太多“不当”检测，英国新冠病毒检测系统崩溃
英国的新冠病毒检测系统目前已经超出负荷，卫生大臣找出了罪魁祸首：那些没有新冠肺炎症状却进行检测的人。
“过去几周，检测需求增加，一些需求来自不符合检测条件的人——那些没有症状的人。”英国卫生大臣马特·汉考克在9月9日接受天空新闻台（Sky News）采访时说，“前来检测的人中，约25%没有症状，他们不符合检测资格。”
看起来这些人得为英国检测系统的困境负责——其他人要跋涉好几百英里去做检测，还有很多尝试在线申请检测的人（无论有没有症状）都只收到了网页出错信息。
英国检测系统中的一位高层也表示，问题不是检测中心能力不足，而是国家处理样品的能力不足。
汉考克举了些“不当”检测的例子，比如学校组织了一整个年级的学生参加检测，人们在开启假期前进行检测等。各国卫生官员给它起了另外一个名字：“保险检测”。他们认为这是我们在没有疫苗的情况下抵抗病毒传播的最好工具之一。
自5月中旬以来，英国每一名出现了新冠肺炎症状（出现持续咳嗽、高烧、丧失嗅觉或味觉）的人都可以进行检测，以确认自己是否感染了病毒。英国每天要进行多达20万份测试，与德国等邻国相比，英国的检测率还不错，德国每周进行的检测数量略高于100万例。
检测是英国国家医疗服务体系（National Health Service）检测追踪项目的核心关键，最终目的是找到并隔离那些接触过病毒携带者的人。
但人们早就知道，许多新冠病毒携带者没有症状，却仍然具有传染性。6月，汉考克自己提交了来自国家统计局（Office for National Statistics）的数据，用他的话来说，数据显示“大约70%至80%检测呈阳性的人没有症状。”
“这是一个相当重要的发现，也是这种疾病的一个重要特点，”他当时说。
同样在6月，英国首相鲍里斯·约翰逊和检测追踪项目的负责人蒂多·哈丁抱怨过，出现了症状的人很多都不去做检测。“我们的测试能力过剩，追踪能力也过剩。”哈丁当时说，而约翰逊也说“能力充足”。
这种情况却似乎出现了变化。英国媒体最近报道了很多关于有症状的人试图在英国国家医疗服务体系预约检测，却被告知要到国内一个完全不搭边的地方去做——远在600英里之外。
与此同时，那些想在网上预约检测的人会收到这样一条信息:“目前没有可用检测。我们收到了非常多的检测需求。请明天再试。”
“崩溃边缘”
汉考克在9月9日表示，政府已经“提出了一些解决方案”，以确保没有人需要去超过75英里以外的地方进行检测。他还表示，检测能力在持续增加，但“有两三份合同存在问题”，导致无法进一步提升检测数量。这位大臣表示，需要几周时间来解决。
哈丁的副手萨拉-简·马什在9月8日解释说，问题不在于检测点的检测能力，“实验室的处理能力才是真正的瓶颈。我们正在尽一切努力快速提升相关能力。”
反对党工党领袖基尔·斯塔摩于9月8日表示，测试追踪系统正“处于崩溃的边缘”。
“（我们看到了）很多令人心碎的故事，需要检测的人却被告知没有可用的检测，看到网站出现崩溃，或者人们收到通知要去很远很远的地方检测。没有人能说政府的治理能力好。”斯塔摩说。
和其他几个欧洲国家一样，英国的新冠病毒感染人数在过去几周内迅速飙升。现在又回到了每天新增几千例的时候，而且这还不包括没有去检测的无症状患者。
9月8日，汉考克的卫生部门发布了最新的局部地区冠状病毒限制措施，这次受影响的是英格兰北部曼彻斯特附近的博尔顿镇。博尔顿的餐馆现在只能提供外卖，而且任何人都不允许与家人以外的人交往，即便是在户外。
从9月7日开始，英国所有6人以上的社交聚会都将违法，但不包括在工作场所、学校、婚礼、葬礼和有组织的集体运动中出现的聚集。汉考克说，新规定将“由警方严格执行”，但目前警方无权对30人以上的聚会实施干预。（财富中文网）
译者；Agatha
英国的新冠病毒检测系统目前已经超出负荷，卫生大臣找出了罪魁祸首：那些没有新冠肺炎症状却进行检测的人。
