More than 20,000 rapid Covid-19 tests carried out in Stoke-on-Trent

More than 20,000 rapid Covid tests have been carried out in Stoke-on-Trent over the last three months.

On Monday, 1,638 lateral flow tests were conducted in the city, the highest daily figure so far, and the number is set to rise further with the planned launch of 10 new testing venues and the first evening sessions.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is aiming to get to around 25,000 tests a week by the end of January, after taking delivery of 150,000 testing kits last month.

Lateral flow tests, which provide a result within 30 minutes without the need for laboratory processing, are being aimed specifically at people without coronavirus symptoms.

Public health experts see LFT mass screening as a key method of reducing infection rates in the community, as identifying asymptomatic carriers and getting them to self-isolate should break transmission chains.

Stoke-on-Trent's seven-day case rate has now fallen below 400 per 100,000 people, while the proportion of PCR swab tests coming back positive has decreased to 12.5 per cent. But council chiefs want both these figures to fall even further.

A total of 21,253 LFTs have been conducted in Stoke-on-Trent so far, including 7,720 in community testing venues. Rapid testing is also being carried out in hospitals, care homes, schools and workplaces.This week community testing has been expanded to the City Central Mosque in Hanley, while the Wallace Sports and Education Centre in Abbey Hulton will today be holding the first evening session.

Council leader Abi Brown said: “It is fantastic that we are now seeing leaders in the community come forward to offer testing at their venues and helping share our messages within their own communities.

"Last week I also wrote to 41 Stoke-on-Trent employers to encourage them to sign up to offer workforce testing and we are now in talks with many to start implementing this. Our testing offer is rapidly increasing across the city and we hope to share more venues we have on-board for testing over the coming days, from community centres and village halls to local football clubs.

“We know testing is vital in our defence against coronavirus. Bringing tests to local people is helping people to isolate more quickly if they have it, and stopping the spread. Please remember despite being in a national lockdown you are allowed to leave your house to go for a test.”

Dr Paul Edmondson-Jones, director of adult social care, health integration and wellbeing, said: “Our mass testing rollout is continuing over in the next few weeks and we will soon have a further 10 venues open for testing. Despite the further news about the vaccine acceleration today, testing is still vitally important.”

Community rapid testing sessions are now being held at the following venues each week.

• Mondays: Northwood Stadium, 9:30am to 3pm
• Tuesdays: LRV at Staffordshire University, 9:30am to 3pm & Wallace Sports and Education Centre, 2pm to 7pm
• Wednesdays: LRV at Staffordshire University, 9:30am to 3pm & City Central Mosque, 10am to 2pm
• Thursdays: Northwood Stadium, 9:30am to 3pm & Wallace Sports and Education Centre, 2pm to 7pm
• Fridays: Northwood Stadium, 9:30am to 3pm
• Saturdays: Dimensions Leisure Centre, 9:30am to 3pm
• Sundays: Dimensions Leisure Centre, 9:30am to 3pm

Book a test at www.stoke.gov.uk/bookacovid19test