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A UK based laboratory claims it has developed a finger-prick testing kit that can detect Covid-19 infection in just 15 minutes.

AlphaBiolabs told the Liverpool Echo that the test can be performed by an individual or company health professional, and will show whether a person has the coronavirus or not.

The Warrington based firm claimed the sample collection method used is less unpleasant than the current nasopharyngeal method, which involves swapping the nose and the back of the throat.

A spokesperson for AlphaBiolabs said the company wants to target businesses interested in screening their employees.

Deserted London during Coronavirus - In pictures 48 show all Deserted London during Coronavirus - In pictures 1/48 A quiet Millennium Bridge PA 2/48 A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images 3/48 An empty Millennium Bridge PA 4/48 Visitors to the Victoria and Albert Museum in the Paul and Jill Ruddock gallery the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson PA 5/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 6/48 A sparsely-filled carriage on an Underground train in west London PA 7/48 A few people listen to a classical quarter performing in Covent Garden AP 8/48 A quiet Regents Street PA 9/48 Commuters walk through a quiet Waterloo Station at 9.00am AFP via Getty Images 10/48 Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern AFP via Getty Images 11/48 a near-empty Pret A Manger restaurant on the Strand AFP via Getty Images 12/48 A member of the public on the tube PA 13/48 Oxford Circus PA 14/48 A quiet shop floor in Harrod PA 15/48 Harrods PA 16/48 People walk through Chinatown PA 17/48 A view of Covent Garden PA 18/48 A commuter crosses an empty Waterloo Bridge PA 19/48 The Mary Poppins statue outside the closed Odeon Leicester Square PA 20/48 An empty Kings Cross tube station in London PA 21/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 22/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 23/48 An empty King's Cross tube station PA 24/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 25/48 Paddington Station Jason Collie 26/48 A couple sit at a restaurant on usually busy street in Clapham, Reuters 27/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 28/48 Bicycles remain in there racks outside an empty street near Euston station PA 29/48 Cambridge Circus PA 30/48 Leicester Square PA 31/48 Covent Garden PA 32/48 A quiet shop floor in Harrods PA 33/48 A commuter crosses an empty Waterloo Bridge PA 34/48 An empty cinema theatre in Canary Wharf PA 35/48 An empty terrace of tables outside a bar in Canary Wharf PA 36/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 37/48 A commuter crosses an empty Waterloo Bridge PA 38/48 A quiet shop floor in Harrods PA 39/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 40/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 41/48 People wait for a DLR train toward Canary Wharf at Mudchute statio PA 42/48 A view of Canary Wharf station in London PA 43/48 A view of Canary Wharf in London PA 44/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 45/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 46/48 A near-empty rush-hour train from Tring in Hertfordshire to Euston PA 47/48 A view of Canary Wharf in London PA 48/48 Twilight over London Jeremy Selwyn 1/48 A quiet Millennium Bridge PA 2/48 A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images 3/48 An empty Millennium Bridge PA 4/48 Visitors to the Victoria and Albert Museum in the Paul and Jill Ruddock gallery the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson PA 5/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 6/48 A sparsely-filled carriage on an Underground train in west London PA 7/48 A few people listen to a classical quarter performing in Covent Garden AP 8/48 A quiet Regents Street PA 9/48 Commuters walk through a quiet Waterloo Station at 9.00am AFP via Getty Images 10/48 Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern AFP via Getty Images 11/48 a near-empty Pret A Manger restaurant on the Strand AFP via Getty Images 12/48 A member of the public on the tube PA 13/48 Oxford Circus PA 14/48 A quiet shop floor in Harrod PA 15/48 Harrods PA 16/48 People walk through Chinatown PA 17/48 A view of Covent Garden PA 18/48 A commuter crosses an empty Waterloo Bridge PA 19/48 The Mary Poppins statue outside the closed Odeon Leicester Square PA 20/48 An empty Kings Cross tube station in London PA 21/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 22/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 23/48 An empty King's Cross tube station PA 24/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 25/48 Paddington Station Jason Collie 26/48 A couple sit at a restaurant on usually busy street in Clapham, Reuters 27/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 28/48 Bicycles remain in there racks outside an empty street near Euston station PA 29/48 Cambridge Circus PA 30/48 Leicester Square PA 31/48 Covent Garden PA 32/48 A quiet shop floor in Harrods PA 33/48 A commuter crosses an empty Waterloo Bridge PA 34/48 An empty cinema theatre in Canary Wharf PA 35/48 An empty terrace of tables outside a bar in Canary Wharf PA 36/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 37/48 A commuter crosses an empty Waterloo Bridge PA 38/48 A quiet shop floor in Harrods PA 39/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 40/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 41/48 People wait for a DLR train toward Canary Wharf at Mudchute statio PA 42/48 A view of Canary Wharf station in London PA 43/48 A view of Canary Wharf in London PA 44/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 45/48 London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 46/48 A near-empty rush-hour train from Tring in Hertfordshire to Euston PA 47/48 A view of Canary Wharf in London PA 48/48 Twilight over London Jeremy Selwyn

The test costs £125 plus VAT. It involves taking a blood sample via finger prick and then putting it into a screening device.

The firm claims that the test takes only 15 minutes to provide information on whether the subject is infected, and how recently they were infected.

David Thomas, managing director of AlphaBiolabs, said: “This rapid immunoassay-based test can detect the presence of a Covid-19 infection without using expensive private clinics or relying on an already-stretched NHS.

“Recent studies suggest that a high percentage of patients show no clinical symptoms, which is why the spread of coronavirus is creating major logistical and operational problems for businesses, with no way of predicting how long the pandemic will last or the impact it will have.

"Human resources teams are having to deal with the physical and emotional concerns of their staff while continuing to perform their duties in this climate of uncertainty.

“Immediate results are essential if employees need to be isolated or quarantined.”

He added: “Most companies are putting together plans to have employees working from home but, for many sectors this is not possible, such as distribution, warehousing, logistics or service businesses.

“As a testing services provider, we have been inundated by requests from our customers to help address the issue, as a lot of the advice currently available from government, health bodies and the media is very mixed.

“We are pleased to be able to respond to this demand by offering a fully-certificated European-registered device which can be used in a healthcare or commercial premises environment. We are proud to be the first UK laboratory equipped to process test results on a mass scale, although we have a limited supply of the kits available.”