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The new rapid response Covid tests being tested in Liverpool could be a “breakthrough” in the battle against the coronavirus, the environment secretary said.
George Eustice said the new ‘lateral flow’ test is now available to everyone in Liverpool as part of the pilot.
Issue 10 had focused on faster tests, which if successful could be “a breakthrough,” he told the BBC.
Boris Johnson has said that NHS Test and Trace needs to give faster results.
Yes, fast and accurate response tests will continue to be incredibly important. #AVCT #odx #cithttps://t.co/3VqZOSKYrG
– Grant 🏏⛳📈🚴♀️🍷 (@Grant_Whelan) November 9, 2020
A massive coronavirus testing program is underway in Liverpool, and all residents are offered regular tests for Covid-19, whether or not they have symptoms.
It is the first city-wide trial test in England.
The pilot includes a combination of existing swab tests and new lateral flow tests, which can provide a result in one hour without the need for a laboratory.
Eustice told BBC Breakfast: “A test is only as good as the speed with which a result can be changed.
“What we’ve really been focusing on more recently is a faster test, so people can act more quickly to prevent the spread of the virus, so this, if we can make it work, is a big step forward.”
BBC science and health correspondent James Gallagher says rapid or “lateral flow” tests must have high levels of the virus in the body to work. It’s not yet clear how good they are at contracting people in the early stages of infection, when the virus is still taking hold.
They are similar to pregnancy tests and are easy, cheap, and quick.
Liquid from a nasal swab or saliva passes to one end of the test, then a mark appears if the person is positive.
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