Cobalt Health introduces COVID-19 antigen testing

To ensure patient and staff safety plus aid continuity of service to the NHS, Cobalt Health has introduced the CLINITEST Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test. The point-of-care cassette test distributed by Siemens Healthineers allows samples to be collected easily from the front of the nose and delivers accurate results for the imaging charity in just 15 minutes.

Cobalt Health provides diagnostic imaging services to over 100,000 patients each year through imaging centres in Cheltenham, Birmingham and a fleet of mobile MRI and CT units across the UK. Over the last nine months, Cobalt has worked alongside NHS England as it responds to the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic, supplying additional capacity and supporting the continuity of cancer pathways. Cobalt has also redeployed four mobile CT systems to provide vital support to NHS hospitals throughout England, including the Nightingale Hospitals.

To ensure the charity can continue its work through the pandemic without compromising the safety of its patients or staff, Cobalt has introduced COVID-19 antigen testing for all employees. The CLINITEST Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test delivered by Siemens Healthineers offers user-friendly collection from the front of the nose, delivering results in only 15 minutes whilst providing 97.3% sensitivity and 100% specificity.

“Cobalt Health wanted to introduce an accurate test that was easy for staff to use,” states Cobalt Health Chief Executive Peter Sharpe. “The CLINITEST Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test, delivered by Siemens Healthineers, was the natural choice thanks to its high sensitivity and specificity. No lab personnel or equipment are needed and the nasal swab sampling method enables fast, easy testing for staff. We are delighted to be one of the first imaging providers to introduce the new rapid antigen test, ensuring continuity of service at a time when our support to the NHS is so critical.”

“The introduction of the CLINITEST Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test at Cobalt Health is a great example of how rapid antigen testing can help support the NHS in its recovery of cancer services following COVID-19,” states Stewart Hutton, Business Lead for Diagnostics at Siemens Healthineers GB&I. “We are pleased to hear that since implementing the test, feedback from Cobalt Health employees has been positive in regards to the user-friendly testing method, and in helping to maintain service delivery during the pandemic.”