Coronavirus testing rules for people without symptoms are to be eased across the UK.
From January 11, asymptomatic people in England who test positive on a lateral flow device (LFD) will no longer require a confirmatory PCR test.
They must still self-isolate immediately.
However, people who have Covid-19 symptoms should still get a PCR test, the new rules state.
A similar system will be implemented in Northern Ireland immediately and in Scotland and Wales from Thursday.
Previously, those without symptoms who tested positive on a lateral flow were asked to order a PCR test and only begin their isolation period when they received the second result.
It meant they would have to isolate for longer than seven days – particularly if there were delays in obtaining the confirmatory result.
The move announced by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will free up capacity in laboratories for PCR tests for those who have Covid-19 symptoms.
It is a temporary measure while Covid-19 rates remain high across the UK.
An estimated 3.7 million people in the UK had the virus in the week ending December 31, up from 2.3 million in the week to December 23 and the highest number since comparable figures began in autumn 2020, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Wales’s health minister believes the change will reduce the demand for PCR tests by between 5% and 15%.
Meanwhile Professor John Edmunds, a member of the Government’s Sage scientific advisory panel, said: “This change makes a lot of sense. 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.
“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.”
While levels of Covid-19 are high, the “vast majority” of people with positive results can be confident they have the virus, officials have said.
