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Boots is launching a coronavirus testing service with results in just 12 minutes.
The high-speed test has shown 97 percent test accuracy and should be available in fifteen days. But the chain also offers a 48-hour service starting today and expects 200 branches to offer trials by Christmas.
Chief Executive Sebastian James said it was the first step towards mass testing on the main streets and a way to allow the British to resume their lives. Boots will initially charge £ 120, but it is likely to decline if demand grows.
The tests are aimed at those who have no symptoms but are seeking reassurance. Anyone who suspects they have Covid-19 is advised to go to an NHS testing station.
In other developments:
- Another 151 virus deaths were reported yesterday, double the number from the previous week, along with 19,790 cases;
- Hospitals are filling up fast, with 1,142 patients admitted yesterday, the highest daily total since May 7;
- Middle-class workers in commuter cities, spas and manufacturing centers are among the hardest hit, experts said;
- Fewer than one in six doctors have started catching up with the delay in NHS treatment caused by the lockdown, BMA survey shows;
- The scientist leading the development of the Oxford University vaccine said it is likely to reach key healthcare workers and high-risk patients by Christmas;
- Quarantine periods for people who have contact with Covid-19 patients could be shortened to seven to ten days amid widespread reports of non-compliance;
- Hospices are still denied regular coronavirus testing, meaning the dying cannot see their loved ones;
- Wales may need a second ‘firewall’ lockdown in the new year after the number of people in critical care rose 57% in one week.
Boots is launching a coronavirus testing service (pictured) with results in just 12 minutes
The number of new deaths was about 125 percent on the same day the previous week.
The number of new infections is up about 17 percent today.
Boots bought 100 handheld devices from American diagnostic firm Lumira that can give a verdict on a swab almost immediately.
They will be distributed in stores in the coming weeks.
Initial customers are expected to be travelers and businesses looking to bring staff back to their facilities.
The tests could allow people to travel, mingle with friends and family, and return to offices that have been largely deserted.
Mr James said, ‘We don’t want to profit from it. We are only covering our costs as there is a large down payment for the entire kit.
The high speed test (pictured) has been shown to be 97 percent accurate in testing and should be available in fifteen days. But the chain also offers a 48-hour service starting today and expects 200 branches to offer trials by Christmas.
“My thought is that if the volume is large we can lower the price. I hope a lot of people want to do it and if they do we can make the price more affordable.
‘We think we are the cheapest private test. We think it’s pretty good value compared to others on the high street, ranging from £ 270 on the very expensive end to around £ 150 at online clinics.
“Once it is more accessible in terms of cost, it could be a very important weapon in the arsenal against Covid.” The £ 120 fees cover third party lab tests, courier services, digital services, staff salaries and VAT.
Boots is also installing consultation rooms.
Starting this week the trials will be offered in ten stores in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
50 branches will be added in November and up to 200 by the end of the year if there is enough demand.
Clients can book through an online application. The tests are administered by trained personnel in private rooms at a local store. The company believes the service will ease pressure on the NHS and government testing programs.
Boots will initially charge £ 120 for the test (pictured), but this is likely to decrease if demand increases
It’s more expensive than the airport service for passengers flying from Heathrow to Hong Kong, who can choose to pay for the Covid-19 rapid tests at £ 80.
But tests at the airport are not yet widely available on the different routes and passengers run the risk of not being able to board that day, while a test at Boots could take place in advance. The chain is already conducting tests for passengers traveling to the United Arab Emirates and is in talks with other airlines.
Boots has been hit hard by the pandemic, with sales falling sharply and 4,000 job losses planned among its 54,000 UK employees.
However, the online business is growing rapidly. James is expanding healthcare services on the web and has revamped stores, incorporating beauty brands like singer Rihanna’s Fenty.
Boots, founded in the 19th century in Nottingham and still based there, is now part of a global pharmaceutical giant, Walgreens Boots Alliance, created by 79-year-old Italian billionaire Stefano Pessina.
His partner, Ornella Barra, 66, has recently been in charge of operations outside the United States, including Boots.
Quick swab that can give you peace of mind (if you have the cash)
By Ruth Sunderland, Daily Mail Business Editor
At the risk of tempting fate, I have not felt the need to test for Covid during the pandemic and have been very grateful for it. The idea of possibly having to drive to a distant location and wait in a long queue is extremely off putting.
However, going into my local Boots to do a reserved test is a completely different proposition. And, as the first reporter to see the network’s 12-minute Covid test device, he was about to do just that.
Having recently been through a flu hit at Boots, the process was pretty similar. First, I was shown into a private room in the flagship store on Oxford Street.
Business editor Ruth Sunderland (pictured) is the first reporter to see the network’s 12-minute Covid test device. She took up the PCR which is widely used on the NHS.
The employee who conducted my test was dressed in PPE, with a mask, apron and visor, and the atmosphere was impeccable. I was here to test the test service that Boots will offer – I took the PCR that is widely used on the NHS and saw the wonderful new 12 minute machine for myself.
I was here to test the trial service Boots will offer – I took the PCR that is widely used on the NHS and saw for myself the wonderful new 12 minute machine, writes RUTH SUNDERLAND
He took swabs from the back of my throat and my nostrils for the PCR test, a process that was a bit uncomfortable but not painful. My details were recorded so that the results could be emailed to me within 48 hours. As for the new 12-minute test, the machine was much more compact than I had imagined: barely bigger than a card reader.
Taking a nasal swab, preparing the sample and inserting it into the machine takes about a minute. The operator puts his data on the screen, as if he were using a smartphone, then opens a small door on the front of the device and inserts a test strip. The machine heats the strip and, when it has cooked sufficiently, instructs the tester to apply the swab sample.
When completed, the result is displayed on the screen. Voila! Is it worth 120 pounds? Well that’s a lot of money in anyone’s book. But if I were reassured that it was safe to visit my parents 350 miles away, whom I haven’t seen in several months, I’d certainly be willing to pay. And if you were going to take a big trip abroad, you could choose the Boots option.
If you were an employer, you might think it would be a good idea to test my staff before taking them back to a Covid-safe office environment.
Our experience with testing for Covid-19 so far has been fraught with disappointment. But if affordable mass tests really are available on the high street, then it could be a real leap forward, helping us get back to work, travel and socialize with a lot less fear.
