Coronavirus: NHS Scotland to get 12-minute Covid test kit

The health service in Scotland has signed a deal for equipment allowing Covid-19 tests to be carried out in just 12 minutes.

NHS Scotland is to spend £6.76m on 300 rapid testing machines and at least 500,000 tests.

The deal with life sciences company LumiraDx will see the test strips made at its Stirling base.

The testing machines are said to be highly portable and can be used in local clinics or mobile units.

The test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes Covid-19 has been authorised by the US Federal Drug Administration and is "going through the final stages of validation for use in Scotland and Europe".

Scottish government minister Ivan McKee said: "The contract with LumiraDx to supply 12-minute test instruments to NHS Scotland is great news for communities across the country and for the global fight against this virus.

"The strips that are part of these testing devices will be manufactured in Scotland supporting local jobs and again highlighting the strength of our life sciences industry."

The test detects the Covid-19 antigen protein from a nasal swab. Its result time of 12 minutes is said to be considerably faster than other rapid tests currently being trialled, which produce results in an average time of 90 minutes.

The equipment connects to a cloud system, allowing outbreaks of disease to be tracked quickly by health authorities.

Chief executive and chairman of LumiraDx Ron Zwanziger said the test would "deliver fast, accurate and actionable diagnostic results" near the patient.

"We are proud to have a strong presence in Scotland with our research and manufacturing teams here and look forward to working with Scotland's health systems to address the Covid-19 crisis in a way that's affordable and accessible in community care settings," he added.

LumiraDx has its headquarters in London, research and development and manufacturing in Stirling and sales offices in Arbroath.