Mobile lateral flow tests head out to rural communities

WEST Berkshire has “got it covered” following the Government announcement that everyone in England will be able to access free, regular, rapid coronavirus testing from tomorrow (Friday).

The rapid lateral flow tests (LFTs), to use twice a week, have so far been available to people most at risk and who need to leave home for work, including frontline NHS workers, care home staff and residents, and schoolchildren and their families.

The tests will be available regardless of whether people have symptoms from April 9.

A mobile testing suite will be heading into rural parts of West Berkshire from next week to extend the reach of community testing.

West Berkshire Council leader Lynne Doherty (Con, Speen) said the unit was to “make sure that our rural communities have access to the LFTs and to get out to most of the harder-to-reach areas – to respond to those people who find it hard to get to the community testing sites.”

The offer of free testing is being expanded to companies with more than 10 workers, where on-site testing is impossible.

The expanded regular testing offer for people without symptoms will be delivered through a home ordering service, which allows people to order lateral flow tests online to be delivered to their home.

Tests can also be delivered through workplace testing programmes on-site or at home, community testing, offered by all local authorities, collection at a local PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test site, such as Newbury Showground, and on-site at schools and colleges.

Mrs Doherty said there was a range of options to allow people in the district to be tested.

She said: “We have all that in place.

“There’s a comprehensive package in West Berkshire for people to do that and people can order through the Government website too.

“We have community testing sites, the national PCR site at the showground, schools giving out tests to those that need them and the mobile unit.

“I feel we have got it covered and if all else fails you can always order online.”

A new ‘Pharmacy Collect’ service is also launching which will provide an additional route to regular testing.

People aged over 18 without symptoms will be able to visit a participating local pharmacy and collect a box of seven rapid tests to use twice a week at home.

The best route for testing can be found at www.NHS.UK/gettested

If testing at home, people will need to register their results online or by calling 119.

They should self-isolate if positive and order a confirmatory PCR test.

Anyone with symptoms of Covid-19 should book a test online or by calling 119.