Boots' new COVID tests give a result in 12 minutes
Boots has announced that it will soon offer a COVID-19 test that will determine if a person has the virus in 12 minutes. That's in comparison to the government-issued tests, which are usually returned within 48 hours of a swab being taken, or within 72 hours for a home test.
The Boots tests, which will be sold for £120, are designed for people who aren't showing symptoms, and therefore wouldn't be eligible for a free NHS test. As it stands, the NHS tests are only being offered to people reporting either a high temperature, a new, continuous cough or a loss/change of sense of smell or taste. Those who have been asked to get tested by a local council or anyone taking part in a government pilot project are also eligible for a swab free of charge.
The nationwide pharmacy chain says it intends to offer peace of mind to people who may have reason to believe they may have contracted coronavirus but are asymptomatic. The ultra quick, 12-minute nasal swab tests are still a work in progress, and will be rolled out next month. Until then, Boots is offering testing with a more standard results wait time. Those tests will be available in 10 stores this week (including in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow), before rolling out to 50 stores throughout November, with scope to extend to 200 stores in the coming months.
Boots calls the private testing option "an accessible solution for those who would prefer peace of mind before seeing friends and family." It might be appealing to anyone with vulnerable relatives - the elderly or someone with a chronic respiratory illness, for example - who wants to ensure they don't endanger their loved one by meeting up with them.
The 12-minute result tests will be carried out on LumiraDx devices, developed by a company of the same name, which the BBC reports has recently struck a deal to work with the NHS in Scotland. They work by analysing a nose swab sample on a small, portable machine, which can provide a result then and there. Anyone who goes on to receive a positive test will then be instructed to return home and isolate to prevent any further spread of the virus.
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