In a few days, the United Kingdom citizens should be able to test themselves for coronavirus antibody at home as a Public Health England official confirmed that 3.5 million DIY coronavirus antibody kits have been bought and should be available "within days" via Amazon and Boots.
Coronavirus Antibody Test Kits Ordered by the U.K.
According to the Daily Mail, Professor Sharon Peacock, director of the National Infection Service of the PHE, has confirmed the government's purchase of the kits and its availability.
However, Peacock did not clarify whether the people would have to pay for the kits or it will be given away for free on the NHS, and as of now, PHE has made no comments, and no further details are disclosed.
Kits will be Available for Healthcare Staff First
Nevertheless, the kits will be made available for medical frontliners first.
Through the test, healthcare staff such as nurses and doctors that had to self-isolate due to the coronavirus pandemic will be able to know whether they currently have COVID-19 or have had it before and have formed an immunity.
By knowing, they will be able to come back to work with fewer worries and help thousands of patients that are currently suffering from COVID-19, the infectious coronavirus disease.
Testing the Kits
As per Telegraph, Peacock announced that a few kits would have to be tested in a laboratory at Oxford first before they are made available, and once they are sure that it works, they will be "rolled out into the community."
"Testing the test is a small matter, and I anticipate that it will be done by the end of this week," the PHE official said.
Once it becomes available, people can order the kit, which looks like pregnancy test kits, via Amazon, where it will be delivered in their homes, and they can conduct the test themselves by pricking their finger for a blood sample, which will then be analyzed by the device.
People can also go to Boots and other similar places to get the kit or have themselves tested.
The kit should be able to provide the results in as fast as 10 to 15 minutes. It will detect the presence of IgM, which is an antibody that arises during the early stages of the infection, as well as IGG, which should increase as the body fights off the virus.
Anyone could easily read the test. However, some test results may require the interpretation of healthcare professionals.
Boots and Amazon to Distribute Them
Nevertheless, it seems like Boots have not heard about the plan before, as a spokesperson of the pharmacy chain said--but they added that they are willing to work with the government to "explore opportunities" that will support COVID-19 testing and the NHS.
However, they emphasized to the public that they do not have such test kits yet, and people should not be making trips to Boots for them yet.
Meanwhile, Amazon has agreed to carry out the distributions as per The Guardian.
Additionally, the U.K. is not the only country who are ordering these antibody tests, as it's also being ordered across Europe and throughout South East Asia, as per Peacock.
