Millions of key workers and their households in England are now eligible for coronavirus tests.
The government is racing to meet its 100,000 daily target by the end of next week, and has started with extending testing to all those down south whose work is critical to the Covid-19 response.
NHS and social care staff, police officers, teachers, social workers, undertakers, journalists and those who work in supermarkets and food production are among those now eligible.
Currently, Scotland is prioritising tests for NHS staff and has yet to announce any expansion of testing to key workers.
READ MORE: Warning rural Scotland could suffer 'devastating' higher death rate
The announcement came as researchers at the University of Oxford began human trials for a potential coronavirus vaccine candidate on Thursday.
Mr Hancock set out his plans for “easier, faster and simpler” testing so that more people can access a Covid-19 test to tell them whether they have the virus.
He said people can register for a test on the gov.uk website.
People will then receive a text or email with an appointment at a drive-through centre or can request a home test kit, although the latter are currently in limited supply.
A help desk has been established to aid the process, while mobile units run by the Army are travelling around the country to where they are needed, such as care homes.
At the daily Downing Street briefing, Mr Hancock said the capacity for carrying out tests was now “ahead of our plans”, with the ability to carry out more than 51,000 tests a day.
READ MORE: Give the public a say on the future of lockdown
“Because capacity has now increased so substantially, we are now able to expand who can get the tests,” he said.
“Our ultimate goal is that everyone who could benefit from a test gets a test.”
Essential workers will be able to book coronavirus tests direct, while companies will also be able to book them for employees.
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