Firms race to meet continued demand for antigen test kits despite lifting of restrictions

Antigen testing will continue over the coming three to four or five months, right up to the summer, where companies will need to reopen safely

The explosion in the use of at-home testing could pave the way for other testing kits that can detect other ailments.

Even with the lifting of almost all pandemic restrictions in recent days the explosion in the use of self-testing antigen tests is set to continue and likely to form a key part of the return to work and the reopening of the economy.

Resisted for a significant period by health officials here, the huge rise of the Omicron variant put the more accurate PCR testing system under severe pressure and meant the rapid, and relatively cheap, antigen tests have now become a common feature of households and workplaces across the country.