Coronavirus home test kit to be available in UK 'within days'

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Luke O'Reilly25 March 2020

People in the UK will be able to test themselves for coronavirus at home within days, officials have pledged.

The antibody test detects those who have already had the virus and allows more accurate estimates of how many people in the population are affected as well as the current rate of spread.

Professor Sharon Peacock, director of the National Infection Service at Public Health England told the Science and Technology Committee that 3.5 million tests had been bought and would be available in the “near future”.

She said the tests would also allow key workers, like doctors and nurses, to go back to work if they have developed antibodies.

The tests would be distributed by Boots and Amazon
AFP via Getty Images

Prof Peacock explained a small number of tests would be tested in a laboratory before being distributed via Amazon and in places like Boots.

She added: “Once we are assured that they do work, they will be rolled out into the community.

“Testing the test is a small matter, and I anticipate that it will be done by the end of this week.

“In the near future people will be able to order a test that they can test themselves, or go to Boots, or somewhere similar to have their finger prick test done.”

Hundreds of thousands will be tested 'in the next few weeks'
PA

Asked whether this meant it would be available in a number of days, rather than weeks or months, she said “absolutely”

It came as NHS England’s medical director said the health service could start testing hundreds of thousands of people per day for Covid-19 within a matter of weeks.

Professor Stephen Powis told LBC, the phone-in and talk radio station, that testing is being expanded and there would be more widespread testing of NHS workers in the next few days.

“We want to get hundreds of thousands of tests ramped up in the next few weeks per day,” he said.

The Government is coming under intense pressure to increase testing, particularly for frontline NHS staff so those who are negative can get back to work.

Figures on Tuesday from the Department of Health and Social Care said Public Health England (PHE) and the NHS are expecting to be carrying out up to 25,000 tests per day within the next four weeks.

Capacity will then continue to be ramped up towards 250,000 tests per day, according to the department.

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