The UK’s Covid-19 testing programme is falling apart

Bosses in the office | That Stay Alert message | Everything Apple 'A chaotic mess': The UK's Covid-19 testing programme is falling apart   "I'm feeling worse," says Ryan Gladwell, a barman at a pub in Derbyshire who is currently off work with Covid-19 symptoms. "I've still been unable to get a test. Day five of trying now." Gladwell's experience of trying to get a test is not unique. Reports of people being unable to get a test despite having Covid-19 symptoms have become commonplace. Some have been asked to travel hundreds of miles or even to cross the Irish Sea in order to get tested. Others, like Gladwell, have simply been told no tests are available at all. So what is going on?    Continue reading this story on WIRED The biggest stories this week Bosses are doing weird things to get people back in the office Would you go back to the office if you were paid £55 a day for transport? What if you had free food? Your boss thinks you will Stay Alert never made sense and now we've got the data to prove it A key part of the government's coronavirus messaging caused confusion and ridicule, new data reveals It's not just testing that is failing, contact tracing is broken too The parts of England with the highest rate of infections also see some of the lowest rates of contact tracing success Everything you need to know about signs of life discovered on Venus Astronomers have detected a gas in Venus' atmosphere that suggests that the planet might be home to microbial life – one of the most exciting discoveries in recent years Banks aren't dealing with financial abuse. Monzo has an answer Reports of financial and economic abuse have risen during the pandemic – and banks need to be better at dealing with the problem VIRTUAL EVENT – WIRED HEALTH:TECH   Tune in for a live broadcast of WIRED Health:Tech on September 22, which explores the health trends accelerated by Covid-19. Speakers include Heidi Larson, director and founder of The Vaccine Confidence Project, and Mark Slack, co-founder and chief medical officer of CMR Surgical, the company behind the next-generation surgical robotic system Versius. Tickets start at only £40 + VAT. Book here and get 10% off with WIREDEM Here's a recap of everything Apple announced at its September event Apple Watch 6, new iPads, Apple Fitness+ and an all-encompassing Apple One subscription service – but no iPhones My weird, nostalgic quest to hunt down a lost online fruit game As a kid, I vividly remember playing a 2D chat game full of colourful characters with fruit for heads. So why has it seemingly vanished without a trace? You've not used up your holiday allowance and now it's too late Everyone waited for the pandemic to be over to spend their holiday allowances. That was a mistake How to download iOS 14 and try out its best new features iOS 14 is available to download. You should be able to get it from 6pm BST. And there are a lot of new features to try. Here's our pick What we've been reading this week 🇺🇸 As he went all in on a Trump presidency, venture capitalist and Facebook board member Peter Thiel reportedly courted white supremacists. 🔥 Climate migration is going to reshape the US, leading to the displacement of millions of Americans. The New York Times asks, where will they all go? 📸 When does a model own their own image? It's a question Emily Ratajkowski asks herself for The Cut as she details the years-long legal battles she's faced to reclaim images of herself. From the WIRED long read archive Inside DeepMind's epic mission to solve science's trickiest problem DeepMind's AI has beaten chess grandmasters and Go champions. But founder and CEO Demis Hassabis now has his sights set on bigger, real-world problems that could change lives. First up: protein folding what to do this weekend 🍿 Charlie Kaufman's latest drama, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, is our latest Netflix recommendation. 🎮 Super Mario 3D All-Stars may be a celebration of Mario's 3D platforming pedigree, but it's also a missed opportunity to really engage with and explore the franchise's history. 📺 Looking for more Michaela Coel, the creative force behind I May Destroy You? Netflix has you covered with her gloriously rude comedy, Chewing Gum. On this week's podcast + Received this email from a friend? Subscribe to WIRED Weekender + Prefer a daily digest? Subscribe to The Email from WIRED FOLLOW WIRED Unsubscribe   |   View this email in your browser Queries about this email? Contact datacontroller@condenast.co.uk Condé Nast Publications 1 Hanover Square, London W1S 1JU © The Condé Nast Publications Ltd Our Privacy Policy