By New 90-minute coronavirus test kits ready to go
Two new tests for Covid-19 that can deliver results within 90 minutes are to be introduced across care homes and laboratories from next week.
The aim is to speed up diagnosis in time for the winter and to distinguish coronavirus from flu, the government has said.
The two new types of test do not require trained health staff to operate them.
At the minute most results from tests carried out in-person are returned the following day, while home kits take longer.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The fact these tests can detect flu as well as Covid-19 will be hugely beneficial as we head into winter, so patients can follow the right advice to protect themselves and others.”
Almost half a million of the new rapid swab tests, called LamPORE, will be available from next week in adult care settings and laboratories, with millions more due to be rolled out later in the year.
And added to this, thousands of DNA test machines, which have already been used in some London hospitals and can analyse nose swabs, will be rolled out across NHS hospitals from September.
Around 5,000 machines will provide 5.8 million tests in the coming months, the government said.
The news comes after a major incident has been declared by authorities in Greater Manchester following recent rises in coronavirus infection rates.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the decision was taken to help agencies respond “as effectively as possible”, including with extra resources.
However Manchester City Council said people “should not be alarmed” as it was “standard practice”.
Greater Manchester is one of the areas subject to new lockdown measures.
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