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Tesco commences sale of lateral flow kits as England ends free testing

Date: April 02, 2022 Meghna Singh Meghna Singh
Tesco commences sale of lateral flow kits as England ends free testing 
Tesco is reportedly selling lateral flow kits across its 1,500 stores, many with no pharmacies amidst an intense price war of tests.



With the end of universal free testing in England, the biggest retailers in the UK stated that £2 individual tests offered by Everything Genetic would be available in its stores across the country starting May.



Chief Executive James Price believes that the collaboration with Tesco will reduce the costs of tests and aid consumers worrying about extra costs at a time of steep living costs. Everything Genetic intends to increase the accessibility of testing and reduce the cost to less than the cost of a takeaway coffee.



With the government upscaling its spending on public health measures related to the pandemic, the decision to stop free testing has been strongly opposed by personnel within the medical profession as well as charities and unions.



Frances O’Grady, Trades Union Congress (TUC)’s General Secretary, has argued that free tests must not end as setting a cost on the COVID tests at a time of crisis is reckless as well as heartless.



Increasing case numbers of COVID-19 means many people still preferred peace of mind rather than an accurate result provided by the lateral flow test devices. Price cited that the convenient availability of kits at Tesco locations will be beneficial for everyone throughout the country.



Boots has reduced the costs of their tests from £2.50 to £2 in about 400 of its high-street locations, with the FlowFlex devices available on its website.



There are many inexpensive deals online, but many potential purchases should consider the register of approved devices to assure the listing of the brand. The test pricing does not pertain to any government regulations, but the UK Health Security Agency has committed to monitoring the market for any discrepancies in prices.



Source credit:



https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/31/tesco-starts-selling-lateral-flow-kits-as-free-testing-in-england-ends

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Meghna Singh

An English Literature graduate, Meghna Singh ventured into the profession of content development to incorporate her knack for writing articles across verticals including technology, healthcare, business, and alike for News Origins and Newsorigins. She has also completed her MBA in Tourism and worked as a content creator in the field of product development.