“过去几周，检测需求增加，一些需求来自不符合检测条件的人——那些没有症状的人。”英国卫生大臣马特·汉考克在9月9日接受天空新闻台（Sky News）采访时说，“前来检测的人中，约25%没有症状，他们不符合检测资格。”
看起来这些人得为英国检测系统的困境负责——其他人要跋涉好几百英里去做检测，还有很多尝试在线申请检测的人（无论有没有症状）都只收到了网页出错信息。
英国检测系统中的一位高层也表示，问题不是检测中心能力不足，而是国家处理样品的能力不足。
汉考克举了些“不当”检测的例子，比如学校组织了一整个年级的学生参加检测，人们在开启假期前进行检测等。各国卫生官员给它起了另外一个名字：“保险检测”。他们认为这是我们在没有疫苗的情况下抵抗病毒传播的最好工具之一。
自5月中旬以来，英国每一名出现了新冠肺炎症状（出现持续咳嗽、高烧、丧失嗅觉或味觉）的人都可以进行检测，以确认自己是否感染了病毒。英国每天要进行多达20万份测试，与德国等邻国相比，英国的检测率还不错，德国每周进行的检测数量略高于100万例。
检测是英国国家医疗服务体系（National Health Service）检测追踪项目的核心关键，最终目的是找到并隔离那些接触过病毒携带者的人。
但人们早就知道，许多新冠病毒携带者没有症状，却仍然具有传染性。6月，汉考克自己提交了来自国家统计局（Office for National Statistics）的数据，用他的话来说，数据显示“大约70%至80%检测呈阳性的人没有症状。”
“这是一个相当重要的发现，也是这种疾病的一个重要特点，”他当时说。
同样在6月，英国首相鲍里斯·约翰逊和检测追踪项目的负责人蒂多·哈丁抱怨过，出现了症状的人很多都不去做检测。“我们的测试能力过剩，追踪能力也过剩。”哈丁当时说，而约翰逊也说“能力充足”。
这种情况却似乎出现了变化。英国媒体最近报道了很多关于有症状的人试图在英国国家医疗服务体系预约检测，却被告知要到国内一个完全不搭边的地方去做——远在600英里之外。
与此同时，那些想在网上预约检测的人会收到这样一条信息:“目前没有可用检测。我们收到了非常多的检测需求。请明天再试。”
“崩溃边缘”
汉考克在9月9日表示，政府已经“提出了一些解决方案”，以确保没有人需要去超过75英里以外的地方进行检测。他还表示，检测能力在持续增加，但“有两三份合同存在问题”，导致无法进一步提升检测数量。这位大臣表示，需要几周时间来解决。
哈丁的副手萨拉-简·马什在9月8日解释说，问题不在于检测点的检测能力，“实验室的处理能力才是真正的瓶颈。我们正在尽一切努力快速提升相关能力。”
反对党工党领袖基尔·斯塔摩于9月8日表示，测试追踪系统正“处于崩溃的边缘”。
“（我们看到了）很多令人心碎的故事，需要检测的人却被告知没有可用的检测，看到网站出现崩溃，或者人们收到通知要去很远很远的地方检测。没有人能说政府的治理能力好。”斯塔摩说。
和其他几个欧洲国家一样，英国的新冠病毒感染人数在过去几周内迅速飙升。现在又回到了每天新增几千例的时候，而且这还不包括没有去检测的无症状患者。
9月8日，汉考克的卫生部门发布了最新的局部地区冠状病毒限制措施，这次受影响的是英格兰北部曼彻斯特附近的博尔顿镇。博尔顿的餐馆现在只能提供外卖，而且任何人都不允许与家人以外的人交往，即便是在户外。
从9月7日开始，英国所有6人以上的社交聚会都将违法，但不包括在工作场所、学校、婚礼、葬礼和有组织的集体运动中出现的聚集。汉考克说，新规定将“由警方严格执行”，但目前警方无权对30人以上的聚会实施干预。（财富中文网）
译者；Agatha
The U.K.'s coronavirus-testing system is overloaded, and the government's health chief has identified the culprits: people who get tests despite having no COVID-19 symptoms.
