The UK government appears to be adopting a different approach.

Yesterday, it said it would only test people in hospital for Corbin 19 rather than those with suspected cases at home.

Now we've been speaking exclusively to a British company which says it has developed a rapid testing kit.

The company says results could be obtained in around 10 minutes, and HS testing takes much longer.

They're shipping the kids to pharmacies in the U.

K next week and hope to eventually distribute them to the wider public.

Well, Victoria McDonald is in Belfast for us tonight.

Victoria.

Yes, well, you heard Fatima.

They're talking about concerns questions over whether the U.

K government has actually gone far enough.

For instance, they didn't talk a tall last night about social isolation, and what we're seeing now is people taking things into their own hands.

We've heard of nursing homes that are closing, wanting to protect their residents, telling visitors not to come.

We've heard of, as you said, Sporting's sporting fixtures the Premier League on the London Marathon.

There is a real fear or a real sense of fear growing actually in the community.

And that's where this kits comes on.

That you mentioned a new potential testing kit that we could use to determine whether we have Corona virus those boxes on the right, a packed and ready to be sent to Bahrain today inside of this company's first ever shipment of a 10 minute self testing kit for covered 19.

From next week, they'll be sent around the UK, and water is believed to be the first rapid test available in this country.

If you have symptoms first, that that's the important thing.

You should ideally wait three days from when you first got symptoms to when you carry out the test.

If that comes up negative, it is still possible that your body hasn't produced enough antibodies yet that can be detected.

So in that case, your best to wait on further 2 to 3 days on repeat the test.

If you're still negative, then then it is likely that you don't have the Corona virus.

That's perhaps you have the flu or the common cold or some other related illness.

Channel four news was given exclusive access.

Is this company prepared these highly sought after diagnostic parcels.

Even as we were there, the phone was ringing off the hook.

We can't say, though where we are.

They are deeply worried that the public will come knocking on the door asking for the kits.

Yet for the moment, they can only be used by health care professionals.

The first distribution will be to pharmacists to test their staff.

We are working with the manufacturer partner off ours.

Thio, credit the test and get a notifiable body to give the necessary certification so that we can provide it to the public again through the pharmacy channels, making the tests available to be sold in pharmacies either online pharmacies for all our partners, all our customers, what are farmers?

It is hoped they will have the go ahead to make this testing kit available to the public within the next three weeks.

The N.

H s test is a swap to detect the virus itself.

Whereas this test is to see if you have produced antibodies to the virus that causes covered 19.

It is simple to use.

I'm gonna take it a finger prick blood sample, and I'm gonna add it to the test cassette and then I will add some buffer and that will help the blood sample flew along the strip and then we will check to see whether you have a positive or negative result beneath my car.

Mixed area.

Of course, I was nervous.

We have been told the spires is spreading across the country and that there may be between five and 10,000 cases today alone.

Sora jump of more than 200 people who are self who are remaining at home do not need testing and we will pivot all of the testing capacity toe identifying people in hospitals who have got symptoms.

The announcement made yesterday leaves question marks over the use of testing stations like this one at Craigavon Area Hospital in Northern Ireland.

So we'll probably be be able to repurpose the pod for some other activity related to covert like what?

Well, for example, were very keen to try and make sure that patients with covert don't come into contact with patients who don't have co vered in our emergency departments.

What is not clear is how the government will now know the true level of covered 19 in the population, but it is likely that this gap will mean some people will now want to test themselves.

For the moment, though, it will be in the hands of pharmacists who are worried about protecting their own staff.

Is increasing numbers of patients turn to them for advice?

We intend to stay open to the public.

To provide service is in a safe and effective way.

Obviously, medicine supply to patients is our priority.

But we need to make sure we do it safely with patients equally to ensure that we can't stay open.

Bye bye, those recommendations and not come to their pharmacy if they feel that they're in any way affected with covert 19.

There are at least 15 ref itself, testing kits like this one being evaluated by Public Health England.

They want, of course, assurance of their accuracy.

And this company does say any positive results should be followed up with an N HS test.

So the 10 minutes up and I was allowed to look, was I infected or not?

Which means that you do not have antibodies in your blood specific for this Corona virus.

Also, I didn't have Corona wires.

That's no yet, not yet.

Yes, well, you can imagine I was quite relieved about that.

But the fact is that many of us are going to contract covered 19.

And today we've heard about more and more hospitals who have closing off towards preparing to receive numbers of patients.

In fact, here in Northern Ireland, the health minister warned that Service's health service's would be significantly curtailed.

He said.

We got a similar message from whales.

Also, non urgent outpatient day cases are being canceled, impatient cases and diagnostics and, as I said, hospitals closing off wards.

But we're also hearing about staff who are concerned about having the right equipment on the right protection on worrying that they're not being trained yet enough to protect themselves against water's coming.