COVID-19 Testing

The Lateral Flow Antigen test detects the virus protein when levels of the virus are at their most infectious.

The test involves a self-administered swab of the throat and nose and samples are processed on site without the need for laboratory equipment. The whole process takes around 10 minutes. This short video from the NHS gives some information about what can be involved in taking a Lateral Flow antigen test.

Results of clinical evaluation from Public Health England and the University of Oxford show Lateral Flow Tests are accurate and sensitive to be deployed for mass testing, including for asymptomatic people.

The latest NHS Test and Trace clinical guidelines recommends that individuals should ideally have two tests (three days apart) because that increases the accuracy of the testing system.

Taking two tests conducted close to each other is designed to pick up positive cases that may not have been detected in the first test due to only low levels of virus or any newly developed cases. At the point of booking, students and staff will be offered the opportunity to book two testing slots.

We expect students and staff who do not have COVID symptoms to take regular COVID tests if they are coming to campus or living in our residences because we know that any one of us could have the virus without experiencing any symptoms.

Getting tested regularly forms part of our ongoing measures to reduce transmission of the virus alongside wearing face coverings unless exempt, staying a safe distance apart and regular hand washing. By taking part you are helping to protect yourself and others around you.

You must report your test results to the NHS even if it is negative. You will need to use the QR code, of the ID number under it, on the test strip to report your result.

Please remember to register negative and positive test results against King’s College London: KCLL (SE1 1UL).

If your test result is positive:

• you and anyone you live with should self-isolate immediately
• if you used a home testing kit you need to report your rapid lateral flow test result on GOV.UK as soon as possible
• get a PCR test (a test that is sent to a lab) to confirm your result – get a PCR test to check if you have COVID-19 on GOV.UK
• complete the King’s self-isolation report form so we can support you.

Continue to self-isolate until you get the result of the PCR test. You will need to self-isolate for at least 10 days.

In England, if you do not get a PCR test within 2 days of a positive rapid lateral flow test at a test site, you will need to self-isolate for 10 full days even if you get a negative PCR result.

A negative result means the test did not find signs of coronavirus (COVID-19).

You do not usually need to self-isolate if you get a negative result and can continue to come to campus. After a negative test, you are still susceptible to becoming infected and spreading the virus. Respecting safe distancing, wearing face coverings unless exempt and regular hand washing are the best ways to help stop the spread of the virus.

If you did a rapid lateral flow test at home, report your rapid lateral flow test result on GOV.UK as soon as possible.

From 16 August, if you are notified that you have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19, you will not be required to self-isolate if any of the following apply:

• you are fully vaccinated
• you are below the age of 18 years 6 months
• you have taken part in or are currently part of an approved COVID-19 vaccine trial
• you are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons

NHS Test and Trace will contact you to let you know that you have been identified as a contact and check whether you are legally required to self-isolate. If you are not legally required to self-isolate you will be provided with advice on testing and given guidance on preventing the spread of COVID-19. Even if you do not have symptoms, you will be advised to have a PCR test as soon as possible.

You should not arrange to have a PCR test if you have previously received a positive PCR test result in the last 90 days, unless you develop any new symptoms of COVID-19, as it is possible for PCR tests to remain positive for some time after COVID-19 infection.

If you have not received both vaccinations, you need to isolate for the full 10 day period, even if you test negative within this period.

You can order Lateral Flow home testing kits on the UK.Gov website. They are usually delivered the next day. When you register your test, please indicate you work or study at King’s and confirm if you have tested negative or positive.

If you test positive, please also complete the King’s self-isolation reporting form.

Lateral Flow home testing - this is a self-administered swab of the throat and nose that you can do in your own home, please remember to register negative and positive test results against King’s College London: KCLL(SE1 1UL). Home test kits can be ordered from UK. GOV or are available from a local pharmacy, use the postcode tracker for your nearest location.

If you notice anything damaged, broken or missing or difficult to use in the home test kit - do not use it. Please pick up order a new box of test kits.

If you've been harmed or had a reaction using the lateral flow home test kit please report it on the

Coronavirus Yellow Card Reporting site.

Please ask your placement lead to confirm which type of COVID-19 test (Lateral Flow or PCR) is acceptable to your placement provider. If a Lateral Flow test is required, you should check if a home testing kit can be used.

You may also have access to priority testing through your placement.

Fit to Fly, also known as a fit to travel certificate, is a medical certificate confirming your fitness to travel by any means of transport. A Fit to Fly certificate is only issued to you if you test negative for COVID-19. Please note that we are unable to guarantee that our Fit to Fly certificate will be accepted by your intended country of travel or by your carrier. It is your responsibility to check that KCL TEST meets the entry requirements of the country you intend to travel to. For example, some countries will only accept test samples collected via a nasopharyngeal swab (KCL TEST is a saliva-based PCR test) or will only accept tests which are administered by a trained professional (KCL TEST is self-administered). You can check the requirements for each country on the government webpages here. You should also check if your airline has a testing requirement. King’s cannot accept any liability if your destination country or carrier does not accept our Fit to Fly certificate.

