Four new Covid testing centres to open in Stoke-on-Trent as 65 cases confirmed

Four new coronavirus testing centres are set to open in Stoke-on-Trent as another 65 cases were confirmed in the latest 24-hour update.

Residents are being encouraged to get swabbed at the new sites as it seeks to get up to 25,000 lateral flow tests a week.

Anyone without Covid-19 symptoms who may have come into contact with others either at the supermarket, work or as part of a support bubble can book so long as they live within in two miles of the venues.

Weston Coyney Village Hall, Florence Colliery Social Welfare Club and Christ Church in Tunstall will open Tuesday (February 9).

And Sneyd Green Community Hub will open Thursday (February 11).

Meanwhile, Hanley Town Football Club, in Abbey Hulton, is open seven days a week, Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm and weekends 9am to 3pm.

Inside the new Hanley Town Football Club Covid test centre

The launch comes as another 65 new coronavirus cases have been recorded in Stoke-on-Trent during the latest daily update.

According to figures released by Public Health England, there has now been a total of 17,560 cases in the city since the pandemic began last March.

This leaves Stoke-on-Trent's seven-day case rate at 246.1 per 100,000 residents.

Council leader Abi Brown said: “We have 10,000 appointments available next week; there is no excuse to not get tested.

"If you are leaving your house to go to work, to visit the supermarket or to see somebody in your support or childcare bubble, book a test regularly.

"One in three people have Covid but don’t show any sign of the three main symptoms and that’s why regular testing is one of our main defences against this deadly virus.

"I also encourage all businesses in the city to either sign up to our lateral flow scheme for businesses or encourage employees to go to our community testing venues to get tested so that they can keep protecting their staff who have to continue to work outside of their homes."

Elsewhere, there were 255 new Covid cases across the rest of Staffordshire, with 32 in Newcastle, 22 in Stafford and 17 in the Moorlands.

The county's total now sits at 52,894, with its seven-day case rate at 236.3 per 100,000.

In neighbouring Cheshire East 117 new cases were recorded, taking its total for the pandemic to 18,550.

Across the UK, there were another 15,845 positive tests in the latest update bringing the total to 3.94 million.

A further 373 people died within 28 days of a positive test bringing the death toll to 112,660.

But in positive news, 12 million people have had their first vaccination, while 511,000 have had both jabs.

Confirmed Covid-19 cases by area as of February 7:

Stoke-on-Trent: 17,560 (up 65 from yesterday)
Newcastle borough: 7,574 (up 32 from yesterday)
Staffordshire Moorlands: 4,740 (up 17 from yesterday)
Stafford borough: 7,832 (up 22 from yesterday)
Staffordshire county (all boroughs/districts - excluding Stoke-on-Trent): 52,894 (up 255 from yesterday)
Cheshire East: 18,550 (up 117 from yesterday)

Confirmed Covid-19 deaths by area as of February 7:

Stoke-on-Trent: 631 (up 1 from yesterday)
Newcastle borough: 315 (up 4 from yesterday)
Staffordshire Moorlands : 249 (up 1 from yesterday)
Stafford borough: 306 (no change)
Staffordshire county (all boroughs/districts - excluding Stoke-on-Trent): 2,078 (up 8 from yesterday)
Cheshire East: 712 (up 1 from yesterday)

Deaths with Covid-19 at local hospital trusts as of February 7:

University Hospitals Of North Midlands NHS Trust: 1,239 (up 4 from yesterday)
North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust: 12 (no change)
Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust: 53 (no change)
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: 439 (up 2 from yesterday)
East Cheshire NHS Trust: 279 (no change)