PCR test rules eased for people with no symptoms, government announces

Covid testing rules are to be relaxed for infected people in England who are not displaying symptoms, the government has announced.

Those who test positive for Covid with a lateral flow device will no longer need a follow-up PCR to begin their isolation period if they are asymptomatic, the UK Health Security Agency said.

The change in policy, enforced from 11 January, comes as part of efforts to combat nationwide staff shortages, with hundreds of thousands of workers across the country absent from work due to Covid-related reasons.

People who test positive with a rapid lateral flow device will still have to isolate for at least seven days, starting from the day of their result. However, this cuts out the time spent waiting for confirmation via a lab-based PCR test, which can take up to two days.

The guidance is temporary and will be withdrawn once infection levels in England drop, the UKHSA said. When the prevalence of Covid is high, the chances of receiving a false positive from a lateral flow device are low, the agency added.

Those who test positive with a lateral flow and report their result via the government website will continue to be contacted by NHS Test and Trace.

People with Covid symptoms are meanwhile still required to take a PCR test and self-isolate if positive, health officials said.

Scientists welcomed the change in policy, saying it would also ease pressure on the UK’s overwhelmed testing laboratories, but cautioned that people need to make sure they report their positive results.

“When the prevalence is high – and it is incredibly high at the moment – almost everyone who tests positive with a lateral flow test will be a true positive,” said Professor John Edmunds, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.

“There is really no need to confirm this with a PCR, a step that not only wastes time but costs a lot of money and uses up laboratory resources that could be better used elsewhere.”

Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick, said it was “a sensible approach as long as positive results are reported and the lateral flow kits are in good supply”.

The change in guidance was also adopted in January 2021 when infection rates were high. Confirmatory PCRs were temporarily paused and later reintroduced in March following a reduction in prevalence.

UKHSA chief executive Dr Jenny Harries said: “While cases of Covid continue to rise, this tried and tested approach means that LFDs can be used confidently to indicate Covid-19 infection without the need for PCR confirmation.”