COVID-19: HOW GOOD ARE LATERAL FLOW TESTS?

If you submit a negative Lateral Flow Test result to the NHS website, you'll receive an email that says "Your coronavirus lateral flow test result is negative. It's likely you are not infectious. But a negative test is not a guarantee, and there's still a chance you may be infectious."

This is because, as the Pharmaceutical Journal says, the UK's MHRA has emphasised that "lateral flow tests are only authorised to be used as a 'red light' test in order to find infectious people and ensure they self-isolate quickly, and not as a 'green light' for people who test negative to enjoy greater freedoms. "

"This is because, unlike PCR tests, lateral flow tests cannot detect very low levels of coronavirus in a sample. This means the test may not give a positive result if you have only recently been infected; are in the incubation period; or if you have mostly recovered."

"The accuracy of lateral flow tests is also dependent on the person who does the test. Training of supervisors at lateral flow test sites and regular use of the tests will help to mitigate this, as people become more proficient in using lateral flow tests."

So how should we use Lateral Flow Tests (LFTs)?

You won't want to pass the virus on to family, friends and colleagues.  Nor strangers.  It's worth checking whether you are infected before meeting people, especially indoors.

An LFT is the best easy tool at our disposal. Not perfect, better than nothing.  Anything we can do to minimise spread of the virus, especially given the threat and consequences of the new Omicron variant.

Part 2: How Good Are Lateral Flow Tests with Omicron?