In the UK, the controversial lateral flow test kits have been sent out to millions of schoolchildren with the wrong instructions.
The test kits contained guidance stating that they were to be used by people suffering from symptoms of Covid-19 and that they were to be administered to people “suspected of Covid by their healthcare provider.”
However, those were against the official UK guidance that states the primary purpose of the lateral flow test is to catch asymptomatic carriers.
Some schools have given students test kits with out-of-date leaflets with an instruction that reads: “You can use this self-test kit if you have symptoms or if you are asymptomatic (you do not have symptoms.”
On its website, the National Health Service (NHS) says lateral flow tests are only for people “without coronavirus symptoms.”
British citizens showing symptoms are supposed to get a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, that is allegedly more “accurate.” This provess automatically logs the case in the government’s covid NHS track and trace program.
Experts fear that the oversight may lead to those with symptoms to do the lateral flow tests instead of getting PCR tests. One scientist said: “If symptomatic people use lateral flow instead and fail to report their result, then we’ll lose control and it won’t give contact tracers a chance.”
However, it is worth noting that the test kits have all been shrouded in controversy regarding the accuracy of the results. Experts have raised concerns over the sensitivity of these tests in asymptomatic cases.
