Coronavirus: Mark Drakeford admits testing 'not good enough'

Wales' coronavirus testing system has not "been good enough", the first minister has admitted as he set out plans to "simplify" the process.

Mark Drakeford also said his government will not reach its previous target of 5,000 tests a day by mid-April.

The daily capacity is currently 1,300 tests but official data shows only 783 tests were carried out on Friday.

Daily figures have consistently been under 1,000 which the health minister also admitted was "a long way short".

Following a "rapid review" of the testing system the Welsh Government has announced:

Speaking on the BBC's Politics Wales programme, Mr Drakeford said he hoped the changes would help "make sure that our systems are as slick as we can".

He said the system was bureaucratic because "getting the right person from the workplace, to the testing centre, in the right order, at the right time, does take organising".

Difficulties around using the available testing capacity have been in the headlines this week, starting with the criticised closure of a Cardiff testing centre for key workers on Bank Holiday Monday.

On the Welsh Government's failure to increase the daily testing capacity itself, Mr Drakeford said: "Some of the things that we hoped would be in place to get us to the 5,000 [tests a day] haven't been realised.

"We are relying on some equipment... reagent - the chemicals that are needed to process tests - are in short supply across the world.

"We had orders out for more to come to Wales but those orders haven't yet resulted in the material we need arriving here.

The first minister would not set a new target, only saying: "We are confident that we can increase the number, week by week, we're going to report on it every week, the numbers we expect, the numbers we achieve, the number of tests that are carried out.

"We'll do that every week from now on so that people can see exactly how the pattern is working out.

"It's not that nothing has been going on. Thousands of tests have happened in Wales and thousands more tests will happen over the weeks ahead," he added.

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price told the Welsh Government that "failing to reach the new coronavirus testing target is not an option".

"To reach its new target of 5,000 Covid-19 tests a day by Friday this week then the Welsh Government will need to increase the number of daily tests by 45% every day this week," he added.

Conservative health spokeswoman Angela Burns welcomed the proposed changes, but called for the creation of "a dedicated team, whose only role is to have a laser-like focus on running testing effectively and quickly".

She also said improving laboratory capacity "is key" and that once it ramps up, "it's then important for testing to broaden and include population testing".

On 7 April, the Welsh Government announced plans to open four drive-through coronavirus testing centres for key workers.

The first began operation at Cardiff City stadium, the second at Rodney Parade opened at the end of last week, whilst the remaining two centres in the south west and north of the country "are being set up" with announcements to be made in "the next few days".

On 28 March, Health Minister Vaughan Gething announced plans to introduce a different antibody test that would identify if people have had coronavirus in Wales.

But Mr Drakeford told Politics Wales "no government has succeeded so far" in developing a reliable antibody test.

He said the Welsh Government had spent money on antibody tests that have not worked before.

"The search for an antibody test is not being held up by money," he said.

"We are putting the money that is necessary as we are across the United Kingdom, to find that test, and if it takes money to do it then money will be spent."

On Thursday, the lockdown in Wales was extended by three weeks until the start of May.

On Friday, the first minister said, although he would prefer the UK as whole to lift lockdown restrictions at the same time, he would "do things differently" if it was right for Wales..

The Welsh Government has repeatedly said it would only lift restrictions when the scientific evidence suggests it is safe to do so.

But Mr Drakeford said they were considering a phased approach to the lifting of restrictions.

He said: "The traffic light system as it's called is very well understood in the profession - that you start with the safest things to do, that when you're confident that isn't leading to another upsurge in coronavirus you can move to the middle ground.

"If when, at the end of that, you're still showing you can remain on top of any spread you move to the third and final set of measures."

Asked what the first stage might entail, he added: "For example, we know supermarkets operate now on a very careful basis - people queue up outside, only so many people allowed… would it be possible to reopen some other outlets operating on the same basis?"

On partially reopening schools he said: "We're working on a plan for how we could reopen schools, how we could have social distancing in schools, how we would begin with those pupils who is most important to get back into school.

"We'll do it when the medical evidence say it's safe to do it. It'll be gradual, it'll be cautious."