City’s test centre experiment
A NEW walk-in coronavirus testing centre in Newcastle is ‘experimental’ and may not be replicated across the city.
The facility in Byker opened yesterday, aimed at helping East End residents get access to Covid-19 testing if they are suffering symptoms but cannot drive to other centres that have opened, including one at Newcastle Great Park.
However, the city’s top public health official says the Shields Road site’s impact on boosting test and trace efforts in Newcastle may be limited and expects that getting a test sent through the post will be the best option for most people.
Prof Eugene Milne, Newcastle City Council’s director of public health, added that the local authority would have preferred to open a walk-in facility in the city centre rather than the Byker site chosen by the Government.
He said: “The idea is to test out whether it can make a difference, because of the legitimate arguments people have made that the Ikea site was only available to people who could drive and that excluded a lot of people in the city.
“But I think the postal option is one that most people are going to want to take anyway. I think if we had been choosing the site at a council level we would be looking at something more city centre-based to allow people to walk to it.”
People have been told to isolate at home if they develop Covid-19 symptoms of a persistent cough, a temperature, or a loss of taste or smell. But Prof Milne confirmed that people could leave their home while suffering symptoms to go for a pre-booked appointment at the centre – but should go straight there and straight back home.
He added he was “not aware of any plans” to replicate the walk-in testing centre elsewhere in Newcastle yet and does not expect a large number of people to use it.