Routine COVID Testing Scaled Back as Deaths Hit Zero
The UK is winding down routine COVID testing in most high-risk settings after zero COVID-related deaths were recorded in the last seven days, the Department of Health and Social Care announced.
Who Still Gets Tested?
Asymptomatic testing will continue, but only for select groups, including:
- People admitted to hospices and care homes
- Immunocompromised hospital patients
- Symptomatic NHS staff
- Care home, hospice, and social care staff and residents
- Prison staff and detainees
- Staff and service users in certain domestic abuse refuges
Vaccines Driving Down Cases and Hospitalisations
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the success of the UK’s world-leading vaccine rollout means the country can now live with COVID without routine mass testing from August 31. “Case rates and transmission risk have dropped significantly,” Barclay said. “We will keep monitoring closely and can reinstate testing if needed.”
UK Health Security Agency’s Dr Susan Hopkins added: “COVID cases and hospitalisations are falling, proving vaccines are our best defence. Surveillance data shows low and decreasing prevalence.”
Booster Jabs Still Crucial
Dr Hopkins urged those eligible for booster shots or yet to be vaccinated to step forward. “Please take up the offer to protect yourself and those around you,” she said.
