FOI Ref: FOI/2021/3399
You asked
Please advise if lateral flow tests are in the daily figures of infection along with lab pcr tests.
I.e. If a person registers a positive lateral flow then is told to go and take a PCR on the same day, and the PCR returns positive, does that equate to two positive tests for that day?
We said
Thank you for your request.
The COVID-19 Infection Survey is a household survey that estimates the number of people testing positive for infection and for antibodies in the UK. Our statistics refer to the number of current COVID-19 infections within the population living in private residential households. We exclude those in hospitals, care homes and/or other communal establishments. In communal establishments, rates of COVID-19 infection are likely to be different.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA, formerly Public Health England) are responsible for NHS Test and Trace. With regards to the UK Summary: Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK cases of people testing positive; if a person has more than one positive test they are only counted as one case. This includes lateral flow tests and PCR testing. More information can be found on the About the data: Coronavirus in the UK page under "Daily and cumulative numbers of cases". For further information you can contact UKHSA via email at informationrights@ukhsa.gov.uk.
In the COVID-19 Infection Survey, only PCR tests are used and therefore there will not be duplicates with lateral flow tests. More information about the methodology can be found in COVID-19 Infection Survey: methods and further information.
Further information and an overview of data about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic from the Office for National Statistic (ONS) and other sources can be found in our Coronavirus (COVID-19) latest insights tool.