Anybody with symptoms of Coronavirus is being urged to take a test.
Or those hoping to visit nightclubs are asked to take one before venturing out if they have not had both jabs.
But following concerns about the availability of home lateral flow tests across the country, I wanted to see how easy it actually was to get hold of some for myself.
Heading out into Didsbury, one of Manchester's many 'covid blackspots', with cases at a rate of 2,663 per 100,000 people as of December 24.
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Yet, despite fears of increasing case numbers and the Omicron variant, I was completely unsuccessful in getting my hands on any tests today, December 30.
This is despite the UK Health Security Agency announcing that eight million kits will be made available to pharmacies ahead of New Year’s Eve.
Some pharmacies even told me they may not see a delivery of any more lateral flow tests until next Tuesday.
My first stop was the Sterling Pharmacy in West Didsbury - where I was met with a sign on the door apologising that they were out of lateral flow tests.
'Sorry, we're out of stock of Covid-19 rapid lateral flow tests today', it read.
A pharmacist inside indicated that they may not have any more tests to give out until at least next week, and hinted it could be Tuesday, January 4.
For many, lateral flow tests have become a part of daily life, whether that be for work or to protect families.
But, combined with fears of growing Omicron cases, this has increased the demand for testing kits.
One pharmacist said that the demand in Didsbury and south Manchester had worsened after it was named as a Covid blackspot - meaning cases are over 1,600 per 100,000.
She said: "This surge in demand started a few weeks before Christmas because of all the worries surrounding cases increasing and Omicron.
"Didsbury was one of the worst hit areas in Manchester so more people wanted to keep getting tested.
"We put in an order every day so will be expecting another delivery tomorrow, but they will go very quickly."
I didn't manage to get any tests at the Didsbury Pharmacy, on Wilmslow Road, which also had a sign clearly stuck to the door telling people they were all out of the tests.
Scenes were very much the same a little further down Wilmslow Road at the Boots Pharmacy.
Again, the same sign telling people they were out of Covid tests were plastered on the doors and on the screens inside.
A worker told me that although tests are ordered and delivered by courier every day, they usually go 'within a matter of hours'.
A leading scientist has warned it is “very worrying” that a shortage of Covid-19 tests could lead to people mixing over the New Year without being able to see whether they are infectious.
Professor Peter Openshaw, who sits on the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said the conditions at a New Year’s Eve gathering were “perfect” for spreading coronavirus.
The UK Government is scrambling to secure supplies of tests from around the world to meet a surge in demand as people try to comply with guidance to limit the spread of the Omicron variant.
There have also been growing concerns about the logistical problems of delivering them to the areas that need these tests the most.
So now, a number of people have started selling the testing kits at a premium online - for as much as £100.
However, on the Government website, as of December 30, no lateral flow home test kits were left to be ordered to my house.
That means my only option was to keep trying pharmacies in the hope that some still had tests left.
As I continued my mission to get my hands on a pack of tests, it soon became clear it would be fruitless.
I headed down to the Lloyds Pharmacy, part of the Barlow Medical Centre and was immediately met with the same sign telling me they were out of stock.
And a little further down the road, at the Tesco pharmacy, a worker told me that they expect deliveries every day but that demand is so high they run out quickly.
I was out for over an hour and despite a trip to five pharmacies, I still hadn't managed to get hold of any test packs so headed home.
