Do I need a medical professional or is this an at home coronavirus test?
With our CE marked Coronavirus Test Kit, the collection of the saliva sample can be done anywhere, whether that's at home or business. Other Covid-19 test kits, such as the nasal swabs, usually require a medical professional to ensure the test is done accurately.Shouldn’t these tests be going to the NHS if there is a shortage?
We have worked hard with our supply partners to ensure that any commercial availability to organisations that wish to proactively test their staff for coronavirus, or make tests available to their staff, have the facility to do so without any impact whatsoever on Government and NHS supply. The UK Government's own supply chain sits outside of this one, though should a time come when our supply of tests is called upon in the national interest, we reserve the right to divert supply accordingly. In the meantime we are taking all possible measures to ensure supply to our customers for the near future.What if I receive a positive result?
A positive test result means that you were infected by SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) when your saliva sample was provided. Therefore, you can spread to coronavirus to others. Because of this, government guidelines advise that if you had or have symptoms of Covid-19 (e.g. a new continuous cough, high temperature, or loss of taste and smell), you should self-isolate for 7 days from when the symptoms started.
If you are not experiencing any symptoms, you must isolate for 14 days immediately.
Please refer to the Public Health England and NHS guidance pages for more information.
Is this test the same as an antibody test?
No – this is not an antibody test. An antibody test assesses whether you have been previously carrying the Covid-19 virus. In addition, antibody test also confirms if you have any antibodies in relation to the Covid-19 virus. Furthermore, an antibody test involves taking a blood sample, instead of saliva.
Scientists are still unsure of how long the antibodies remain in the bloodstream after you have been infected with Covid-19. They are also still investigating whether your are immune to catching Covid-19 again.
Our coronavirus saliva test kit is an antigen/PCR test, which does not assess whether you have had Covid-19 in the past. Instead, ours tests if you are currently carrying Covid-19.
* Please be aware of at-home or private antibody tests currently being sold online. It is against Government advice to use these as it is very unclear how effective these tests are at identifying the presence of antibodies from blood from the fingertip.