MASS TESTING SET TO START IN TWO CITY AREAS
Thousands will be asked to get tested as part of bid to find carriers with no symptoms
TWO areas of Glasgow have been chosen for mass c ommunity Cov id- 19 testing to identify carriers of the virus who have no symptoms. Thousands of people in the two areas will be asked to go to one of two new mobile testing centres and get tested.
It is hoped the move, the first in Scotland, will identify people with the virus and stop them spreading it further.
The tests will be offered to everyone living in Dalmarnock and Pollokshields West from Monday until December 9.
Households in the areas will be notified by letter over the next few days and invited to get themselves tested.
The testing centres, one in the Emirates Arena car park for Dalmarnock, and one opposite the Tramway Theatre in Albert Drive for Pollokshields West, will take bookings for people who do not have symptoms.
People will also be able to just turn up if they are prepared to wait. Drive- thru and walk- thru testing will be available to all residents.
There is capacity for around 800 tests a day to be done at each site
The results of the test should be delivered within 48 hours.
People with symptoms, a persistent cough a high temperature or loss of taste or smell should book a test in the normal way at an established test site.
The council and health board said the areas have been chosen after analysis of incidence rates and identified vulnerable groups in the communities.
Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “We know that people can have Covid but have no symptoms, and through no fault of their own they are putting the people around them at risk and pushing up the number of infections.
“If we could make sure we tell people that they’ve got it, even when they have no symptoms then that would be another step in the fight against staying in Level Four.
“We know cases numbers are slowing down in Glasgow – what we are all doing together doing is working. If you live in Dalmarnock or Pollokshields please get tested and help to drive the numbers down even quicker.”
Earlier the latest coronavirus statistics for Scotland were revealed by the health secretary, Jeane Freeman.
She said there had been another 37 deaths registered of someone who had tested positive for coronavirus in the last 28 days.
There were another 969 new positive tested cases in the last 24 hours and 315 were in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.
There were 1099 people in hospital with coronavirus, a decrease of 26 and there were 80 in intensive care, down 10 on the day before.
Meanwhile parents, pupils and teachers will need wait to find out if schools will be closed for an extended period over Christmas and New Year.
Ms Freeman responded to reports of a leaked memo to councils about a longer break from December 18 to January 11, which was discussed at the Scottish Government’s Education Recovery Group meeting on Thursday.
Ms Freeman said the Scottish Government “wants to give people as much notice as possible if there is to be any change at all but at this point that decision hasn’t been reached”.
She said a view based on the advice of the recovery group will be reached “as soon as we can”.
“It would be wrong to overly speculate or jump to conclusions simply because we are looking at different issues,” she said.
“But at the moment, the Deputy First Minister and his colleagues will be working through what they think is the best way for schools to enter the Christmas break and come out of the Christmas break, and that applies to colleges and universities as well.”
TOTAL NUMBER NOW DEAD FROM CORONAVIRUS WORLDWIDE: 1,445,922