Nine in ten pharmacies across England are now distributing free
rapid lateral flow tests for people to collect and use at home.
Rapid, regular testing is now available to everyone in England
and the new ‘Pharmacy Collect’ service provides an additional
route to regular testing, making it as easy as possible for
people without COVID-19 symptoms to access testing twice a week.
The Pharmacy Collect service is available to people aged over 18
without symptoms, who are able to visit a participating local
pharmacy and collect a box of 7 rapid tests to use twice a week
at home.
Alongside the rollout of the vaccine, testing will form a crucial
part of everyday life as parts of society reopen. Around 1 in 3
people with coronavirus don’t have symptoms, which means they can
spread the virus without knowing it. Regular testing continues to
play a critical role in stopping the spread of the virus and
breaking the chains of transmission.
An online checker has
launched so people can find their nearest pharmacy offering free
rapid test kits.
Health and Social Care Secretary said:
Pharmacies make an invaluable contribution our health service –
they have gone above and beyond in response to COVID-19 to serve
their communities. Now, they will play a key role in our rapid
testing programme, which is a vital tool in reopening society in
the months ahead.
I have been delighted at the level of interest and how fast the
response has been from pharmacies to take part, with 9 in 10
registering to offer rapid test kits within 10 days.
This new service will make it even easier for people to access
rapid testing twice a week. The testing only takes 30 minutes and
will help people stop the spread of the virus – protecting
families and communities and saving lives.
New analysis by NHS Test and Trace shows lateral flow (LFD) tests
to have a specificity of at least 99.9%. This means that for
every 1,000 lateral flow tests carried out, there is fewer than
one false positive result. All positive results from LFD tests
must be followed up with a confirmatory PCR test within 72 hours.
Confirmatory PCR testing will also mean variants of concern are
detected more quickly.
If testing at home, individuals will need to register their
results online or by calling 119, even if they get a negative
result. They should self-isolate if they get a positive result
and order a confirmatory PCR test online or by calling 119.
Background information
The test kits will be provided free of charge to anyone
requesting them with one box of test kits per person.
All pharmacies that sign up to deliver the service will receive a
set-up fee and a transaction fee every time a member of the
public collects a kit.
Each box contains 7 LFDs. This allows the person to test
themselves twice weekly within a 3-week timeframe. This number of
tests in the box factors in the potential for a void test.
The majority of pharmacies have test kits available but we are
aware that some pharmacies are unable to immediately order test
kits. Stock is being replenished to wholesalers on a daily basis
with deliveries being made to pharmacies within a matter of days
in order to meet demand.
Anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 – a high temperature, a new
continuous cough, or a loss or change to your sense of smell or
taste – should book a PCR test online
or by calling 119.
Getting a rapid test is quick and convenient. Rapid tests are
available through:
- a home ordering service, which allows people to order lateral
flow tests online to be delivered to their home
- workplace testing programmes, on-site or at home
- community testing, offered by all local authorities
- collection at a local PCR test site during specific test
collection time windows
- testing on site at schools and colleges