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Community Covid-19 testing to begin at Loftus Youth and Community Centre for anyone aged 18 years or over.
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Partnership between Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council and the Department of Health and Social Care to use lateral flow tests to work towards returning life to as normal as possible.
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Testing of residents without symptoms to begin at 8.00 am on Monday, February 8.
Residents of East Cleveland can help protect the people they love when community Covid-19 testing launches in Loftus next week.
The lateral flow tests – which produce results in around 30 minutes – will be available at Loftus Youth and Community Centre, Duncan Place, Loftus, TS13 4PR for anyone aged 18 years or over, not displaying Coronavirus symptoms, on the following days:
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Monday, February 8 – 8.00am – 2.00pm;
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Tuesday, February 9 – 8.00am – 2.00pm;
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Wednesday – Closed;
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Thursday, February 11 - 1.00pm – 7.00pm;
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Friday, February 12 – 1.00pm – 7.00pm;
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Saturday, February 13 – 9.00am – 1.00pm.
Please do not attend if you have symptoms.
Testing started at Redcar Leisure Centre on January 25 and will continue. So far 1,549 people have been tested there, with 19 people testing positive.
Anyone not displaying Coronavirus symptoms can book a test by visiting the Council's website at www.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk or calling the contact centre on 01642 774774. There are also a number of walk-in appointments available so the public can visit the site for a test during opening hours.
The latest scheme aims to reduce the spread of Covid-19 by identifying residents who are positive but who do not display any symptoms. About one in three people who have coronavirus have no symptoms and will be spreading it without realising.
The testing will be supported by trained staff and the lateral flow tests will allow residents to test themselves before the results are analysed on-site. The results are usually available within 30 minutes.
Anyone displaying the following Coronavirus symptoms should not come to Loftus Youth and Community Centre for a test:
· a new, continuous cough
· a high temperature; or
· a loss of, or change, in your sense of smell or taste.
If you have any of the symptoms listed above, you should follow the guidance online on how to book a test – https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test – or call 119. Lines are open 7am to 11pm. You will also need to need to stay at home and self-isolate.
The scheme in Loftus is being delivered in partnership with Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council and NHS Test and Trace and will offer self-administered tests.
Leader of Redcar & Cleveland Council, Cllr Mary Lanigan said:
“The threat of coronavirus remains a real danger in our communities and the roll-out of community testing has the potential to make a real difference in managing the spread of the virus.
“We have recently delivered successful community Covid-19 testing in Grangetown and Redcar and I would now like to encourage the people of East Cleveland, especially key workers and people who cannot work from home, to step up and take this opportunity to get a test.
“If people who show no symptoms but test positive self-isolate, it will not only help to protect their loved ones and the vulnerable in our communities, but it will also enable life to return to normal as quickly as possible."
Health Minister Lord Bethell said:
“We've already come so far since first setting up a national testing programme at an unprecedented pace to help counter COVID-19, but we continue to strive to go further, faster.
“Around one in three people have the virus without symptoms so could be spreading the disease without knowing it. Broadening testing to identify those showing no symptoms will mean finding positive cases more quickly, and breaking chains of transmission.
“I'm delighted that Redcar & Cleveland Council are working with us to roll out community testing in Loftus, and I look forward to seeing the results."
Baroness Dido Harding, Interim Executive Chair of the National Institute for Health Protection, said:
“NHS Test and Trace continues to play a leading role in the fight against COVID-19. Increased community testing is a vital additional tool at our disposal to help identify those who are infected and infectious, but unaware that they might be spreading the disease.
“The work of Redcar & Cleveland Council in Loftus will be essential in driving down transmission rates. I urge all those living in areas where community testing is offered to come forward and get tested."
If you are asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace and you are on a low income, unable to work from home and will lose income as a result, you may be entitled to a payment of £500 from your local authority under the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme. To apply, please visit: https://www.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk/coronavirus/Pages/Test-and-Trace-Support-Scheme.aspx