North East Forum on Ageing

Order coronavirus (COVID-19) rapid lateral flow tests

Get a free PCR test to check if you have coronavirus (COVID-19) – GOV.UK 

There are a many ways you can get lateral flow tests – You might be able to:

– collect tests from a test site

– collect tests from a pharmacy (in England only)

– get a test at a site

If you’re collecting tests, you can collect 2 packs at a time (14 tests in total).

Find other ways to get rapid lateral flow tests on NHS.UK.

If you cannot order online, call 119. Lines are open 7am to 11pm and calls are free.

After your test packs arrive you should take a rapid lateral flow test twice a week (every 3 or 4 days). Report rapid lateral flow test results the day you or someone in your household takes the test, no matter what the result is.

If a test result is positive if you or anyone in your household tests positive:

  1. Everyone in the household must self-isolate immediately.

  2. The person who tests positive must get a PCR test to confirm the result (a PCR test is a different type of COVID-19 test).

How rapid lateral flow tests work

Around 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 do not have symptoms. Rapid lateral flow tests help to find cases in people who may have no symptoms but are still infectious and can give the virus to others. The test usually involves taking a sample from your tonsils (or where they would have been) and from your nose, using a swab. You can get a result in 30 minutes.