Covid-19 testing trial to start in city

Covid-19 testing for people who don’t have symptoms is set to be trialled on Wears i d e i n a n e f fo r t i d e nt i f y people who are carrying the illness without realising it.

Starting this week, a mobile testingteamwillbeginworking from the Washington MillenniumCentreinConcordtoprovide tests to local people – with the team set to work from different locations across the city where required.

It is hoped that the mass testing will identify those who do not have symptoms of Covid-19 for the purposes of helping to reduce the transmission of the virus.

The trial is being run by Sunderland City Council in partnership with the Department for Health and Social Care and Public Health England as part of the Director of Public Health led testing programme.

Sunderland’s Executive Director of Public Health and Integrated Commissioning, Gerry Taylor, is encouraging residents to get a test and help protect those who they care about.

Mr Taylor said: "This mobile testing team will help us to identify and isolate people with covid who wouldn’totherwise be identified as they don’t have symptoms.

"So we're asking local people to come forward to get tested to help protect those they care about.”

The announcement comes after Sunderland City Council Leader, Councillor Graeme Miller criticised the Government’s response on Wearside and accused the Conservatives of favouring the south of England after it was announced mass testing would take place in schools in the South East.

Tests can be booked at webapps.sunderland.gov.uk/ webapps/wss/sunderland_ portal/forms/COVIDtest.aspx