The exact same test is being carried out. The only difference is that with Fit to Fly, we would provide you with a certificate to prove that you have tested negative for COVID-19. You must register your kit by completing the Fit to Fly booking form to receive a Fit to Fly certificate.

We use saliva samples to test for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material (the virus that causes COVID-19) in a laboratory by using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. This is the most sensitive and accurate method of testing that is currently available. You should check whether saliva testing by using the PCR method will be accepted by your destination country. For example, some countries will only accept test samples that are collected via nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs (swabs of the back of the nose and throat). Please note that you will be required to collect the saliva sample yourself and we are unable to supervise you or administer the test for you. You should check whether this mode of sample collection will be accepted by your destination country. For example, some countries will not accept self-administered PCR tests or will only accept self-administered tests if accompanied by real-time supervision remotely via audio and video connection.

Entry requirements vary by country and are constantly changing. The vast majority of countries require a test to be completed 48-72 hours before departure, but there are a few countries that request a test to be competed 24 hours before departure. It is your responsibility to check the entry requirements of your intended travel destination and carrier and to perform the test within the correct timeframe. You can check the requirements for each country on the government webpages here.

Please be aware that a very small number of tests will sometimes return a void result, in which circumstances you will be required to repeat the test. We therefore recommend that you take your test as soon as permitted for your trip to ensure that you receive your test results in good time.

We do not currently have a postal service available for Fit to Fly testing. Tests are only available from a KCL TEST Hub on campus or in King’s residences if you live or work in a residence.

KCL TEST sample drop off locations servicing King’s campuses and daily collection times vary across the different locations, please view details on the webpage here. The latest sample collection times are either at 15.00, 16.00 or 17.00 depending on which Hub you use. If you drop off your sample before the Hub’s last daily collection time, you should receive your result within 12-24 hours.

While we make every effort to return test results within this timeframe, this is not guaranteed. If you drop your sample off after the Hub’s daily collection time, your sample will be collected and processed the next day. There are no collections on the weekend. If your sample is dropped off after the daily collection time on Friday, your sample will be processed after the weekend and you will receive your results on Monday.

Please be aware that a very small number of tests will sometimes return a void result, in which circumstances you will be required to repeat the test. We therefore recommend that you take your test as soon as permitted for your trip to ensure that you receive your test results in good time.

Your results will be sent to you via email to the email address you have entered when you register your sample. Please check that you have entered the correct email address to ensure that you receive your result as soon as it has been processed by the laboratory team. When you submit your KCL TEST form, you will receive an automated email to confirm that you have successfully registered your sample. Please check that you receive this confirmation email on submission of the KCL TEST form. If you don’t receive this confirmation email, please check your junk folder before contacting us.

Fit to Fly certificates are only issued with a negative result email and are sent in digital format as a PDF attachment. We are currently unable to provide you with a physical copy of the certificate, but you may of course print out the electronic certificate that we send to you if you wish to do so.

If you receive a positive or void result, we will not issue you with a Fit to Fly certificate. In the instance of a void result, you will be asked to submit a further sample. If you receive a positive test result you will need to self-isolate and will not be able to travel. Please see What does a positive result mean? below.

Your Fit to Fly certificate will contain:

• Your full name,
• date of birth,
• passport number,
• the date the test was submitted,
• the date the test was processed,
• your test result
• the signature of the test approver at the laboratory.

Please check the exact details you will need to provide and ensure that this will be accepted by your intended travel destination and the airline you are travelling with.

Entry requirements vary by country and are constantly changing. It is your responsibility to check that you have the necessary and correct documentation for your journey.

You may wish to visit the UK Government foreign travel advice page at https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice for further information. You should also check if your airline has a testing requirement. Please note that we are unable to provide any advice as to which test you need to complete in order to travel.

No, Fit to Fly can only be used to depart from the UK (i.e., travel out of the UK). If you are planning to travel into the UK and require testing on arrival, please visit https://www.gov.uk/find-travel-test-provider to find a test provider.

As testing is carried out in a laboratory in London, it will not be possible to use KCL TEST Fit to Fly to return to the UK from abroad.

The only exception to this is if you are returning to the UK within 3 days of your Fit to Fly test, in which case you are permitted to use your Fit to Fly test which you took before you travelled out of the UK to return to the UK. The service on which you will arrive back in the UK must set off for the UK within 3 days of when you first took the test. Please note that you would still need to book your Day 2/ Day 8 test with an approved private test provider (KCL TEST cannot be used for this purposes).

