, had processed 12.3 million tests by this date and France 7.4 million.

BBC

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