A coronavirus test that gives results in 20 minutes is being trialled, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced.
The new swab test - which would show whether someone currently has the virus - does not need to be sent to a lab.
Mr Hancock also said more than 10 million antibody tests - that check if someone has had the virus in the past - will start being rolled out next week.
It comes as the PM decided to scrap the fees to use the NHS for overseas health service staff and care workers.
Non-EU migrants currently have to pay the health immigration surcharge, which is £400 per year and set to rise to £624 in October.
But after mounting pressure from MPs, Boris Johnson decided foreign NHS staff and care workers should be exempt.
The number of people who have died after testing positive for the virus has now reached 36,042, a rise of 338, the government announced on Thursday.
There are currently two types of test for the coronavrius.
Swab tests are already available to all adults and children aged over five on the NHS. They involve taking a swab up the nose or from the back of the throat and indicate if a person currently has Covid-19.
The antibody test is a blood test that looks for antibodies in the blood to see whether a person has had the virus. Antibodies are made by our immune system as it learns to fight an infection.
Speaking at the Downing Street briefing, Matt Hancock said the new swab test "is interesting to us because it is so fast," adding: "You get the result on the spot."
"We want to find out if it will be effective on a larger scale. If it works, we'll roll it out as soon as we can."
He also spoke about antibody tests, saying the government had struck a deal to supply 10 million tests of them to the NHS. They will begin being rolled out to the NHS next week.
"We've signed contracts to supply in the coming months over 10 million tests from Roche and Abbott," he said.
"From next week we will begin rolling these out in a phased way, at first to health and care staff, patients and residents.
He said the UK government's deal will cover all of the devolved nations, and each will decide "how to use its test allocation and how testing will be prioritised and managed locally".
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Having antibodies does not automatically mean you cannot get sick or harbour the virus and pass it on to others, BBC health correspondent James Gallagher says.
The World Health Organization says there is no evidence people who have antibodies are protected from being infected again.
Mr Hancock said the antibody tests will help scientists understand "if you are at lower risk of catching coronavirus, of dying from coronavirus and of transmitting coronavirus" if you have antibodies.
"We're developing this critical science to know the impact of a positive antibody test and to develop the systems of certification to ensure people who have positive antibodies can be given assurances of what they can safely do."
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2020-05-21 16:55:55Z
CBMiJmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLTUyNzYyMTUz0gEqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvYW1wL3VrLTUyNzYyMTUz
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