How to report your Covid test now free testing has ended

You can only report free tests through the government website

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Free Covid testing has officially ended in England - which means that reporting of the free tests has ended as well.

Unsurprisingly, reported positive tests have seen a steep drop since free tests stopped being available through the government website on 1 April.

A total of 253,456 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the past seven days, a drop of 35 per cent (or 135,912 cases) compared to the week prior.

However, deaths within 28 days of a positive test have increased, with 1,951 deaths reported in the last seven days, an increase of 63.4 per cent (or 757 people) from the week before.

The only people who can order free lateral flow test kits through the government website now include those with a health condition which makes them eligible, those whose doctor has told them to get a test as they are being admitted to hospital and those who have been asked to get a test by their GP.

Other people eligible for free test kits include NHS staff in a patient-facing role, those who work for an NHS-commissioned independent healthcare provider in a patient-facing role looking after NHS patients, or those who work for the NHS and show symptoms of Covid, or who work in the adult social care sector.

The government’s page for reporting your Covid result now says that you cannot use its service for a test kit you’ve paid for.

Instead, it says you will need to check the test kit instructions to see if you should report your results to the private test provider.

For those who aren’t eligible for free testing, kits are now being sold through all major pharmacies. Boots is selling a singular test for £2, or a pack of five tests for £9.80. Superdrug is selling a singular test for £1.95 and a pack of five for £9.59.