On Friday, the numbers brought both encouraging and sobering news. The government announced it had surpassed its testing goal, conducting 122,347 tests on the final day of the month. Yet, on the same day, 739 more people died from the virus, placing Britain on the brink of overtaking Italy as the country hardest hit by the pandemic in Europe.

While the focus on numbers is understandable, experts caution that it may be misguided. Achieving over 100,000 tests a day is a milestone, but it does not necessarily indicate that the UK has established a robust testing and contact tracing system—something public health specialists say is essential to prevent a resurgence in infections as lockdown measures are eased.