The Government’s testing coordinator has urged the public to wait for an approved home antibody testing kit rather than buying one off the internet.
Professor John Newton told the Commons Science and Technology Committee the public should wait for an approved home test which is currently being evaluated.
The Government announced on Thursday that more than 10 million antibody kits were being bought for use in hospitals and care homes.
It comes after high street chains including Superdrug began to offer a home antibody test kit for £69.
When asked about the new home tests, Prof Newton said better tests would be available to the public soon.
He said: “The public need to be aware that those tests are not the same as those we have evaluated and approved for use.
“The laboratory-based tests have a much higher standard of accuracy.
“We wouldn’t recommend at the moment that people rely on the tests that are becoming widely available.
“My advice would be to wait until we have better tests which will be available in a similar form very soon, though they are still under evaluation at the moment.”
His comments echo those of NHS medical director Professor Stephen Powis who said earlier in the week people should be cautious over buying home kits.
