The NHS will start testing 10,000 people a day for coronavirus, with the number of confirmed cases set to soar.

As the number of cases in the UK reached 373, with a sixth death, health officials said they now expect the peak of the epidemic to start within a fortnight.

Around 50 NHS trusts have embarked on "drive-thru" testing in a bid to keep pressure off hospitals despite concern that new facilities could be swamped by the "worried well".

Until now, the NHS has only had capacity for 2,000 tests a day, with some patients complaining that it has taken nine days to get their results. But the expansion of testing is expected to see a surge in confirmed cases, with fears that Britain could follow the pattern seen in Italy, where hospitals are now overwhelmed.

So far, more than 25,000 tests have been conducted by public health officials in England, but the plans aim to assess 10,000 swabs a day within weeks.

Since the testing regime began on February 26, the NHS has swabbed 26,261 people for the virus. At the new accelerated rate, more people will be tested in three days than in the past two weeks.

The proposals will scale up testing capacity by 500 per cent as the NHS prepares for a "significant" increase in cases detected.