The UK may have met its testing promise, after all

The UK may have hit its target of carrying out 100,000 daily COVID-19 tests, a minister says ahead of the latest figures on coronavirus tests being released.

Joe Davies reports

The UK may have actually hit its target of testing 100,000 people a day for COVID-19, despite days of concern that the promise may have been a bridge too far.

The Government set out an ambitious target of 100,000 daily tests by the end of April.

On Friday (May 1), Housing Minister Robert Jenrick told the BBC, it looks like the government will "either meet the target or come close".

In the 24 hours to 9 a.m.

On Thursday (April 30), over 81,000 tests were carried out.

The increase in testing capacity paves the way for the UK government to put in place the beginnings of a network to test, track and trace people through the pandemic, as it looks to safely ease lockdown restrictions.

On Thursday (April 30), Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK was now past the peak of its outbreak.

And he promised to set out a plan next week on how the country might start gradually returning to normal life.

The UK has the second-highest official COVID-19 death toll in Europe with well over 26,000 deaths.