Experiences of rapid COVID-19 testing
Three members of the Healthwatch Coventry team set out to see how easy it was to get tests and to use them.
Louise used the online ordering route for them to be delivered to her home:
I went onto the website and completed the required fields including my date of birth and all contact details. I received 7 kits within 48 hours.
Felicity and Ruth used the online map to locate a nearby pharmacy to collect the kits from.
Felicity successfully collected kits from the pharmacy in a Morrisons store:
It was really easy – I just asked at the pharmacy, ticked a box to state my age group and why I needed them (categories included ‘I leave home for work’, ‘My child goes to school’, etc.). No other details requested.
Ruth looked at the map and was directed to a more unusual location. This turned out to be an internet only pharmacy being run in a residential road:
I spoke with the pharmacist who said they did not deal with the public face to face, but this was not the information given on the online map.
A few days later I checked the online map again and more pharmacies had been added. So I picked up test kits from a local Boots pharmacy.
Doing the test
When I opened the test kit box to do my first rapid test it seemed complicated because there were quite few different parts in the kit. I watched a You Tube video of the instructions which was really helpful as it is important to understand all the steps before you start. Just 'setting off' would not work well.
A lot of the instructions are aimed at making sure you don’t accidentally contaminate the test from the surface or your hands or anything else. Timing two bits is important too so I needed to use a clock which could count in seconds.
I completed all the steps and waited for my result, which was negative.
Now I will do two tests a week to be reassured that I am not infected with COVID-19 without knowing it. So that I won’t worry that I might accidentally pass it on to someone. It's peace of mind.
- Ruth
Go to our Coronavirus page for more information about COVID-19 testing
Go to instructions about how to do a rapid COVID-19 test on Gov.uk
