FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

To check if you are carrying the virus and are infectious to others

To quickly check if you are infectious to others and to prevent risk to the health of others. With results in 15-20 minutes, this test will confirm if you are a risk to others and let you know if you are infected with SARS-CoV-2. Workplaces and other organisations will benefit from regular testing to ensure they are not at risk of infecting each other.

It is a swab test which detects the presence of protein particles from the virus that causes the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The test must be administered by a trained healthcare professional. A swab is taken from the nose(nasopharyngeal), a fluid is added, and this fluid is then tested for the presence of viral protein using a lateral flow device.

If SARS-CoV-2 is on your swab the test will find it. This means you must ensure that the swab sample is collected correctly according to the instructions. The best way to ensure this is for a trained person to take the swab.

Test Kit Express/Excalibur SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test has been independently tested by several leading bioscience and testing laboratories and their testing demonstrated that the Excalibur test outperforms other marketed Antigen tests for both Accuracy AND Speed.

The independent validators include AstraZeneca, Imperial College, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (WHO-backed laboratory), The Catholic University of Korea, St Mary’s Hospital of Xiamen Boson research laboratory.

Our customers can be reassured that Excalibur Healthcare Services are a UK-based research, pharmaceutical & biotech company whose Chairman and CEO is Professor Sir Chris Evans, OBE.   Throughout the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, Excalibur Healthcare Services has been a principal supplier to the UK Government, the National Health Service and governments and healthcare providers worldwide – providing ventilators, testing kits, PPE and other crucial medical supplies. 100% sensitivity for high viral loads (equivalent to positive PCR values below Ct=28).
100% specificity for SARS-COV-2 with very few false positives observed in tens of thousands of samples tested.

The Excalibur test is faster than other Antigen tests meaning results are observed between 2-15 minutes.

You should isolate yourself and follow the guidance at:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

If you are feeling unwell you should follow the guidance at: https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19/

The Test Kit is both CE and UK compliant and MHRA approved (Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency)

Test Kit Express/Excalibur SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test has been independently tested by several
leading bioscience and testing laboratories and their testing demonstrated that the Excalibur test outperforms other marketed Antigen tests for both Accuracy AND Speed.

The independent validators include AstraZeneca, Imperial College, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (WHO-backed laboratory), The Catholic University of Korea, St Mary’s Hospital of Xiamen Boson research laboratory.

There are some healthcare professionals and businesses who are taking a calculated risk that it is perhaps safe to return to work in some circumstances if people have both a SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen test which detects no virus, and a positive antibody test confirming the presence of antibodies – indicating that an individual is not carrying the virus and has been infected and recovered.

The buffer solution has two functions. It acts as the carrier for the sample, allowing it to laterally flow along the test strip, and it maintains a constant sample pH as it flows, preventing degradation of the biomarkers and the antibodies. You should only use the buffer solution provided with the test kits.

Yes, the test will be able to detect asymptomatic people, as they will have an immune response even though they don’t display symptoms.

For the result, the window of accuracy is 15-20 minutes after you add the sample and buffer solution. If you forget to read the results after this time you should consider the test to be invalid.

The shelf-life is 18 months from the date of manufacture. The product expiry is printed onto the packaging for reference. Do not use after the expiry date.

The recommended storage temperature is 4 – 30°C, however, we do not recommend you store them in the fridge, unless there is a risk of them overheating. Do not freeze the test cassettes or buffer solution. Tests should be performed at room temperature (15 – 30°C), so if you have stored tests in the fridge, you should allow them to reach room temperature before performing a test.

To date we have tested numerous common pharmaceuticals, none of which have interfered with the test, hence we currently see no cross-reactivity issues. We are looking at more drugs and will update customers accordingly.

Yes, there are no issues with testing babies and young children.

Yes, there is no harm to the mother or baby when performing a test.

No, the more people that are tested, the more equipped we are to understand the spread of the virus, which will result in better measures being taken to prevent its spread.

Yes, the SARS-CoV-2 test is CE marked for professional use and is therefore a registered IVD device.

To check if you are carrying the virus and are infectious to others

To quickly check if you are infectious to others and to prevent risk to the health of others. With results in 15-20 minutes, this test will confirm if you are a risk to others and let you know if you are infected with SARS-CoV-2. Workplaces and other organisations will benefit from regular testing to ensure they are not at risk of infecting each other.

