SourceBio secures Covid-19 testing contract with England Rugby squad

Laboratory services and products provider SourceBio will be testing the England Rugby squad for Covid-19 as part of the Six Nations tournament.

SourceBio said on Monday that had entered into an agreement with the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby Limited to provide Covid-19 screening testing services for elite rugby throughout England.

The AIM-listed firm will provide Covid-19 testing services to England Rugby Senior Men's squad and support staff and to all 12 Premiership Rugby clubs players and staff ahead of match days, with the RFU also looking to roll-out the testing service to Championship clubs.

SourceBio will use third party healthcare professionals to take swabs from individuals, with samples then couriered to the company's ISO 15189 accredited laboratory facility in Nottingham for PCR testing, where results will be turned around in less than 24 hours.

Chairman Jay LeCoque said: "We are very pleased to support elite rugby return to play protocols using our state-of-the-art laboratories to allow elite rugby in England to continue to safely operate within current social distancing measures.

"We have been at the forefront of Covid-19 testing programmes since the beginning of the pandemic, supporting the NHS and private healthcare groups, but also helping many of our commercial clients to maintain a safe working environment and helping businesses to get back on track."

As of 0920 GMT, SourceBio shares had shot up 7.89% to 205.0p.