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New Paper: Do members of the public think they should use lateral flow tests or PCR tests?
12 August 2021
Professor Henry Potts and colleagues present their new paper "Do members of the public think they should use lateral flow tests or PCR tests when they have COVID-19-like symptoms?"
If you have COVID-19-like symptoms, what are you meant to do? A PCR test? Lateral flow? Both? Neither? It's all been a bit confused recently, so the CORSAIR team of researchers from 果冻影院, King's College London and Public Health England checked what 3665 members of public in England and Scotland think.聽10% of respondents thought Government guidance stated that they should take an LFT if symptomatic, while 18% of people thought that should take a PCR test; 60% thought they should take both types of test (12% did not select either option). The correct answer is to take a PCR test if you have symptoms.
In 185 people who had developed symptoms in the last week, only 32% reported taking a test to confirm whether they had COVID-19. Of these, 53% reported taking a PCR聽test and 44% reported taking an LFT.
To find out more, contact Professor聽Henry Potts, at