England To Offer Free Twice-A-Week COVID-19 Tests
NPREngland To Offer Free Twice-A-Week COVID-19 Tests Enlarge this image toggle caption Stefan Rousseau/Getty Images Stefan Rousseau/Getty Images England is aiming to offer free twice-a-week rapid COVID-19 tests for everyone in the coming weeks, but critics think it will do more harm than good because of the possibility of incorrect test results. The tests will show results in about 30 minutes and be offered by: A home ordering service, which allows people to order lateral flow tests online to be delivered to their home Workplace testing programs, on-site or at home Community testing, offered by all local authorities Collection at a local PCR test site during specific test collection time windows Testing on-site at schools and colleges England is also launching a 'pharmacy connect' service that will allow people over the age of 18 to collect a box of seven tests from their local pharmacy. Sponsor Message "Alongside the rollout of the vaccine, regular testing is going to be an essential part of the easing of restrictions as it will help us quickly suppress the spread of variants," a press release from the Department of Health and Social Care, Johnson and Secretary of Health Matt Hancock read. "Around one in three people who have COVID-19 show no symptoms, and as we reopen society and resume parts of life we have all dearly missed, regular rapid testing is going to be fundamental in helping us quickly spot positive cases and squash any outbreaks," said Hancock.