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Britain will open two new labs in early 2021 that will double the country’s ability to run COVID-19 tests, the government said Monday.
The new megalabs, one in Leamington Spa near the central English city of Birmingham, and the other in Scotland, will increase daily test capacity by 600,000 when fully operational.
“We didn’t enter this crisis with a significant diagnostics industry, but we built one, and these two mega-labs are another step forward,” said British health minister Matt Hancock.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised a nationwide “unbeatable worldwide” testing and tracing system earlier this year, but the government’s science advisory body said last month that its impact on virus transmission it was marginal.
Read also: Britain finally launches antivirus app in England and Wales
In addition to testing for COVID-19, the new labs aim to boost Britain’s diagnostic capabilities for critical illnesses including cancer and cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Britain increased its daily test capacity to 500,000 by the end of October from 100,000 by the end of April.
The UK has the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in Europe. The tally surpassed 50,000 last week.
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