Covid testing to be scaled up in England as winter pressure on NHS draws near

A new variant and waning immunity mean surveillance that had been wound down since pandemic will be increased

Coronavirus testing and monitoring are set to be scaled up for the winter, the UK's public health agency has said, as pressures on the health service are expected to rise in the coming months.

Scientists warned last month that the UK was nearly flying blind" when it comes to Covid, because many of the surveillance programmes that were in place at the height of the pandemic have been wound down.