Assessing the true cost of COVID testing

Adrian Stevens, CEO Inventive Health, examines the true cost of testing for COVID-19 after it was mooted that free provision of lateral flow testing could end in the near future. 

After nearly two years of Government supplied lateral flow (LFTs) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, the government has contemplated bringing it to an end. With the phasing out of free LFTs, much of the cost of testing will be passed on to businesses and individuals. This dramatic policy change is a key moment in the UK’s transition from eliminating COVID to learning to live with it, as it looks to put in place longer-term measures. However, with much of the testing now having to be paid for by the private sector, it is worth assessing what the true cost of it is and asking if testing is still worth the cost.

To answer these questions, we need to start by measuring the cost of testing. As well as the financial aspects, it is equally important to assess time and comfort too. Tests that take too long to perform or are uncomfortable will be used less, leading to an increase in waste and price. So, to understand the true cost of existing testing processes, it's worth looking at each of these areas individually.

Financial impact

Come the removal of Government provided LFTs, we will likely see a price adjustment for purchasing a test. Nonetheless, we can get an idea of the possible costs based on the price the Government is already paying which is up to £30 a test. This is not an insignificant sum. For people who need to perform an LFT every day for work this quickly adds up to an extra £600 a month in testing alone. Spread over an entire workforce, and the cost of testing will be a serious burden for businesses, many of which are still working on recovering from the pandemic.

It is a similar story for individuals too. The recent removal of expensive PCR tests for travelling to a destination outside the UK has lowered the cost of travel, but it will remain an additional expense for a family of four who still needs to pay for LFTs. For many the financial burden of purchasing the required test kits will impact their ability to visit their loved ones. 

Testing time

On the surface, the time to complete an LFT (around 15-30 minutes) can seem short. However, as a quick, simple, and reliable everyday test even 15 minutes is too long. If tests need to be performed in a specific location such as an airport or workplace, then long queues quickly form which impacts productivity while also increasing the chances of an outbreak spreading amongst those in the queue. People who need to be tested daily too are having to spend unnecessary amounts of time waiting for test results. If we are to learn to live with the virus, then it needs to be done in a way that has as small an impact on our lives as possible and allows the flexibility and freedom we once had.

The same is true for PCR tests as well. While it is understandable that a lab-based test should take longer than an LFT, it is of little comfort for people who need a result quickly to allow them to get on with their day-to-day lives. 

Discomfort dilemma

The final area to consider when looking at the cost of COVID testing is comfort. Noses and throats were not designed to be swabbed regularly, making current testing processes for LFTs uncomfortable to perform. The discomfort of testing then leads to increased levels of tests not being completed properly as people look for less invasive methods or worse still avoid testing altogether, greatly increasing the risk of an outbreak. This is especially important where children are concerned. As any parent will confirm, getting a child to correctly perform a nasal swab test is a difficult process!

Nevertheless, despite the financial cost, time, and discomfort of testing, it is still needed as part of the ongoing battle with COVID. In the UK, caseloads are rising, and hospitalisations remain high, without testing we risk both key metrics getting out of hand, taking us back again to lockdowns and social distancing measures.

The trouble is that the tests we currently rely on were never designed for the long term and continuous use we now need. Instead, we need to make the switch over to new forms of testing that have been purpose-built during the pandemic to deal with the testing scenarios we now have. These new ultra-rapid tests offer higher accuracy than an LFT, but without the cost, time, and discomfort issues, making them the perfect solution for ongoing testing and mass screening.

Using spectral analysis, ultra-rapid testing solutions can provide results in seconds from a simple spit test and have been certified by regulatory bodies as being highly accurate. Consequently, these new tests are lower cost, have no discomfort issue and provide a result in a fraction of the time other forms of testing take. For businesses needing to keep their staff and customers safe, without impacting normal business operations, ultra-rapid testing is the perfect solution.

In 2021, getting tested for COVID does not have to be as hard as it currently is. If we are to reach a stage where we can safely live with the virus, then adopting testing systems and solutions that have been designed from the ground up to offer exactly the sort of testing we need is a must. With little sign of the pandemic ending anytime soon, testing will remain part of our everyday lives for some time. However, thanks to the latest solutions, the cost of getting tested no longer needs to be as high. It's time to embrace innovation and adopt testing solutions that were designed for the world we now live in.