The test is a lateral flow immunoassay test and operates in a similar way to a pregnancy test. Embedded into the test strip are antibodies that bind to a SARS-CoV-2 specific biomarker, Immunoglobulin G (IgG), and another infection biomarker, Immunoglobulin M (IgM). When a sample is added to one end of the test, it flows along the test strip and interacts with these antibodies. If the patient has contracted SARS-CoV-2, the biomarkers in their blood will bind to the antibodies on the test strip, leaving a visible test line. If the patient doesn’t have SARS-CoV-2, no biomarkers should be present in their blood and no test line will be visible. There are separate test lines for IgG and IgM and only one needs to be visible for a positive result.

It is a swab test which detects the presence of protein particles from the virus that causes the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The test must be administered by a trained healthcare professional. A swab is taken from the nose(nasopharyngeal), a fluid is added, and this fluid is then tested for the presence of viral protein using a lateral flow device.

If SARS-CoV-2 is on your swab the test will find it. This means you must ensure that the swab sample is collected correctly according to the instructions. The best way to ensure this is for a trained person to take the swab.

Test Kit Express/Excalibur SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test has been independently tested by several leading bioscience and testing laboratories and their testing demonstrated that the Test Kit Express/Excalibur test outperforms other marketed Antigen tests for both Accuracy AND Speed.

The independent validators include AstraZeneca, Imperial College, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (WHO-backed laboratory), The Catholic University of Korea, St Mary’s Hospital of Xiamen Boson research laboratory.

The Test Kit is both CE and UK compliant and MHRA approved.

Our customers can be reassured that Excalibur Healthcare Services are a UK-based research, pharmaceutical & biotech company whose Chairman and CEO is Professor Sir Chris Evans, OBE.   Throughout the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, Excalibur Healthcare Services has been a principal supplier to the UK Government, the National Health Service and governments and healthcare providers worldwide – providing ventilators, testing kits, PPE and other crucial medical supplies. 100% sensitivity for high viral loads (equivalent to positive PCR values below Ct=28).
100% specificity for SARS-COV-2 with very few false positives observed in tens of thousands of samples tested.

The Excalibur test is faster than other Antigen tests meaning results are observed between 2-15 minutes.

You should isolate yourself and follow the guidance at:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

If you are feeling unwell you should follow the guidance at: https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19/

The Test Kit is both CE and UK compliant and MHRA approved (Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency)

Test Kit Express/Excalibur SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test has been independently tested by several
leading bioscience and testing laboratories and their testing demonstrated that the Test Kit Express/Excalibur test outperforms other marketed Antigen tests for both Accuracy AND Speed.

The independent validators include AstraZeneca, Imperial College, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (WHO-backed laboratory), The Catholic University of Korea, St Mary’s Hospital of Xiamen Boson research laboratory.

There are some healthcare professionals and businesses who are taking a calculated risk that it is perhaps safe to return to work in some circumstances if people have both a SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen test which detects no virus, and a positive antibody test confirming the presence of antibodies – indicating that an individual is not carrying the virus and has been infected and recovered.

The buffer solution has two functions. It acts as the carrier for the sample, allowing it to laterally flow along the test strip, and it maintains a constant sample pH as it flows, preventing degradation of the biomarkers and the antibodies. You should only use the buffer solution provided with the test kits.

Yes, the test will be able to detect asymptomatic people, as they will have an immune response even though they don’t display symptoms.

For the result, the window of accuracy is 15-20 minutes after you add the sample and buffer solution. If you forget to read the results after this time you should consider the test to be invalid.

The shelf-life is 18 months from the date of manufacture. The product expiry is printed onto the packaging for reference. Do not use after the expiry date.

The recommended storage temperature is 4 – 30°C, however, we do not recommend you store them in the fridge, unless there is a risk of them overheating. Do not freeze the test cassettes or buffer solution. Tests should be performed at room temperature (15 – 30°C), so if you have stored tests in the fridge, you should allow them to reach room temperature before performing a test.

To date we have tested numerous common pharmaceuticals, none of which have interfered with the test, hence we currently see no cross-reactivity issues. We are looking at more drugs and will update customers accordingly.

Yes, there are no issues with testing babies and young children.

Yes, there is no harm to the mother or baby when performing a test.

No, the more people that are tested, the more equipped we are to understand the spread of the virus, which will result in better measures being taken to prevent its spread.

Yes, the SARS-CoV-2 test is CE marked for professional use and is therefore a registered IVD device.

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