Free lateral flow tests 'will be axed'

Free lateral flow tests ‘will be axed from next month under Government’s new Living With Covid Strategy’

  • Free Covid lateral flow tests will be scrapped under new plans by ministers 
  • Healthy adults will no longer be able to order free lateral flow tests from NHS
  • The move is part of the Government’s ‘Living Safely with Covid strategy’

Free Covid lateral flow tests will be scrapped under new plans being drafted by ministers to help cut the costs of the pandemic as the number of Covid cases, hospitalisations and deaths continue to fall in the UK. 

Under the Government’s ‘Living Safely With Covid strategy’, due to be unveiled next week, healthy adults will no longer be able to order free lateral flow tests and PCR testing will be limited to those who are most vulnerable or in high-risk settings.

The strategy, which could come into effect as early as March, will also see the Government’s advice for asymptomatic people to take routine tests dropped, with healthy adults expected to pay for a home test kit.  

Whitehall sources claim the move is part of a drive to cut down on costs from an estimated £15billion to about £1.3billion, The Guardian reports.

It comes as Britain’s daily Covid cases fell for the 13th day in a row today, with Government dashboard data showing another 41,648 infections were officially recorded over the last 24 hours –  down 28 per cent on last Monday.  

The Government’s ‘Living Safely With Covid’ strategy’, due to be unveiled next week,  will mean PCR testing will be limited to those who are most vulnerable or in high-risk settings. Pictured: People queue at at Covid testing site in London

Free Covid lateral flow tests will be scrapped under new plans being drafted by ministers. (Stock image)

The UK is now recording about 55,500 Covid cases every day, on average, which is about the same level as in mid-December when Omicron was just starting to take off.

There were also a further 35 deaths recorded today, marking a 22 per cent fall in a week. But virus deaths are usually artificially lower on Mondays due to NHS recording lags.

The seven-day average number of deaths now sits at 178 — almost four times lower than this time last year, before vaccines were widely available.

The tumbling statistics comes as ministers used the Parliamentary recess to draft their strategy to learn to ‘live with Covid’ like the flu.   

As part of the Government’s new strategy certain groups of people may still be able to order tests without charge on the NHS.

A contingency plan could also be implemented that drives testing back up if a new variant of Covid-19 emerges in the UK.  

However the plans are still in ‘live discussion’ among ministers and final decisions about the strategy are yet to be made, a source told The Times.    

Last month Professor Iain Buchan, chair in public health at the University of Liverpool who led a trial of lateral flow tests in the city, said Britain’s approach of making the tests freely available for months, unlike many other countries, had been a success, and cautioned against introducing charges for tests.

He warned: ‘Viruses move quicker than free market economics.’

And Professor Jason Leitch, Scotland’s national clinical director, said it is ‘too early’ to decide whether free lateral flow tests can come to an end. 

Earlier this month Boris Johnson piled the pressure on Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford to scrap the last remaining Covid curbs after the Prime Minister dramatically announced his intention to axe all virus restrictions in England by the end of the month.

Boris Johnson announced his intention to axe all virus restrictions in England by the end of the month

The current self-isolation rules expire on March 24, but the Tory leader told MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions that ‘provided the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions — including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive — a full month early’.

Mr Johnson said he would present his plan for ‘living with Covid’ when Parliament returns from a short recess on February 21, with an aim of lifting the requirement to self-isolate within days of that.

Today Government data showed another 41,648 infections were officially recorded over the last 24 hours.

Latest hospital data also showed there were 1,413 admissions on February 8, down 17 per cent on a week beforehand.

The tumbling statistics come as Boris Johnson signalled his intentions lifting even the most fundamental Covid restrictions including compulsory self-isolation for those who test positive.

Last week a SAGE subcommittee told the Government to consider the ‘unintended consequences’ before lifting all remaining Covid restrictions, and scrapping free lateral flow tests.

The experts claimed abandoning the swabs — which have already cost the taxpayer billions will lead to Covid becoming ‘hidden’ and mask any future outbreaks.  

They argued that scrapping the compulsory isolation period without improving sick pay may force poorer people to go to work even if they are ill and risk spreading the virus to vulnerable.

The warnings were raised at a meeting of the Spi-B behavioural expert committee that feeds into SAGE last Thursday, a day after the Prime Minister revealed he intended to drop all remaining curbs in England within weeks.

About a quarter fewer Covid tests are now being carried out than last week, which may be behind the drop in cases.

But the positivity rate — the proportion of swabs that pick up the virus — is also pointing downwards in England, suggesting it is a real-terms drop rather than one caused by the virus. 

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