Don't believe the hype: Covid-19 testing (Case Study: UK market)

While we’re all frustrated at home, it can be tempting to find your own solution to being allowed to get back to normal. Several private companies have purported to have Covid-19 tests ready for you to take and prove that you’re healthy enough to leave your house but are they reliable or is the private sector trying to make a quick profit in this climate of anxiety?

Firstly: the value

The value of these tests is under scrutiny because most of them are not antibody tests. This means that the test only checks whether you have the virus at that point in time, not whether you’ve had the illness already and have since recovered. If this isn’t being tested, this doesn’t mean that you’re free to go outside again, it simply says whether you have been infected and currently have the virus.

Next: the accuracy

Public Health England (PHE) question the accuracy of these tests, given that you’re relying on people to self-test at home where they could easily be contaminated, and is why the NHS hasn’t moved to this model. The UK Government has confirmed that all testing should be done through NHS laboratories who specialise in infectious diseases, and also gives the ability to track the spread of the illness. Given the quick turnaround time for distributing this product, there has also not been enough quality assurance carried out on the tests, so it could be entirely a waste of money. PHE has further advised that the NHS would not be accepting private results, so if you’re admitted with symptoms, you would need to have another test processed, so you could be wasting precious time in getting to treatment.

Lastly: the morality

Questions have been raised about the morality of offering the test privately, where it is clearly a benefit only more wealthy people can justify spending in difficult financial times, or plays on the anxiety of people to pay for something that they probably can’t afford. The Private Harley Street Clinic reportedly made around £2.5m ($3.3m) in one week offering the tests and another company, Summerfield Healthcare, increased the cost of their test from £149 ($197) to £249 ($329) after the first ten days of putting the tests on sale, with their medical director admitting there was a £50 ($66) profit on each test. While frontline staff aren’t able to get tests, despite putting themselves in harm’s way to try and treat the most seriously affected people, is it really appropriate that private companies should be profiteering in this way?

So should you spend your money on a private test? It’s ultimately down to the individual, but until the tests are validated and useful, they probably aren’t going to be the best way to alleviate your anxiety or get you out of the house any quicker. Following the current government advice continues to be the safest way to protect yourself and those around you, and if you become concerned about symptoms, contact your local healthcare authority to find out if you should seek treatment.