The UK government has secured 20 million British-manufactured rapid COVID-19 tests in a new contract with Derby-based test manufacturer SureScreen Diagnostics. 

These lateral flow antigen tests produce a result in under 30 minutes and are the first British tests to be validated in the laboratory by Public Health England (PHE).

The SureScreen test will be used as part of the government’s rapid testing programme for those without symptoms, which has seen lateral flow tests deployed across the country to test NHS and care home staff, as well as in targeted settings including schools, universities and to allow key workers to continue their vital work during lockdown.

The tests have been proven to detect the B117 ‘Kent’ variant of COVID-19. Results for the test at the laboratory validation stage show sensitivity against high viral loads was 97.1% and specificity was 99.9%.

Health and social care secretary Matt Hancock said: “Rapid lateral flow tests strengthen our national response to the virus significantly, helping us to identify the around one in three people who are asymptomatic and break chains of transmission in our workplaces and communities. It is excellent to be working with a UK firm to deliver millions more of these rapid tests.” 

David Campbell, director of SureScreen, added: “We believe our rapid antigen tests can really help in screening people both in the community and in clinical settings. Routine testing is crucial to help business, as well as hospitals and GPs.”

SureScreen is a member of the UK Rapid Antigen Test Consortium, a coalition of industry scientists and manufacturers, who have come together to secure lateral flow tests and manufacturing capability for the UK.