April 9, 2021 12.00 pm This story is over 35 months old

How to order free rapid COVID home tests and how to use them

Available to all from Friday
| Photo: Stuart Wilde for CoLC
By Local Democracy Reporter

Everyone in Lincolnshire can now get two free rapid asymptomatic coronavirus tests a week, and this is how you can access them.

The lateral flow kits are available for free at testing sites and pharmacies, as well as through the post, starting Friday, April 9.

You can apply for a pack of seven rapid flow home testing kits from the government website, which will suffice for three and a half weeks when used twice a week.

As well as the testing kits themselves, you will also receive instructions on how to take the test and how to report each result to the NHS.

A series of short videos explaining how the kits work have been put together by the Department of Health and Social Care.

The rapid tests should provide results within 30 minutes, and are for people without symptoms of COVID-19.

Anyone who has symptoms of the virus is still being asked to self-isolate and book a regular PCR test.

The home testing kits have been made available as part of an extension of the government’s coronavirus testing programme.

Since rapid testing was introduced, over 120,000 positive cases have been identified that would not have been found otherwise.

It comes as businesses and non-essential retail prepare to reopen on April 12 in line with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown.

The PM said: “Massive efforts have been made by the British public to stop the spread of the virus.

“As we continue to make good progress on our vaccine programme and with our roadmap to cautiously easing restrictions underway, regular rapid testing is even more important to make sure those efforts are not wasted.

“That’s why we’re now rolling out free rapid tests to everyone across England – helping us to stop outbreaks in their tracks, so we can get back to seeing the people we love and doing the things we enjoy.”