On the testing numbers... I don't know much about this, but I think (as with many things) you need to be very careful comparing countries.
Here's total tests per capita for a few countries
My understanding - some could well be wide of the mark:
Throughout the pandemic, Denmark has been the poster child for testing as the key pillar. That continues even today.
We started badly but the rollout of LFTs increased a lot and may actually be one of the key reasons we're not seeing growth above our very high ongoing rate.
Germany, again as I understand it, counts tests in a different way - LFTs aren't recorded, so their figures may be misleadingly low.
Test positivity is seen as a key metric. WHO recommends getting below 5% to keep under control. Here's the same countries on that:
Which perhaps tells a different story.
I would guess that a population survey is the best way to compare actual country rates. I've no idea what the other countries equivalent of the ONS survey is - does anyone else? Here's England:
Finally, again, my very limited understanding is that there are some radical differences within countries, especially the former East Germany.
Graphs from ourworldindata:
Research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems
ourworldindata.org
Latest ONS survey:
Estimates for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. This survey is being delivered in partnership with University of Oxford, University of Manchester, UK Health Security Agency and Wellcome Trust.
www.ons.gov.uk
