Once again COVID testing is making headlines and trending on social media as people rush to try and find testing kits to deal with the Omicron outbreak. Already we’ve seen the UK Government’s site for ordering lateral flow tests (LFTs) run out of stock, while chemists are running dry too. Things will only get worse as there are suggestions that the Government will soon end the provision of free LFTs.
Given the lack of available tests and recent news that Omicron appears to be less severe than other COVID variants, it's time to ask if LFT testing is worth the cost? To answer this, then we need to understand what the true cost of LFT testing is.
Financial impact: Once Government-backed LFTs disappear, the cost of purchasing a testing kit will rise. Already costing up to £30 a test, this quickly adds up if testing is needed to be done every day to monitor a bout of COVID or if a job requires it. Soon the financial impact of LFTs will be felt by us all.
Time impact: Time is an equally precious commodity that LFTs use up. Taking between 15-30 minutes to complete, means people need to factor in this time difference into their day, restricting their movements. As the UK looks to learn to live with the virus, adding even an extra 15 minutes to people’s days will quickly harm the economy and quality of life.
Discomfort impact: Finally, we need to look at comfort. Noses and throats were never designed to be swabbed regularly, making current testing processes uncomfortable and invasive. This discomfort leads to an increased number of tests being wrongly carried out, creating extra waste, and meaning the whole process must be redone.
Combined, the financial, time, and discomfort factors make LFT testing an expensive process. However, while it would be great to do away with testing completely, that is simply not an option. The UK is in the middle of a new wave as the Omicron variant spreads. Removing testing would lead to more cases, hospitalisations, and additional strain on the healthcare service. What is needed is a form of testing that reduces the costs, while helping better manage and control outbreaks.
Thankfully, COVID itself has helped create just such a solution. Born out of the need to fight the virus, a new form of testing has been developed that uses spectral analysis. This testing system provides highly accurate results within seconds from a simple spit test or tongue swab. As a result, they dramatically lower the time and costs associated with mass testing.
If we are to learn to live with the virus, then adopting new testing solutions is vital. With little sign of the pandemic ending, testing must remain a part of our everyday lives. However, the solutions developed during the pandemic are far better than the ones we came into it with. It's time to embrace innovation and adopt solutions that were designed for the world we now live in. Adrian Stevens, COO of Virusight