The Government has missed its 100,000 daily coronavirus test target for the second day running.
Although the UK has the testing capacity of 108,000, just 85,186 were carried out in the 24 hours up to 9am on Monday.
It comes after Michael Gove yesterday admitted testing had fallen below the Government’s target, hitting 76,496.
On Friday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s 100,000 a day target was reached in terms of capacity - although fewer than 100,000 tests may have been completed by the end of the day.
Mr Hancock first set out the target of 100,000 daily tests by the end of April on April 2. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an even more ambitious target of 250,000 daily tests on March 25, but without setting a deadline.
The UK has been criticised for its slow testing rate compared to some other countries, like Germany.
And NHS Providers, which represents UK hospital trusts, said in a statement that the target was a "red herring" as there was "no visibility on any longer term strategy".
The news of the missed testing target comes as the UK coronavirus death toll rose by 288, the lowest rise since the end of March - bringing the total number of coronavirus-related fatalities to 28,734.
But Mr Hancock said the UK has to go "faster and further" to control the spread of the virus.
He added that death tolls tend to be lower over the weekend and said that the Government expects the figure to rise as more fatalities are confirmed.
The Government is trialling a new coronavirus app that will help officials "test, track and trace" the progress of the virus, Mr Hancock said at the daily press conference.
The app, which has been signed off as safe by the national cyber security centre, is being tested out first on the Isle of Wight.
Mr Hancock urged people to download the app because they would be "saving lives" and helping authorities manage the coronavirus response more efficiently. The Health Secretary added that this will help the Government end the coronavirus lockdown as soon as possible.
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Earlier on Monday it was revealed that London's dedicated coronavirus hospital, NHS Nightingale, will be put "on standby" within days, as London appears to have passed the peak of this stage of the coronavirus outbreak.
