Covid: Warning over patchy lateral flow test supply

Pharmacists are warning of patchy supplies of rapid Covid tests following changes to self-isolation rules.

They said demand for lateral flow tests increased after changes allowed people with Covid to leave isolation after seven days – if they test negative.

The Association Of Independent Multiple Pharmacies said staff and customers were stressed over the lack of supply.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said test availability is refreshed throughout the day.

“During periods of exceptional demand there may be temporary pauses in ordering or receiving tests, to ensure we manage distribution across the system”, it added.

Labour said the situation was a “total shambles” and the government should help people “trying to do the right thing” by ordering tests.

A record 117,093 cases were reported in England on Tuesday, but UK patient numbers remain below January’s peak.

So far, the surge in cases driven by Omicron has not led to a similarly sharp rise in hospital admissions, even taking into account the lag between infection and hospital treatment.

Partial data from the UK nations means a full national picture will only be available again in the first week of January.

The warnings about the supply of rapid lateral flow Covid tests come after several changes to self-isolation rules.

Those who test positive for Covid can now leave home after seven days – as long as they test negative via lateral flow devices on day six and seven.

And close contacts of positive cases, including those in the same household, can go about their daily lives as normal with a daily negative lateral flow test.

Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Association Of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme there had been a very high demand for lateral flow tests since the changes.

“Every five minutes, approximately, somebody comes into the pharmacy and asks for tests,” she said.

“But unfortunately because of the issues around supply being patchy and inconsistent it means that those who come forward for the test don’t always get it, which is very stressful not just for the pharmacy but also for the patients.”

Thorrun Govind, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in England, said having an online collection code for lateral flow tests does not guarantee they will be in stock at a chemists.

She also urged the public not to become angry with pharmacy staff and pleaded for patience amid the increased demand.

The UKHSA said that the delivery capacity for lateral flow testing kits has doubled to 900,000 a day since 18 December, due to unprecedented demand.

Lateral flow tests are also available to order online for delivery through Royal Mail – but many people have reported problems placing orders, with the website often saying “sorry, there are no home delivery slots left for rapid lateral flow tests right now”.

The UKHSA has said reduced postal schedules could impact deliveries – work and pensions minister Chloe Smith said people should “persevere” in their efforts to secure Covid tests.

Separately, record demand for Covid PCR tests – used to confirm a positive lateral flow result – has left some people waiting up to five days for results in Scotland.

In other developments:

Free-to-order rapid tests are seen as a crucial way to keep safe as Covid cases surge. Countries like the US have scrambled to follow the UK’s lead in providing mass lateral flow tests free of charge.

They are useful in showing whether a person is infectious – providing trustworthy results in just 30 minutes. They are used:

There have been calls by some scientists and business leaders for the government to follow the example of US health officials and reduce the isolation period in England for people with asymptomatic Covid, to five days.

But a government spokesperson said the current isolation period – which was recently lowered from 10 to seven days – remained “critical for limiting the spread of the virus”.

They said: “There are no further changes to the isolation period planned at this time, but we keep all rules under review based on the latest health data”.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said some trust bosses thought self-isolating staff would be a “bigger problem” than the number of people being treated for Covid.

And he told the BBC that while there may come a point where Covid is treated like a common cold, that should not be the case for people who work in the NHS, as they dealt with potentially “very, very vulnerable” people.

Unlike Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the government has decided against introducing new Covid measures in England ahead of the new year.

England saw another 1,374 Covid hospital admissions on 26 December – the highest number since February.

Not all the patients in hospital will have been admitted for Covid – latest data suggests about three in 10 have the virus but were admitted to hospital for something else.

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