Need a COVID-19 test? Try Peterhead
Online slots are miles away after booking spike
Perthshire residents were left bemused this week when a major spike in demand for COVID-19 tests saw them being asked to travel as far as Newcastle, Northern Ireland and Skye to be tested for the virus.
One Perth resident told the PA she was offered a testing slot in Peterhead and then Newcastle or Carlisle.
Claire Campbell began to feel ill on Sunday and woke at 6am on Monday (August 24) with a fever and a bad cough. Fearing the worst, Claire went online to book a test but was startled at the results.
She said: “It said the nearest place was Peterhead and there were no home test kits available to order.
“I tried again at 8.15am but then it said Newcastle or Carlisle.”
She added: “Then I saw on Facebook that some people were managing to get tests in Perth.”
Claire phoned the helpline for the national test booking system. They told her to keep trying as more slots would be released throughout the day.
She said: “I tried again at 12.14pm and there was a slot available 1212.30pm so I quickly jumped in the car and went up.”
It was a mad dash for the family and a nervous few days. But on Wednesday, Claire got the news that she and her two sons had all tested negative which meant her eldest son could finally return to school having missed three days.
Another Perthshire mum told the PA she was offered Inverness, Newcastle and Carlisle as the nearest available centres on Monday.
The worried parent finally got a slot at Broxden Park and Ride on Tuesday
Other Perthshire residents also reported issues registering for a test.
One resident was given the option of Portree, Newcastle or Penrith, while another was offered slots as far away as Peterhead, Inverness and even Derry/Londonderry in
Northern Ireland.
At Tuesday’s (August 25) daily briefing, Nicola Sturgeon acknowledged there had been a problem with the booking system due to a spike in demand for tests. The first minister reported a “surge” in calls to their booking helpline.
She said: “Over the weekend there was a major spike in demand for testing, not just in Scotland but, we think, across the UK. And that led to some constraints across the booking portal throughout the day (on August 24) and that in turn resulted in a surge in calls to our COVID-19 helpline.
“I know this will have been frustrating for people trying to book a test and I want to thank everyone for bearing with us as we worked to address these issues.”
She said “technical issues” such as people being offered tests outside of Scotland “shouldn’t be happening.”
Three additional mobile testing units will now be deployed across the central belt. The Scottish Government will also further increase the number of tests which can be carried out in the regional testing centres across the country and utilise additional NHS testing capacity. In addition, 11 local walkthrough testing centres will be established in the medium term.
Ms Sturgeon urged members of the public only to book a test if they have one of the three main COVID-19 symptoms: a new and continuous cough, a high temperature and/or a loss or change to your sense of taste or smell.
She said the only exceptions were if you had been asked to book a test through Test and Trace or worked in a profession with agreed access to testing.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said “We would like to apologise for any inconvenience due to issues with the portal, and to thank anyone affected for their patience.”
It said the nearest place was Peterhead and there were no home test kits available