Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many pods designed for testing for covid-19 have been (a) acquired and (b) delivered to NHS units; and how many delivered pods are (i) in use or (ii) not yet in use.

The number of pods acquired and commissioned into use is increasing daily. Testing more broadly is increasing at a rapid rate and as of 23 March, a total of 83,945 have been tested with 77,295 being negative and 6,650 testing positive.

Most adults in good health who develop symptoms will fully recover, and the Chief Medical Officer has advised that we need to prioritise testing to those who have the greatest clinical need. Both key workers - such as health workers - and clinically high priority cases will be prioritised.