After prime minister Boris Johnson declared an “omicron emergency” on Sunday night, as the new variant of Covid-19 continues to spread rapidly, people have rushed to order lateral flow tests online.
However, the government website on Monday has said “there are no more home tests available” and is advising people to “try again later”.
Some people have reported on social media that a number of pharmacies and other locations for collecting lateral flow tests have run out of the kits.
The demand for lateral flow tests soared after it was announced that double-vaccinated people who have been identified as a contact of someone with Covid-19 in England will be advised to take a daily rapid test for seven days from Tuesday.
The Department of Health and Social Care said that daily testing will replace the requirement for contacts of Omicron cases to self-isolate for 10 days. However, unvaccinated adults must still self-isolate for 10 days.
A spokesperson for the UK Healthy Security Agency (UKHSA) has said that ordering lateral flow tests via the government’s website has been “temporarily suspended to fulfil existing orders” due to “exceptionally high demand”.
So where else can you get a lateral flow test?
Check the NHS website
The spokesperson for the UKHSA said: “Everyone who needs a lateral flow test can collect test kits – either at their local pharmacy, some community sites and some schools and colleges.”
The NHS website has a feature that can help you find a pharmacy, library, or other participating venue that may have lateral flow tests.
You can type in your postcode and the finder feature will show you the pick-up sites where you can collect at-home test kits close to your search location.
However, some reports on social media have warned that some locations have run out of stock of the kits, so it may be a good idea to call ahead and ask before going to collect them.
Boots
You can pick up a lateral flow test kit from most Boots pharmacies in England, Wales and Scotland to be taken home.
Boots also offers an in-store lateral flow testing service, at the cost of £30 for the 15-minute appointment. To use this service, you must fill in a registrations form, provide photo ID and enter your payment details on the ReCoVa-19 portal before you can book an appointment online at your selected Boots store.
The website says: “Full payment will only be taken once you arrive in store for your appointment. Once your result is ready, you’ll get an email or a text message to let you know your results are ready to view.”
Find out more about in-store testing here.
Go to a test site
You can get tested at a rapid lateral flow test site, which are usually run by your local council.
These sites are usually located in community town halls and car parks. Many are walk-in sites, where you can turn up at any time and get tested, although you may have to wait for some time in a queue, while others require you to book an appointment.
You can find a test site by typing your postcode into the NHS Covid-19 test and vaccination site finder, which is the same feature used to find test pick-up locations.
