Further tests to be rolled out across England

The government has announced that over half a million rapid-turnaround lateral flow tests will be sent out by NHS Test and Trace to local public health leaders this week.

Signalling the next phase of the government’s plan to expand asymptomatic testing for coronavirus, the move means that test kits will be issued to over 50 directors of public health across England, enabling local teams to direct and deliver community testing based on their local knowledge. Each will receive a batch of 10,000 antigen lateral flow devices as part of a new pilot to enable them to start testing priority groups.

Directors of public health will determine how to prioritise the allocation of these new tests, based on the specific needs of their communities, and will determine how people in the local area are tested. This initial 600,000 batch will then be followed up with a weekly allocation of lateral flow antigen tests.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has written to all upper-tier local authority leaders, confirming that all directors of public health will be offered this weekly allocation, equivalent to 10 per cent of their population.

He said: “Last week we rolled out mass testing in Liverpool using new, rapid technology so we can detect this virus quicker than ever before, even in people who don’t have symptoms. Mass testing is a vital tool to help us control this virus and get life more normal. I am delighted to say 10,000 of these tests will now be sent out by NHS Test and Trace to over 50 directors of public health as part of our asymptomatic testing strategy. I want to thank all directors of public health for their support and efforts over the past months to help us tackle this virus, bring it under control and get the country back to what we love doing.”

The innovative new testing technology – which is already being rolled out as part of whole-city testing in Liverpool – can provide results within an hour without needing to be processed in a lab.