What is the difference between a lateral flow test and PCR test?

There are two main types of COVID-19 test:

1. Lateral Flow Test (LFT) – which are done by you at home. They detect proteins (called antigens) from the virus. Most LFT tests are performed completely at home, giving you results within minutes, without needing to send your sample to a laboratory.
2. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test – which are sent to a laboratory. These detect genetic material (called RNA) from the virus. For PCRs, you usually go to a testing site to have your sample collected. For others you can collect your own sample at home using a home collection kit and mail it to a laboratory for testing. They are more accurate than a LFT.

Samples for both LFT and PCR COVID-19 tests are taken from a nose and throat swab.

MyHSN has more information on the difference between types of COVID-19 test.