Surescreen lateral flow tests rolled out across universities

Surescreen’s COVID-19 lateral flow device (LFD) is now being rolled out to universities across England.

The test is the first British-made assisted LFD device to be validated in a laboratory by Public Health England (PHE) and will provide a qualitative yes/no result in under 15 minutes. The tests have been developed with help from Omega Diagnostics in Scotland, who are responsible for part of the assembly process.

Thanks to the government order and increasing demand for the tests, Surescreen has created an additional 378 jobs in Derby and the surrounding areas. Currently, the company can produce approximately 7 million tests a week and have plans to double this by the end of the year.

The tests will benefit the tens of thousands of student and university staff now that the new term has begun. Using the tests is a fast and efficient way to detect asymptomatic cases of COVID-19. By using LFDs in such settings, cases of asymptomatic COVID-19 can be detected quickly, helping to reduce the virus’s possible spread.

Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHAS), said: “Testing – along with vaccines – is one of our first lines of defence against COVID-19, and in the months ahead, rapid tests will keep fortifying these defences, as thousands of university students use them to check whether they are infectious and likely to transmit the virus, all at lightning speed.”