Should Covid tests be free again? Why you shouldn’t need to pay for lateral flow tests - according to experts

Covid rates in the UK have surged recently - due to the BA.4 and BA.5 variants - leading to campaigners calling for free tests to return.

Dr John Puntis, co-chair of Keep Our NHS Public and lead of the petition, said the recent rise of Covid cases made the petition to bring back free lateral flow tests “even more relevant”.

He said that although there are fewer cases of serious illness and death from Covid, there are still 3.7 million people in England classed as clinically extremely vulnerable from Covid.

He added that more than two million people in England who have had long Covid “often live with the devastating effects on their quality of life and ability to work”.

Dr Puntis said the petition sends “a strong message” to Prime Minister Boris Johnson that there is much more to be done and that “living with Covid has to be a lot more than just vaccination”.

“It must include widespread testing, free lateral flow tests, sick pay and support for self-isolation, mask wearing in crowded indoors, flexible working, and clean air through improved ventilation systems. It is time to put public health at the heart of our response to Covid,” Dr Puntis added.

Martin Michaelis, professor of molecular medicine at the University of Kent, also agreed that free testing for Covid needs to be made publicly available on a widespread basis again.

He said if the spread of Covid is to be reduced then people need to know whether they are infected and may infect others.

Without tests, nobody can know whether they carry the virus or not, he added.

Prof Michaelis said that due to the high level of pre-existing immunity - which is down to vaccinations and previous infections - many people do not experience symptoms when they are infected with Covid.

He added that even those who do have symptoms cannot know with certainty whether they have Covid or another respiratory infection.

Many people will therefore “unknowingly spread Covid if they do not have an easy opportunity to test themselves,” he added.

He also said that although many people have a high level of immune protection from Covid, there is “a significant proportion” of the population whose immune system is not working properly and who cannot protect themselves by vaccination.

“These people are put at a much higher risk when the Covid levels are high in the population”, said Prof Michaelis.

“Since people can only avoid spreading the virus when they know that they have it, free testing is an important measure that reduces Covid spread and, in turn, the risk of future devastating Covid waves,” he added.