RAPTOR C-19: RAPid community Testing fOR COVID-19 (RAPTOR C-19)

Summary: The aim of this study is to assess the diagnostic accuracy of a number of point-of-care tests (POCTS) for active COVID-19 infection in the community setting. The NHS urgently needs quick, accurate rapid diagnostic tests to diagnose people with COVID-19 or to confirm that people do not have the infection. POCTs can be used in community settings where there is no easy access to a specialist laboratory. They provide quick results that allow people to get immediate advice about self-isolation and treatment, potentially blocking further spread of infection in the community. Companies are quickly developing new rapid diagnostic tests, but we do not know how well they work. Some tests give a result like a pregnancy test by using a drop of blood from a finger prick. Others use saliva, or a swab to collect a sample from the nose or throat. Companies check that tests work in their laboratories, but usually tests do not work as well when used in the outside world with real patients. Accurate rapid diagnostic tests are important so that people are not falsely reassured when they are infected and are not wrongly diagnosed when they are not really infected. Our team manages a national monitoring system with a network of community settings including GP practices from all over England. These GP practices have been testing for COVID-19 since January 2020 with samples sent for laboratory tests. In this study, GP practices in the network will quickly compare new POCTs for COVID-19 with laboratory tests so we can see how good the new POCTs are in a coordinated and efficient way. Description: CONDOR is the overarching platform which will be providing coordination, and as such, it has been deemed not to require submission to the HRA. Two research studies (FALCON and RAPTOR) which feed into this platform.