Lateral flow home test kits have become unavailable online and NHS England has advised people attempting to book a Covid booster jab to try later or on Tuesday as extremely high demand overwhelmed the government’s website.
It said on Monday that there were “no more home tests available” and advised people to “try again later” or to book a test site appointment instead.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said there was no shortage of lateral flow tests and that the government had enough stock to meet demand, adding the shortage represented a temporary pause due to increased demand and kits were still available to collect in person.
The shortage comes after health officials announced over the weekend that double-jabbed people identified as a contact of someone with Covid-19 in England would be told to take a daily rapid test for seven days from Tuesday. The UKHSA said it would encourage people to use any tests they may already have at home before ordering or collecting more.
Asked about the supply of tests after the website problems, Boris Johnson said: “They can get those tests, we do have a ready supply of lateral flow tests.
“If you can’t get one online for any reason, then there are ample supplies in the shops. But what I think, if I may say so, what that also shows is that people are doing the sensible thing, and getting tests as well.”
His official spokesperson suggested the issues related to a lack of slots with the postal service.
“There is no shortage of lateral flow tests. We have more than sufficient supply. What we are seeing is because of the heightened demand today, those available to be posted out today, those slots have been filled already,” he said.
“We are working with the postal service and others to further increase slots. But it is important for people to understand if they do encounter trouble they can go to their local pharmacy. The slots refresh daily.”
Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, tweeted: “Testing is absolutely vital in keeping us safe and allowing people to make safe choices.
“The government’s inability to procure properly and plan for civil contingencies is reckless. Boris Johnson has his priorities in the wrong place.”
A UKHSA spokesperson said: “Everyone who needs a lateral flow test can collect test kits – either at their local pharmacy, some community sites and some schools and colleges.
“Due to exceptionally high demand, ordering lateral flow tests on gov.uk has been temporarily suspended to fulfil existing orders.”
The surge in interest in booking boosters came after the prime minister announced that everyone over 18 in England “will have the chance to get their booster before the new year” in a dramatic acceleration of the vaccination campaign.
In a tweet, the health service said: “The Covid vaccine booking service is currently facing extremely high demand so is operating a queueing system.
“For users aged 18-29, please be aware that booking opens on Wednesday 15 December. For all others experiencing waits, we would advise trying again later today or tomorrow.”
The COVID vaccine booking service is currently facing extremely high demand so is operating a queueing system.
— NHS (@NHSuk) December 13, 2021
For users aged 18-29, please be aware that booking opens on Wednesday 15 Dec.
For all others experiencing waits, we would advise trying again later today or tomorrow.
It comes on the first day that 30- to 39-year-olds in England can officially book a booster jab.
The service had already booked more than 140,000 vaccine appointments on Monday, NHS Digital said, with people waiting several minutes.
Although the booking system does not open for those under 30 until Wednesday, Johnson said on Sunday night some would be able to use walk-in centres as early as Monday.
There were queues at several vaccination centres in England after the announcement, with people waiting patiently despite being warned they could face waits of several hours.
Long lines built up at St Thomas’s hospital, on the South Bank of the River Thames in London, and stretched across Westminster Bridge towards the Houses of Parliament.
In Whalley Range, south Manchester, clinics did not appear prepared for the influx of people. Laura Sears and Joe Hollingworth, both in their late 20s, were told at a clinic in south Manchester that they would have to wait six months from the date of their second dose before they could get a booster. However, after the clinic warden spoke to his supervisors the couple was admitted.
“The website has been totally down, it wouldn’t let us try to book an appointment so we tried to walk in,” Sears said.
“You can kind of tell from the staff that the communication from the government has been pretty terrible,” added Hollingworth.
At the vaccination centre at Haynes Motor Museum, near Yeovil in Somerset, staff estimated there were waiting times of about 45 minutes.
One woman, who had booked to receive her booster jab but asked not to be named, said: “I’m happy we can get booked in and want to do the right thing by getting it as quickly as possible.
“But it’s not great when you are still queueing more than half an hour after your appointment time and don’t know how much longer it will take, especially when I tried to do it in my lunch break because I couldn’t find any appointments available out of work hours.”
Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents the healthcare system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday the booster goals were ambitious.
“The health service was already under unprecedented pressure, and this is going to mean that other important parts of the NHS’s work are going to have to be put on the back burner in order to be able to deliver this,” he said.
“It’s really important the government is clear with the public about the consequences this is going to have for what the rest of the health service is going to offer.”