Coronavirus: Only 27% of NHS drive-in tests back in 24 hours

Drive-through centres are mainly used by the general public

Only just over a quarter of coronavirus tests at drive-through centres were processed in NHS laboratories within 24 hours last week.

It is the worst performance for samples taken at the 11 regional centres.

The latest statistics show that 26.8% of the 5,252 tests at the centres came back within a day, while 86.3% were back within two days.

The Welsh Government said it was putting measures in place to improve turnaround times.

The centres are mainly used by the general public and are based in Cardiff, Newport, Abercynon, Cwm, Llandudno, Deeside, Carmarthen, Swansea, Margam, Builth Wells and Newtown.

The performance of smaller community testing units (CTUs), where healthcare workers are given priority, improved slightly, with 36.6% of around 8,000 tests being processed within 24 hours.

Overall processing is still not being done as quickly as the Welsh Government wants it to be.

First Minister Mark Drakeford has said he wants to accelerate and simplify the system.

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Experts advising the government say the best contact tracing systems rely on results coming back within 24 hours.

Of the 4,500 tests done in hospitals, 87.9% did meet that target.

A further 3,400 samples from test centres were sent to specialist "Lighthouse Labs" outside Wales. 97% of them were processed within 24 hours.

Last week it was announced a new Lighthouse Lab is due to be opened in Newport by the end of August.

The Welsh Conservatives said the statistics showed "just how inadequate" the Welsh Government's testing response has been.

Plaid Cymru's Delyth Jewell said she was "extremely concerned", warning Wales could find itself returning to lockdown without a "robust first line of defence".

A Welsh Government spokeswoman said: "A fast testing process is important for contact tracing and we are working to deliver a 24-hour turnaround time to support contract tracing.

"Across Wales, 84% of people who come to a mass testing centre for a test received their results in one day and 98% in two days."