A total of 100,000 'randomly selected' people across England will be sent coronavirus self-testing kits. The antigen kits will show whether someone is currently infected with the virus.
It marks the first phase of an ambitious government programme to track how Covid-19 has spread in the community. There are also plans in place to send 100,000 people antibody tests later this year, once the tests have been validated for 'accuracy and usability'.
An antibody test shows whether someone has previously been exposed to the virus. There is still work going on to improve the accuracy of Covid-19 antibody tests before they are sent out to the wider public for general use.