Free Covid tests will soon no longer be available for most people in England.
The change is part of the government’s “Living with Covid” plan.
Free lateral flow tests (LFTs) won’t be available after 1 April, except for the over-75s and over-12s with weakened immune systems.
Everyone else will have to buy a test from pharmacists or other retailers.
Boots says it will start selling single LFTs online for £5.99, or four for £17, ahead of the 1 April deadline. It currently sells more expensive polymerase chain reaction tests (PCRs) and LFTs designed for travel use, which are processed in a lab.
The number of free NHS tests distributed each day in England has already been capped “to manage demand”.
People without symptoms can now only order one pack of seven LFTs every three days – previously it was one per day.
Free PCR tests won’t be available to people with Covid symptoms from April either, except for a small number of at-risk groups, with details to be announced in March.
Free testing will remain for social care workers with Covid symptoms. Health Secretary Sajid Javid confirmed that NHS staff would also still get free tests, but these may not be funded separately.
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The testing system operates UK-wide, and the governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have criticised England’s announcement, calling for greater clarity on what resources will be available to them in the future.
In Scotland, Deputy First Minister John Swinney has said that free Covid testing will continue in some form beyond April.
The Scottish government will set out in March how free PCR and LFTs will be allocated.
Northern Ireland’s health minister Robin Swann said he would not be “rushed” into taking decisions on the matter.
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Across the UK, anyone without Covid symptoms can order one box of LFTs every three days using their NHS login.
You can also collect LFTs from pharmacies, vaccination hubs and test centres, but may need to register online to get a “collection code” first.
You should report all LFT results online, or by calling 119.
People with symptoms can order a PCR test kit to be sent to their home, or book an appointment at a walk-in or drive-through test site.
People in England no longer need to self-isolate or take daily tests after contact with someone with Covid, even if they aren’t fully vaccinated. Routine contact tracing has also ended.
Across the rest of the UK, if you are fully vaccinated (two doses – three in Scotland), you don’t have to self-isolate, but should take daily LFTs for seven days (or for 10 days after your last contact, if this is earlier).
If any of the LFTs are positive, you must self-isolate from the date of the test. You do not need to confirm the result with a PCR test.
Close contacts of positive cases who are not fully vaccinated still have to self-isolate for the full 10 days. In Scotland, they are advised to take one PCR test and continue isolating even if the result is negative.
In Wales, unvaccinated contacts are advised to take LFTs on days two and eight, even if they have no symptoms.
Anyone who develops Covid symptoms during self-isolation should take a PCR test.
- Who needs to self-isolate now and for how long?
Staff and students in most education and childcare settings in England no longer need to test twice-weekly. Arrangements for NHS staff will be confirmed in March.
In the rest of the UK, NHS and education staff are still asked to test twice a week. Secondary pupils should test twice a week during term time (three times a week in Wales).
Scotland recommends that everyone should test at least twice a week, especially before going to a crowded place or mixing with someone who is clinically vulnerable.
People can also provide a recent negative LFT or PCR result instead of proof of vaccination to enter venues across the UK that are still covered by Covid passport schemes, although these are being wound down.
You may need to still test before or after travelling abroad. You must buy private tests for this – you cannot use free NHS tests.
LFTs and PCR tests do different things:
- LFTs pick up the most infectious people by detecting material from the surface proteins of the virus
- PCRs detect genetic material of the virus which can be present in the body for several weeks after somebody is actually capable of passing it on
Both tests involve swabbing your nose and/or throat. LFTs can be done at home, and show results in 20 to 30 minutes.
PCR test swabs must be sent to a lab for analysis, with results provided in 24 to 48 hours, although it can take longer to confirm a particular Covid variant.
Being vaccinated against Covid cannot cause you to test positive on either an LFT or PCR test.
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