Testing, testing!

While lockdown restrictions are slowly lifting, regular Covid tests are going to play a major role in keeping the virus under control

WE CAN finally meet up again with our friends and loved ones outdoors, millions of us have been vaccinated and it really feels like the beginning of the end of lockdown. However, now is not the time to let our guard down — Covid-19 is still out there, and it’s more important than ever to follow the rules and the ‘hands, face, space and fresh air’ guidelines. But there’s another way we can beat this menace — by testing ourselves regularly for the virus.

This should identify those people with Covid who display no symptoms — around one-in-three cases — but might be spreading the virus without knowing it. From now on, rapid lateral flow tests, which give a result in around 30 minutes, will be available free online and at testing centres. All adults in England, including secondary school and college students, are being encouraged to use them twice a week and self-isolate if they get a positive result. Doing this will help break the chain of transmission, prevent infection and help get our lives moving again.

Alongside the vaccine, these tests are one of the most important tools we have against the virus — in fact, they’ll work hand in hand for months to come, because millions who have not yet been inoculated are still at risk. Millions of people are already using regular rapid testing to help protect those around them. The tests are free and easy to get from your workplace if available, to test or collect at a local testing site, at participating pharmacies and to order online. So make sure you pick up or order the devices to do your bit to keep friends, family and co-workers safer as lockdown measures continue to ease. The more of us that take part, the more we can help protect each other.

Working in a secondary school, music teacher Geoff Pearce has been worried about taking the virus home to his pregnant wife. Thanks to twice-weekly lateral flow tests, the 37-year-old is now much less concerned. “The first time, it took me half an hour to figure out how to do the test, but now it’s like brushing my teeth,” says Geoff, from north London. “I can do it in a flash, as part of my routine.” He picks up a pack of seven kits from his school and tests himself every Wednesday and Sunday; the results come through within 30 minutes, as “simple and clear as a pregnancy test”. Since his school introduced rapid testing, there have been no positive cases in the community. “Knowing that my colleagues and pupils are all doing the same tests reassures me in the workplace, and gives me more peace of mind — especially with my wife being pregnant,” says Geoff.