The government has been criticised for not having enough tests for the NHS

A test for Covid-19 developed by a British-listed biotech company has been fast-tracked by the World Health Organisation.

Novacyt’s Primerdesign subsidiary is developing the test — which identifies people showing symptoms — in Southampton and it has been listed as eligible for emergency use for one year by WHO.

The listing is designed to accelerate the availability of the test to help procurement agencies and countries that have not yet approved the device.

There are only two companies listed by WHO for Covid-19 tests. Roche, the Swiss-based multinational, was listed last week. WHO developed the process in response to the 2014 ebola outbreak.

Graham Mullis, Novacyt’s chief executive, said that the emergency use listing (EUL) “provides further validation of our Covid-19 test and gives government