Medical workers conduct coronavirus disease (COVID-19) check-ups at a drive-thru testing site in Chessington, London, Britain, Apr 24, 2020. (Phoot: REUTERS/Henry Nicholls)

LONDON: Ramping up COVID-19 testing earlier would have helped the United Kingdom by allowing it to trace the contacts of those infected with the novel coronavirus, the government's top scientific advisers told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday (May 5).