Disastrous results’ feared from COVID-19 home tests

Experts have warned giving the public coronavirus antibody tests to be carried out at home could lead to “disastrous results”.

A testing manager at an NHS trust told HSJ they feared the public may take the tests too soon for antibodies to appear, which could produce misleading results, while a leading virologist at the British Society for Immunology called for antibody tests to be carried out in GP surgeries.

Public Health England has previously said it wants to distribute antibody tests via Amazon and Boots and make them available to the general public. Health secretary Matt Hancock has also promised increased antibody tests will form part of 100,000 of all types of daily COVID-19 tests by the end of April.

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Source: HSJ, 17 April 2020