The Government's target of 100,000 daily coronavirus tests set at the start of April has been missed.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said during a press conference on April 2, 2020, that he was "determined" to reach the six figure goal of 100,000 tests per day by the end of the month.

How much has the target been missed by?

In the last 24 hours, just 33,000 people have been tested for Covid-19 in the UK, according to official figures.

First Secretary of State, Dominic Raab, said that more than 52,000 tests were carried out during this period. However, this total includes 19,000 retests.

The latest Public Health England figures - which lag a couple of days behind today's date - show that, as of 9am on April 28, 763,387 tests have been carried out.

As of the same date, the total number of positive tests stands at 161,145.

Who is eligible for a test?

More people have become eligible for testing as the UK has ramped up its capacity with test sites and labs.

As of April 30, testing is available to anyone with symptoms who meets the following criteria:

  • They're over 65
  • They have to leave home to go to work
  • Anyone in the household of someone who has to leave to go to work

Workers and residents in care homes can also get tested, even if they don't have symptoms.

The tests available, however, only show if someone currently has the virus - not if they've had it in the past.

Negative tests allow a key worker to return to work if they're well enough, those living with them test negative, and they haven't had a temperature for at least 48 hours.

Tests involve taking a swab of the nose or throat, which is then sent to a lab for analysis.

Key workers in Scotland and England who are self-isolating because they or a household member have symptoms can be referred for a test by their employer.

Those eligible can also book a test online themselves. They can choose to attend a regional test site or order a home test kit - but supplies of these are limited.