Thousands of rapid testing kits arrive at county council
THOUSANDS of rapid test kits are to be sent out to coronavirus hotspots across Leicestershire in a bid to stop the spread of the virus by finding asymptomatic sufferers.
Leicestershire County Council has received 16,000 lateral flow test kits as part of a pilot scheme being run in 60 local authorities.
Leicestershire County Council has been left with 10,000 kits which cannot be used because it is still waiting for the government to deliver vital bar codes to allow the tests to be tracked through the system.
But the county council has confirmed it has all the equipment it needs and staff have been trained so they can start using the kits from next week.
Council leader Nick Rushton said: “We can now start the work of getting the kits to hotspots where infection rates are high. The more people we can test, the more we’ll be able to bring this virus under control.
“I would urge anyone with any symptoms, no matter how mild, to book a test.”
Mike Sandys, director of public health for Leicestershire County Council, said he believes the kits, which return results within an hour, will become a significant tool in the fight to cut the number of infections.
He said: “The challenge has always been that some people who have Covid-19 don’t show any symptoms.
“Where the lateral flow tests differ from the usual swab kits is there will be a test result within an hour, without the need for lab processing.
“It means we can test high-risk groups, help identify cases and then get people to isolate quickly to break the chain of infection.”
The trial will operate alongside the county’s own test and trace teams, which work to identify people who may not have been tracked down through national procedures.
Mr Sandys said: “The focus of our teams is to contact and offer support to vulnerable people. Regular testing will protect them.
“This can be through offering advice to people with symptoms, providing advice to those selfisolating, putting families in touch with community hubs and tips such as getting priority on online food deliveries.”
The council has been told it can order more tests as needed and it is looking to have a stock of 10,000 kits at any one time to deploy rapidly.
It was initially missed off a list of areas set to receive the kits drawn up by the government, despite making an early application.
Mayor of Leicester Sir Peter
Soulsby yesterday confirmed the city council was still waiting for barcodes needed to be able to start using the 10,000 lateral flow tests it has.
The Department of Health and Social Care said that it was aware of a “logistics issue”.