Please note that the above information was correct at the point of writing but government requirements can change from time to time. Please check the latest UK Government pre-departure testing requirement by visiting https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-for-people-travelling-to-england.

This service is available to students and staff of King’s College London. We are currently also able to offer this service to household members of students and staff, although this may be removed in future, if our numbers increase and we reach our full testing capacity. You will require your k-number, or the k-number of your household member affiliated with King’s to complete the booking. Your k-number is the IT username that you use to sign into your King’s email address and KEATS).

This is a complimentary service provided to students and staff of King’s College London, as well as their non-King's household members. You will require your k-number, or the k-number of your household member affiliated with King’s to complete the booking. Your k-number is the IT username that you use to sign into your King’s email address and KEATS).

Please visit one of the KCL TEST Hubs on campus, or at your residence, to pick up a test kit. Once you have collected and registered your test kit online (by scanning your test tube barcode and completing the Fit to Fly booking form), you can take your test and drop your sample in the yellow drop box at any KCL TEST Hub.

How do I take a test?

The tests are non-invasive and completely pain-free. You will simply need to provide a saliva sample by spitting into a test tube.

1. Pick up a test kit from your nearest KCL TEST Hub on campus.
2. Visit www.kcl.ac.uk/kcltest. Register your test kit online using the KCL TEST Fit to Fly form. You must scan the barcode on the test tube so we can link your sample to you. If you don’t scan your barcode, you will not receive a result. You can use your mobile or tablet camera to scan the barcode or if you have difficulties using the scanner, you can enter the barcode manually.
3. Take your saliva test, following the instructions in the test kit.
4. Drop off your sample at your nearest KCL TEST Hub. Make sure you check what the last daily collection time is for the hub you drop your sample back to. Other locations may have a later collection time. Select the KCL TEST tab on this webpage to check the daily collection times for each Hub.

If you dropped off your sample before the last daily collection for that hub, and you haven’t received your result within 18 hours, please contact us at covid-testing@kcl.ac.uk. Our helpdesk operates 08.00 – 20.00 Monday to Friday and 08.00 to 12.00 on Saturdays.

If your test result was positive for Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. You should follow government guidelines and self-isolate for 10 days. You will not be able to travel.

Please complete the King’s Self-Isolation Reporting Form, so we can support you during your self-isolation period.

If you feel unwell, follow government guidelines and seek medical advice from the NHS immediately.

Your test result will be submitted to Public Health England and recorded in the national Covid-19 figures. After your result has been recorded, NHS Test and Trace will ask you for a full list of close contacts. This is mandatory to complete and a legal government requirement.

KCL TEST will send you a home testing kit, requesting 3 samples while you are self-isolating. These are voluntary and can be returned by post, or on campus once your self-isolation period is complete.

You can return to your normal routine and stop self-isolating after 10 full days if your symptoms have gone, or if the only symptoms you have are a cough or anosmia (loss of smell), which can last for several weeks. If you still have a high temperature after 10 days or are otherwise unwell, stay at home and seek medical advice.

After you have completed your 10 day self-isolation period, you do not need to do another test for 90 days, unless you develop any new symptoms of COVID-19, or if a negative test result is required for work or travel purposes.

If, however, you do have a Lateral Flow antigen test within 90 days of a previous positive COVID-19 PCR test, for example as part of a workplace or community testing programme, or for a Fit to Fly certificate, and the result of this test is positive, you and your household should self-isolate and follow the steps in this guidance again.

If it is more than 90 days since you tested positive by PCR for COVID-19, and you have new symptoms of COVID-19, or a positive Lateral Flow antigen or PCR test, follow the steps in this guidance again.

A negative result means that at the time you took the test we did not detect that you had the coronavirus. We will issue you with a Fit to Fly certificate.

A void test result means that we were unable to complete the analysis on your sample. This may be because the sample had very little or no material in it and we could not detect anything, or the data we collected from your sample was inconclusive and didn’t give a clear result. This is not a negative result. Please submit another sample as soon as possible.

These tests are not currently accepted for the government Test to Release scheme. For more information on the test to release scheme please see the government website.

Please follow the Coronavirus (COVID-19): safer travel guidance for passengers, including booking ahead wherever possible and the government guidance on:

• wearing a face covering unless exempt
• keeping your distance from people from other households when you travel, where possible
• washing or sanitising your hands regularly
• avoiding the busiest routes, as well as busy times like the rush hour if possible
• downloading the NHS COVID-19 Test and Trace app before you travel

If you are planning to travel by National Rail (train) please see the guidance for the relevant train operator.

If you are travelling by a private vehicle please follow the safer travel guidance.