Listed below are the two private options for COVID-19 testing available to performers and producers.
These tests will be available through Better2Know and Yoursexualhealth.
BETTER2KNOW- (HOME TEST KITS ONLY)
Use discount code UKAP50 to get the prices listed next to the tests.
What do the 2 tests mean
PCR Swab – Do I have the virus right now at the time of test – if you want to get together with other people this is the one to know about as it means you are infectious and can pass it on right now if positive.
Can detect the virus from around 2 days after potential infection – but as with all things covid it is new, and not everyone reacts the same way to it. So it can detect the virus before any symptoms appear, and it has detected it in people who do not have symptoms at all.
Antibody test – Do I have antibodies indicating that I have had it in the past. It is believed that there is likely to be some level of immunity but no one actually knows yet, and the don’t know how long immunity will last – most vaccines we have require boosters at some point in our lives. Also not everyone who has had it appears to be producing antibodies – again we wait for the science to tell us why.
The suggestion from private clinicians is that for filming/ photographs the PCR swab test is the better option as the key question is whether you will pass the infection on to each other if you have it.
PCR nasal and oral Swab test: – £145
https://www.better2know.co.uk/shop/products/home-testing-kits/covid-19-test
Antibody test – £75
You collect the sample yourself by pricking your finger with a lancet and squeezing it into a small blood collection tube. This is then sent of to a lab. If you test positive it means you have antibodies. Please see info above on the antibody test.
https://www.better2know.co.uk/shop/products/home-testing-kits/covid-19-antibody-test
YOURSEXUALHEALTH (CLINIC BASED)
PCR Nasal and oral swab test -£135
Locations: Towerbridge or London Wall
Website: https://yoursexualhealth.co.uk/
Contact: 0161 660 2599
NHS OPTION (HOME TEST OR DRIVE IN CLINIC)
A free NHS COVID-19 test IS available.
This is a PCR swab test only. Not an antibody test. To apply for a home test kit you will be required to enter your national insurance number and agree to have your information checked via a credit reference agency.
If you do not want your information cross checked with a credit reference agency you can opt to go to the drive through testing facility but you will still need to provide ID and proof of address when you get there.