// Boots rolls out Covid-19 testing for non-symptomatic people
// The nasal swab test will produce results within 12 minutes
// The test has been developed by life sciences company LumiraDx
Boots has reportedly began offering Covid-19 tests for non-symptomatic people, which will produce results within 12 minutes.
The £120 nasal swab test has been made available to customers in 50 Boots stores across the UK from today, BBC News reported.
In trials on more than 500 patients, it detected the virus in more than 97 per cent of cases.
READ MORE:
- Boots HQ staff “furious” as toilets reserved for Walgreens executives
- Boots bosses “encouraged” staff to work at Nottingham HQ despite Covid-19 cases
The test has been developed by UK-based life sciences company LumiraDx, which has also struck a deal to provide supplies to the NHS in Scotland.
The service is already available in ten stores in total, which are located in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow for customers travelling to UAE, with plans to roll out a wider service to over 50 stores across the UK over the next few weeks.
Whether or not Boots rolls out the service to 200 stores before the end of the year is dependant on how the 50-store trial goes.
“Boots has supported the government’s Covid-19 testing programme from the very start and offering this new in-store service is the next step in our efforts to fight against the pandemic,” Boots managing director Seb James said.
“We hope that by offering this testing option in local community stores, Boots can help ease pressure on the NHS and the government by providing additional access to testing and crucial reassurances for people across the UK.
“As part of the UK high street for over 170 years, Boots is proud to serve on the front line alongside the NHS and we will continue to do our part to support the nation’s healthcare needs during this challenging time and beyond.”
The health and beauty retailer expects customers will use its service as a private pre-flight test or before meeting with friends and family in the run up to Christmas.
The test also connects to a cloud computing service, which its developers hope could allow for surges in the virus to be quickly identified and tracked.
The government’s track and trace app showed last week that just 15 per cent of people who test positive through the system find out within 24 hours.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson previously said all test results, unless there was an issue with the postal service, would be processed within 24 hours.
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
