Health Secretary Matt Hancock also said anyone who has to leave home to work will be eligible for a test amid a rush to hit his 100,000 daily checks target by tomorrow.

In a further expansion, he added that all social care staff, residents of care homes and NHS patients will be eligible for a test whether they have symptoms or not. 

The Government also revealed today that 14,700 home tests sold out this morning, and that 43,563 tests were carried out in the 24 hours to 9am yesterday.

This included 16,440 carried out by the NHS and Public Health England and 25,289 at drive-through centres. Ministers said the daily testing capacity is now at 73,400.








The Government website had run out of home test kits again as of 9.20am today, 80 minutes after the new batch were made available, although drive-through were slots available









Health Secretary Matt Hancock (pictured at Downing Street this morning) said anyone who has to leave home to work will be eligible for a test, in a major expansion of the testing programme







A medical worker at a drive-in coronavirus testing facility at Chessington in Surrey today














Previously, only key workers displaying symptoms or those sick with possible Covid-19 in hospitals and slot gambling machines care homes were able to get a swab for the virus.






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But national testing co-ordinator Professor John Newton stressed those newly eligible for coronavirus tests should only apply for a test if they have symptoms. 

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