Mobile testing for secondary pupils in worst-hit areas

SECONDARY school pupils in some of the worst-affected parts of England are to be tested for coronavirus in a bid to bring down ‘worrying’ infection rates, the health secretary has revealed.

Matt Hancock (pictured) said at a Downing Street briefing he needed to take immediate action rather than wait for next Wednesday’s review of rules.

He added: ‘I’m particularly concerned about the number of cases in London, Kent and Essex. Cases are rising and in many areas are already high.

‘The testing results and survey shows us that by far the fastest rise is among secondary school-age children, while the rate among adults in London is broadly flat.

‘But we know from experience that a sharp rise in cases in younger people can lead to a rise among more vulnerable age groups later.’

Public Health England data shows Covid is on the rise in most of England, including 30 of 32 London boroughs. In one of the boroughs, Havering, the weekly rate of new cases has risen to 400.7 per 100,000 people – the eighth-highest in England. A week earlier it was 290.1. Three other London boroughs also have among the top 20 highest rates in England: Barking & Dagenham (333.5, up from 268.7); Waltham Forest (327.1, up from 214.5); and Redbridge (310.3, up from 308.3). There is speculation that the capital will be moved from Tier 2 into Tier 3 – the strictest level of Covid restrictions – in the review next week. Kent is already in Tier 3 and one of its boroughs, Swale, continues to have the highest rate in England.

It had 938 new cases in the seven days to December 6 – 625 per 100,000 people, up from 578.4 a week earlier.

Medway, also in Kent, has the second-highest rate, up from 560.4 to 604.5, with 1,684 new infections.

UK-wide yesterday, 20,964 new cases were recorded along with 516 deaths.

Mr Hancock announced there was ‘an immediate plan for testing all secondary school-aged children in the seven worst-affected boroughs of London, in parts of Essex that border London and parts of Kent’.

‘We are therefore surging mobile testing units and will be working with schools and local authorities to encourage these children and their families to get tested in the coming days,’ he said.

Mr Hancock said pupils and their families should get tested even if they had no symptoms, as one in three Covid-19 cases are asymptomatic.

Meanwhile, England’s chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty said a third wave was ‘not inevitable’ but warned that people must be ‘very, very sensible’ over Christmas.