The fingerprick tests, which can tell within 20 minutes if a person has ever been exposed to the COVID-19 virus, were found to be 98.6% accurate in secret human trials held in June. British ministers are making plans to distribute millions of free coronavirus antibody tests after a version backed by the UK government passed its first major trials.
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Key-Points
The test was developed by the UK Rapid Test Consortium (UK-RTC), a partnership between Oxford University and leading UK diagnostics firms.
Britain’s only antibody tests approved thus far have involved blood samples being sent to laboratories for analysis, which can take days.
Anticipating a regulatory approval in the coming weeks, tens of thousands of prototypes have already been manufactured in factories across the United Kingdom.
Hopefully, the AbC-19 lateral flow test will be available for use in a mass screening programme before the end of the year.
The tests are likely to be free and would be ordered online instead of being sold in supermarkets.
