Wealthy VIPs, celebrities and businesses are going private for £375-a-time coronavirus testing kits from Harley Street after Public Health England said not everyone could get checked
- Wealthy VIPs shelling out £375 each for a coronavirus test from London clinic
- It comes after Public Health England said it could only test certain patients
- The Private Clinic of Harley Street says it has been inundated with buyers
- The tests are carried out by a British laboratory and are said to be 100% accurate
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
Wealthy celebrities, the nobility and many of the UK’s largest businesses are swerving government rules by paying for private coronavirus tests.
More than 2,000 people have ordered a £375 home testing kit from a Harley Street clinic in London after being turned down by the NHS, according to the Daily Telegraph.
In addition to individuals, some 60 firms including oil and telecoms companies, have bought them for their staff.
Last week Public Health England said that people would no longer be tested for COVID-19 unless they presented symptoms which warranted such analysis.
Dr Mark Ali, director of the Private Clinic of Harley Street on London’s world-renowned medical avenue, said his practice was offering a new kit for £375 each
On its website, the item can be easily ‘added to cart,’ much in the same way as conventional online products
It comes as a growing number of VIPs, such as actor Edris Elba and athletes have tested positive, despite not appearing to meet the NHS criteria.
Dr Mark Ali, director of the Private Clinic of Harley Street on London’s world-renowned medical avenue, said his practice was offering a new kit for £375 each.
On its website, the item can be easily ‘added to cart,’ much in the same way as conventional online products.
The practice says the test is ‘performed by a world renown UKAS accredited British laboratory and the test results are 100% accurate and do not require further tests to confirm any diagnoses.’
The website hastens to add, that though it oversees the entire process, patients should not attempt to pick up their kits from Harley Street.
‘Please note under no circumstances can this test be done in our clinic or be collected from our clinic.’ The website states.
‘It is sent to your designated address by courier service within 48 hrs. Please refer to the details below and order through the link at the bottom of this page.’
Dr Ali told The Telegraph he has received countless requests from buyers.
‘People are worried sick. They want to get some clarity back in their lives,’ he told The Telegraph.
‘We’ve got university students in England who want to go back to Nepal, but need to know if they have the disease so they can be let back into their own country.
‘We’ve got a businessman who owns a construction company employing 60 people. He needs to know the state of play, or he risks letting down his customers. So every single person in that company is being tested.’
It comes as the death toll from coronavirus rose from 16 to 71 and Tuesday, with 407 patients diagnosed in the past 24 hours – meaning 1,950 Britons have now caught the life-threatening virus.
It comes after the government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, admitted there are likely to be around 55,000 cases of coronavirus currently in the UK, calling the staggering figure a ‘reasonable ballpark’.