MILLIONS of tests that can tell whether you've had coronavirus will be available within weeks, the government has said.
The "game-changer" check is simple to use and will be similar to taking a pregnancy test, according to the Communities Secretary.
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Robert Jenrick said the government had ordered mass stock of the antibody test which can detect if an individual has had Covid-19 – even without symptoms.
The test, which is still in development, goes further than the current method which only diagnoses those who are currently infected with the disease.
Having this type of check could give people the "green light" to come out of self-isolation or social distancing measures and help in the nationwide response to the pandemic.
It would especially allow NHS and other key public sector workers to get back to the frontline safe in the knowledge that they are unlikely to catch the virus again.
Mr Jenrick told the BBC that the government had ordered “millions” of the testing kits and added that they will be available "in the coming weeks.”
Explaining how the test works, he said: “It will be a very simple one to use and it will be similar to taking a pregnancy test.”
Last week, the Prime Minister announced that Covid-19 testing in hospitals would be ramped up to 25,000 a day.
NHS workers are being tested as a priority so that those who test negative for coronavirus can continue to fight on the frontline.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he hoped that the testing of medical staff would take place "as soon as possible" so that doctors, nurses and other NHS workers who may not have the virus but are self-isolating can get back to work.
He told BBC Breakfast: "We are rapidly expanding testing. We have been buying testing kits over this weekend and all of last week to make sure we have as much as possible."
He said he hoped to say more about the expansion of tests in the next few days.
However, Mr Jenrick said there was a “long way to go” before the 25,000 testing target could be reached.
He also said the government was “working around the clock” to get personal protective equipment – including face masks and suits – to frontline staff.
Army drafted in
The armed forces are being drafted in to help manage and distribute supplies, according to the Health Secretary.
Matt Hancock told the BBC there have been "challenges" with the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) but that he was taking the issue "very seriously".
NHS England said millions more items of PPE had been delivered over the last few days to hospitals, ambulance trusts and care homes among others.
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It follows a letter in the Sunday Times from almost 4,000 NHS workers who called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to "protect the lives of the life-savers" and resolve the "unacceptable" shortage of protective equipment.
The group said many medical workers are "putting their lives on the line every day" by treating coronavirus patients without appropriate protection, and they called on Mr Johnson to ensure an adequate supply of masks, safety glasses, gloves, aprons and protective suits.
NHS England said the army would "play its part" from this week, offering personnel to "help to manage and offload supplies in busy NHS settings" and distributing PPE supplies to the front line.
Mr Hancock told the broadcaster: "I am determined to ensure that the right kit gets to the right hospital, the right ambulance service, the right doctors' surgery, right across the country.
"There have been challenges and I can see that. We're on it and trying to solve all the problems."
PPE pressures
There have been increased pressure on the supply chain of PPE owing to the outbreak of Covid-19 as well as the related manufacturing slowdown particularly in China, the NHS said.
Emily Lawson, chief commercial officer for the NHS, said: "We need massively increased, urgent volume of these supplies to the frontline in this exceptional set of circumstances.
"Working with our partners, we are now seeing much increased capacity, and a more responsive supply chain to help take us through the coronavirus outbreak. We are extremely grateful for the army's support in doing so."
Meanwhile, respiratory doctors and nurses at Belfast Trust launched a video on Twitter saying people should stay at home to save lives.
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One medic there says she has been a doctor for 35 years, adding: "I'm Susie, we are facing our greatest challenge and we are frightened … please stay at home."
Mr Johnson has warned that the NHS could be "overwhelmed" in the same way as the Italian healthcare system has been, if the the spread of the virus in the UK is not curbed.
But at his daily No 10 press conference on Sunday, Mr Johnson indicated he was reluctant to ban people from going outside for a walk or to exercise because of the physical and mental health benefits, as long as they acted responsibly.
The Government later issued updated guidance making clear that essential travel did not include visits to "second homes, camp sites, caravan parks or similar, whether for isolation purposes or holidays".
It came as an 18-year-old was thought to have become the youngest victim of the virus in Britain as the number of deaths in the UK rose to 281.
In Walsall, a 36-year-old nurse and mother-of-three is on a ventilator in intensive care after contracting coronavirus.
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