New 30 minute coronavirus tests are reliable and ready to be rolled out in the community, health chiefs have confirmed. This afternoon Public Health England and the University of Oxford said Lateral Flow Tests are 99.6% accurate and sensitive enough to be used in the community, including for asymptomatic people.
It is hoped they can be a "game changer" in the battle against Covid-19. The fast turnaround tests, which have been used in mass testing in Liverpool, can process swabs without the need for laboratory equipment, with most generating results in under half an hour.
Experts at the University of Oxford are now looking at how this test could be self-administered. Health Minister Lord Bethell said: “We are absolutely committed to using