It is really important to know which COVID test to use and when, so we thought it would be useful to point out when to use which test.

Lateral Flow tests are rapid tests, used at home, when you don’t have any symptoms of COVID. They help confirm you are not an asymptomatic carrier of COVID. But because of their lack of sensitivity, a negative lateral flow test is not sufficient to exclude COVID infection once you have symptoms. In other words, a negative Lateral Flow Test does not mean you don’t have COVID if you have symptoms. Recent studies have suggested that the sensitivity of the lateral flow test in people with symptoms is 72%, which means it would only pickup 72 infected people out of 100, which means it would miss 28 infected people.

PCR tests can be done at home or in a test centre, and need to be sent back to a laboratory. This test is the one you need to use when you do have symptoms of COVID-19, because they are more accurate.

So, if you have symptoms of COVID then a Lateral Flow Test is not sufficient and you will need to arrange a PCR test.

To book a PCR test please visit the NHS website or call 119.