"In the last couple of weeks we have seen an increase in demand including…from people who are not eligible for tests, people who don't have symptoms," Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said in a September 9 interview with Sky News. "About 25% of people who are coming forward don't have symptoms, and aren't eligible."
These, apparently, are the people responsible for a situation in which others are being asked to travel hundreds of miles to get tests, and many of those trying to apply online—symptomatic or not—get an error message.
A leading figure in the U.K.'s testing regime has also indicated that the problem is not a crunch in testing-center capacity, but rather in the country's capacity for processing samples.
Hancock cited examples of "inappropriate" testing, such as a school sending an entire year-group for tests, and people getting tests ahead of vacations. Health officials around the world have another name for it: "assurance-testing," and they think it's one of our best tools to fight the spread of the virus in the absence of a vaccine.
In the U.K., it has been the case since mid-May that anybody experiencing COVID-19 symptoms—a new and persistent cough, high temperature, loss of smell or taste—has been able to get a test to confirm whether they have the virus or not. In processing as many as 200,000 tests per day, the U.K.'s testing rates compare well with those of neighbors such as Germany, where a little over 1 million tests are being conducted each week.
The tests are central to the National Health Service's (NHS) Test and Trace program, which aims to locate and isolate those who came into contact with carriers.
But it has long been known that many carriers of the novel coronavirus display no symptoms, yet remain contagious. In June, Hancock himself presented figures from the Office for National Statistics that showed, in his words, "that around 70%–80% of people who test positive don’t have symptoms."
"That is quite a significant finding and one of the important things about this disease," he said at the time.
Also in June, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Dido Harding, the head of the Test and Trace program, complained that not enough symptomatic people were booking coronavirus tests. "We have excess testing capacity, and we have excess tracing capacity," Harding said then, while Johnson also said there was "plenty of capacity."
That situation now appears to have changed. The British press has recently been full of stories about symptomatic people who tried to book tests with the NHS but were told to visit entirely different parts of the country to get them—one as far as 600 miles away.
Meanwhile, those who try to book a test online are currently greeted with the following message: "There are no tests available right now. We are experiencing very high demand for testing at the moment. Please try again tomorrow."
“Verge of collapse”
Hancock said on September 9 that the government had "already put in certain solutions" to make sure no one has to travel more than 75 miles for a test. He said capacity was continually increasing but there is "a problem with a couple of contracts" that is holding up further expansion. The secretary of state said this would take a couple of weeks to resolve.
Sarah-Jane Marsh, a deputy to Harding, explained on September 8 that the problem was not one of capacity at testing sites, but rather "it’s our laboratory processing that is the critical pinch-point. We are doing all we can to expand quickly."
Keir Starmer, the head of the opposition Labour Party, said on September 8 that the Test and Trace system was "on the verge of collapse."
"[We're seeing] heartbreaking stories from people who need a test being told no tests are available, or the website is crashing, or people are being told to go miles and miles for a test. Nobody can argue that that is good governance," Starmer said.
Like several other European countries, the U.K. has seen its coronavirus infection numbers shoot up in the past couple of weeks. It is now back to thousands of new cases being added to the statistics each day, and that's without the testing of asymptomatic people.
On September 8, Hancock's health department issued its latest localized coronavirus restrictions, this time affecting the town of Bolton, near Manchester in the North of England. Restaurants in Bolton are now able to serve only takeout, and no one is allowed to socialize with people outside their household, even if they are outdoors.
From September 7, all social gatherings of more than six people will become illegal across England, not including gatherings at workplaces, schools, weddings, funerals, and organized team sports. Hancock said the new rule will be "rigorously enforced by police," who currently have no powers to intervene when up to 30 people gather.
