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Coronavirus: Free, Rapid Tests To Be Available Twice Weekly From Friday

Rapid coronavirus test

Free, rapid twice-weekly COVID-19 testing for everyone in England is being promised by the government - starting this Friday.

It is aimed at people without symptoms because one in three people with COVID don't have them and may be spreading the virus.

The government says the offer is currently for England only and the devolved administrations will make their own decisions.

A major marketing campaign encouraging people to take up the offer of twice-weekly lateral flow tests will also start in England this Friday.

Tests will be available through:

• A home ordering service, which allows people to order lateral flow tests online to be delivered to their home

• Workplace testing programmes, on-site or at home

• Community testing, offered by all local authorities

• Collection at a local PCR test sites during specific test collection time windows

• Testing on-site at schools and colleges

A new "Pharmacy Collect" service will be another option. People over 18 without symptoms will be able to visit a participating local pharmacy and collect a box of seven rapid tests to use twice a week at home.

It comes after the UK recorded its lowest number of new positive cases since September on Easter Sunday, while deaths came in at 10 for the second day running.

The total number of first vaccinations has now reached 31,523,010, while second jabs have risen to 5,381,745.

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