What is antigen testing?
Antigen tests detect proteins specific to a virus that appears in infected individuals, which indicates active infection. Rapid antigen testing is beneficial because of their portability, ease-of-use, and rapid time to result.
These tests are designed to detect a live virus in people who are highly infectious, whether they are displaying symptoms or not. Their rapid turnaround time allows for mass testing in workplaces and schools without the need for expensive laboratory equipment and analysis.
What Is An Antigen Lateral Flow Test?
SureScreen Lateral flow antigen tests work by taking a sample from the nose and testing that sample for the presence of antigens, the signature proteins of the virus. They show results visually, in the same way as many pregnancy tests.
How Quickly Does Surescreen Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test Deliver a Result?
An Antigen lateral flow test kits provide a visual, easy to read result in as little as 15 minutes, which means those who test positive can be instructed to isolate quickly and minimise exposure of COVID-19 in your school, workplace or community.
A positive test should be confirmed by a governament approved CPR test.
Have the SureScreen Test been validated by the UK Government
The SureScreen lateral flow test has been tested by the UK Government against the new variants Click Here
Testing was also carried out by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Hospital Foundation Trust Click Here
The SureScreen Antigen Test Kit is CE marked and registered with the MHRA
What is the Difference Between an Antibody and an Antigen Test?
An antibody test is a blood test to determine if you’ve already been exposed to COVID-19 and have developed the relevan antibodies.
It works by detecting antibodies to SARS COV-2 infection in your blood or serum.
A lateral flow (LFT) antigen test looks for an active COVID-19 infection such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus. If your antigen test is positive, you should self-isolate at home and follow government guidance.
Does my Surescreen Antigen Testing Kit Contain Everything I Need To Perform The Test?
The Surescreen Rapid Lateral Flow testing kits come supplied with all the necessary tools to carry out the test - no extra equipment is needed. The packs include a workstation to lay out the contents in a way that helps workplaces deliver mass testing with ease, organisation and efficiency.
Clear instructions are supplied on how to perform the test and read the results.
While no specialist equipment or laboratory analysis is required, we recommend that these products are used by healthcare professional or trained and competent people.
Are Specialist Personnel Required to Administer the LFT?
The SureScreen LFD antigen tests are designed to be used by Healthcare professionals or by trained and competent individuals.
How Often Should I Check for Symptoms or Test?
As an employer, you need to decide the appropriate timescale between tests. For example, in some sectors (such as health and social care) where interactions with vulnerable individuals are common, repeat rapid antigen testing may be required more often.
This depends on the safety measures that your organisation needs to put in place. The scale of these will be impacted by the size of your workforce, the risk factors identified in your contingency plan and the effect of any requirement to isolate on your ability to continue running your business.
A positive test on the the Surescreen Rapid Antigen test cassette will require for the individual to self isolate and book a Governament approved PCR Covid test immediately for confirmation.
How Do I Store The Surescreen Antigen Test Kit?
The Surescreen Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test can be stored at room temperature or refrigerated (2-30°C) - please follow instructions on each pack. The test device is stable through the expiration date printed on the sealed pouch. The test device must remain in the sealed pouch until use.
What is the shelf-life of the Surescreen Lateral Flow Test?
Normally the Surescreen Antigen Test have at least 18 months shelf-life, some batches do extend to 24 months expiry date.
What is the extraction buffer?
The extraction buffer includes components to dissociate viral proteins from their surfaces to be used as a target for the test. The method of the extraction buffer is used to prepare the test sample by dissolving the virus shell, which also deactivates the virus.
Does the test kit include transport media?
The test kit includes an extraction buffer that is used to prepare the specimen for testing purposes. The extraction buffer IS NOT transport media and should not be used to preserve or transport specimens.
Can the test be used with alternative specimen types such as nasal swabs or any specimen contained in viral transport media?
The Surescreen Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test is for direct nasopharyngeal swab specimen only. The test can only be used with the swab provided in the kit.
Can I collect the specimen and test at a later time?
The specimen should be tested immediately after collection. The specimen can be retained up to 1 hour following collection if immediate testing of specimens is not possible. Dispose of the specimen and recollect if retained for more than 1 hour.
Can I freeze the device for long-term storage?
The device should never be frozen. If refrigerated, allow the test kit components to reach room temperature before use.
How do I safely dispose of a used Surescreen Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test kit?
According to the government instruction leaflets to Carehomes for safe disposal of lateral flow antigen test kits, these can be bagged and disposed of in the normal household waste. Care Home LFD Self test Guidance
Could vaccination cause a false-positive COVID-19 lateral flow device (LFD) antigen test result?
The Surescreen Antigen LFD test detects a different protein of the virus than the one encoded in the vaccine. There is no possibility of cross reaction.
