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The UK’s COVID-19 testing capacity has come under significant criticism, with some having to wait and travel long distances to find out if they have the virus.
But how is the rest of Europe doing?
Sky News spoke with epidemiologists in other nations to see how things are.
Germany
Since the start of the pandemic earlier this year, Germany has remained the gold standard when it comes to coronavirus tests.
But the country has not been without its problems.
German epidemiologist Timo Ulrichs told Sky News: “We are currently in a good situation, we have increased our testing capacity and we have many laboratories available.
“Right at the end of the summer, we were in a bit of chaos when a lot of people returned from vacation and the government promised to offer proof to all who returned.”
“Many people did not receive the results on time and the testing system was mismanaged. After this, the government changed its policy and no longer offered tests like this.
“There is a growing consensus that we need to focus more on access points and contact tracing.”
He said there are three criteria for someone to get a COVID-19 (PCR) in Germany.
“He has symptoms of COVID-19, returned from high-risk regions or countries, and had close contact with a positive case,” he said.
“Currently, if you are not in one of these categories, you cannot take a test.”
He said those who fit into at least one of those categories generally get tested quickly and receive a result within 24 hours to two days.
But Mr. Ulrichs cautioned that there was a need to increase capacity, saying: “Even if we now have a good laboratory and testing capacity, we must prepare for an increase in cases and therefore further increase these two capacities.
“Then we may need to consider another testing strategy, such as using antigen tests that provide faster results.”
A coronavirus testing station in Bonn, Germany
France
France has seen a significant increase in cases in recent weeks, with the southern city of Marseille particularly hard hit.
When Sky News filmed there last week, all the testing centers and hospitals were struggling to cope.
Dr. Martin Blachier, who specializes in public health, said: “In France, testing capacity is currently overwhelmed and laboratory workers are exhausted because they feel they are overworked.
“This is due to limited laboratory capacity and poor testing organization.”
He said that everyone who wants a COVID-19 test in France can get it for free by queuing in front of a center with a self-declaration form, but that the system does not work efficiently.
“The government said there should be a prioritization for people with symptoms, but in reality there is no prioritization and people who want to get tested when they return from vacation are waiting along with people with symptoms,” he said.
“This causes problems as there are cases where people write the wrong self-declaration forms [so they are] prioritized.
“We also test through contact tracing, which means that when a person is positive, they try to remember previous contacts and invite people to take a test.”
He says there are always long lines in front of testing centers, and people are forced to wait three to four hours, and the result can take up to four days in some cities and up to 10 in others.
The country needs much more laboratory capacity, he adds, along with communication to tell people: “Don’t do a test if you don’t have symptoms and leave the tests to those who have symptoms.”
“There is no clear communication in France.”
To make things better, he says, “I would suggest using antigen testing to test more people and speed up the procedure and reduce the cost of testing.”
France is considering using that approach in October.
A queue for COVID-19 tests outside a laboratory in Paris
Spain
Spain – in particular the capital, Madrid, has been hit hard recently by COVID-19 cases.
Sky News spoke with epidemiologist Pedro Gullón, who is a member of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology (SEE)
He said that testing had improved, but that demand was putting real pressure on the system.
“The test system has worked well in recent months in Spain,” he said.
“However, in some regions, where the demand for COVID testing has increased due to increased transmission, more contacts and more possible cases, the testing capacity is closer to its maximum capacity.”
He says the big problem at the moment is tracing the contacts of known positive cases. The way the healthcare system is structured in Spain makes it more difficult.
“When someone has symptoms, they can go to their primary care doctors or an emergency room in hospitals, where they can get tested for COVID,” he said.
Additionally, contact trackers reach out to close contacts of confirmed cases to obtain proof.
“However, due to the decentralized nature of the Spanish healthcare system and the different regional impact of this new wave, some regions are having trouble proving close contacts of confirmed cases.”
And there is a big difference between the regions in terms of wait times for a test.
In some parts it is 24 hours. But in other areas, where the spread of the virus has increased in recent weeks, it can be between 48 and 72 hours.
To improve the situation in the future, he says: “It is necessary to hire more people for contact tracing, especially in regions where transmission is higher.
“With proper contact tracing, we can isolate active cases and quarantine all close contacts.”
A health worker performs a coronavirus test on a patient in Irún, Spain
Italy
Italy, which was hit hardest by COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic, has benefited in terms of evidence of good public health infrastructure in many areas.
Dr Stefano Sella, infectious disease researcher, said: “The situation in Italy is quite good, in terms of testing capacity, available laboratories and contact tracing.
“This is mainly due to a good public health infrastructure, which is well organized at the regional and more local level.
“We are currently doing a lot of PCR testing, even for asymptomatic people, which is better than before when we only look at symptomatic patients or people who had close contact with a positive case.
“In fact, we now know that the majority of cases are asymptomatic.”
He said COVID-19 tests were usually prescribed by a GP.
Dr. Sella said: “We have recently allowed both symptomatic and asymptomatic people who have been in high risk situations to be tested as well, for example people who have been in large gatherings.
“The test will be performed at the closest regional center or at home by a specific team. In addition, we do PCR tests on all hospitalized patients.
“Recently, we have performed some antigen testing at airports on people from countries with high infection rates, such as Greece and Croatia.”
But he says that while it is possible to get a test fairly quickly at a center or at home, the wait time for results varies significantly from region to region.
“On average, you get a result from a PCR test in 48 hours,” he said.
“If you’re in the hospital, you get results in less than two hours. With antigen testing, you get a result in 30 minutes.”
He said there needs to be more laboratory capacity in Italy to deal with an increase in infections and identify those who have had the virus.
“We should use antigen tests even more in addition to standard PCR tests,” he said.
“In fact, although these tests are not perfect, they can detect people with a high viral load, the so-called ‘super-spreaders’, which are critical in the spread of the virus.”
COVID-19 presents challenges for healthcare systems across Europe, challenges that are unlikely to ease anytime soon.
And it is likely that different nations can learn from the experience of others.
