TAKE A DIY COVID TEST IN MUSEUM CAR PARK To staff and residents
ANEW walk- in do - i t - yourself coronavirus test centre has opened in Glasgow. The new site, which can do several hundred tests a day, has been opened at the Riverside Museum car park.
It one of the latest UK Government test sites to make tests more accessible.
The aim is for people who do not have access to a car to get a test within walking distance or public transport.
The new centre has eight booths for tests.
People are met at the reception and given a test kit before they are shown to a booth and the test procedure explained to them.
There is also a chart on the wall of each booth to explain how to do the test yourself
People are told to swab the back of their mouth at their tonsils and then stick the same bud up one nostril for second sample before putting it in a vial and registering their details then dropping it for collection to go to the testing lab.
Ric Fyfe, mobilisation lead for Mitie which operates the centres for the UK Government, said the test result can come back in 12 hours. He said: It is about making centre accessible to more people.
He said If you have a car you should still go to the airport site. He added: “It is a simple test. I would rather be in control of where the swab is going if it was me being tested.”
The site will be at the museum for a long as it is needed.”
In Scotland, the UK Government is providing all covid testing and test processing outside of the NHS.
Around two thirds of all daily tests are provided by the UK Government, in support of Scotland’s health services.
UK Health Minister Lord Bethell said: “This new site forms part of our UK testing network, which has the capacity to test more than a million people a week and is growing all the time.
“If you have symptoms of coronavirus, I urge you to book a test today, and follow the advice of contact tracers if you are contacted to protect others around you and stop the spread of the virus.”
“This is a UK- wide effort and we are proud to be working with a number of partners to turn this ambition into a reality and roll out additional capacity to where it is needed.”
Dr Linda de Caestecker, Director of Public Health, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “I am very pleased that we have a new walk through testing centre in Glasgow to allow members of the public to access testing when they need it.
“Our Public Health Protection Unit and Test and Protect Team continue to contact trace positive cases and clusters in our community and we thank the public for their co- operation.
“Please remain vigilant.”
“The individual in question has not been at the home for 10 days and all other staff have tested negative, we, therefore, believe there is a low risk that residents are affected, however, we are taking the necessary precautions.
“This includes working with public health authorities to facilitate testing of all residents as a priority.
“This home has so far remained Covid- free throughout the pandemic and scores highly on our internal infection control assessments. We are therefore confident the correct infection control measures have been in place to help minimise the risk of the virus to colleagues and residents.
“We are working closely with our local health and care partners and are in regular contact with the next of kin of our residents at Darnley Court to keep them updated on the situation.”