Mobile coronavirus testing centre opens

A mobile coronavirus testing centre opens in Sunderland today.

The unit will be at Azure Court on the Doxford International Business Park, between 10.30am and 3.30pm today and Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday, and next Saturday and Sunday. Several such centres have been open previously in the city.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced last month that anyone with in the UK with symptoms of coronavirus can now be tested.

Previously, testing was limited to anyone over the age of five and before this, testing in England and Scotland has previously been limited to people with symptoms who are key workers and their families, hospital patients, care home residents, over-65s and those who need to leave home to work.

The test is only guaranteed to be accurate if someone actually has symptoms of the virus. The Government advises you should get tested in the first three days of symptoms appearing, although testing is considered effective until day five. You do not need to book a test, but you do have to register online at https:// www.nhs.uk/ conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ testing-and-tracing/ get-a-test-to-check-ifyou-have-coronavirus/ - it only takes 10 minutes to register. If you can’t do this online and have no one to help you, call 119.

Once registered, you will get a code that the mobile testing site can attach to your test. Anyone driving to the test site is reminded to keep their car windows closed until the staff ask you to open them.