Shortage of reagent limiting testing ? Gove lying or not ?

[peridito]

Press briefing yesterday Gove says world wide shortage of a reagent which is necessary for testing .

Robert Peston (British journalist, presenter, Political Editor of ITV News ) says he's phoned companies making the stuff and there is no shortage .

[[https://www.itv.com/news/2020-03-31/robert-peston-is-gove-right-that-there-is-a-shortage-of-test-kit-ingredients/]]

I don't want there to be a shortage but I don't want to believe that we are being fed this level of missinformation by the government .

I think they will say/do whatever necessary to cover their own backs. When do any of them ever admit to being wrong or making a mistake or taking accountability for anything?

My money is on Gove lying or possibly (to be charitable) someone in his team lying to him.

They’ve cocked up and are trying to look competent

The PPS in the Peston article agrees there is a global shortage, and the question ought to be why the (British based) industry has not switched production to the required chemicals (for the UK)

Thank you Glacinda ,you're right the article does say

So a government source says - which is true - that there is a global shortage of the reagent.
As it happens, Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty ⁩ said this a couple of weeks ago, as has head of CDC in US. But that still doesn't explain why Chemicals Industry Association thinks its members, could help find a solution if asked by the government.

but also

Well I've just talked to the Chemical Industries Association, which represents the UK's very substantial chemicals industry.

It has contacted its members, and they've said there is no shortage of the relevant reagents

is it that there's a shortage of a particular reagent but the chemical indus has sufficient materials to make it ? But are waiting to be asked ?

Peston has back tracked on twitter. Now seems to be admitting that he was wrong

Preston is an idiot.
Shortage usually means reduced supply to a manufacturer. So in asking a manufacturer is there a shortage? The manufacturer will say no, because they are making as much, maybe more than they were before CV.

But to a buyer, a shortage means that demand has outstripped supply. So Gove was correct in that from a buyers perspective there is a shortage of reagents due to higher demand.

It’s exactly like online delivery slots....more groceries are being bought online than ever before. The supply of delivety slots have gone up, not down as they would if there were a shortage.

But to consumers, the buyers, there is a shortage because now the demand for online delivery slots is 10x higher.

Preston obviously didn’t ask the right questions.

I'm glad to hear that Peston was exaggerating/wrong .Really glad

.. regardless Gove has form for being less than honest. The way this has been handled by this government is nothing less than criminal. I have been gradually preparing for what was to come from the end of January.. it was obvious.
As a key worker I was self distancing and anti bac-ing.. my hunch was confirmed when the police and council officials took over a floor in our office building .. back at the beginning of February.. they all knew but were intent on following their own agenda. Ignoring the advice from WHO and allowing sporting fixtures to go ahead and carry on regardless has cost many lives.