Health officials have confirmed that they are distributing a “mixture of test kits” at the moment, some with throat swabs and some without.
According to the Bristol Post, the distribution of lateral flow test kits with throat swabs is based on supply.
However, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said that whether or not the lateral flow test kit includes a throat swab does not matter as there is no difference between the kits and their abilities to detect Omicron and Delta variants.
It also says that all lateral flow devices used by NHS Test and Trace have gone through “rigorous validation”.
“Currently the majority of our data is collected from symptomatic PCR testing results, without an LFD test taken prior to the PCR test," explained Professor Steven Riley of the UKHSA.
"We expect some changes to data streams as a result of fewer people taking PCR tests following positive LFD test results and will be monitoring this closely on the dashboard in the weeks ahead.
“LFD test results are vital to public health surveillance and inform our response to the pandemic. We urge everyone registers their LFD test results within 24 hours of testing. A full breakdown of the data by category for England is published each day on the dashboard.”
It comes as Plan B restrictions are set to be eased next week as the Government continues to make changes to Covid measures in England.
The rules, which include wearing face mask inside and working from home, could be updated on January 26 as infections are falling across the country.
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