Tamworth residents urged to take regular Covid tests

Tamworth residents are being urged to have regular Covid-19 tests, even if they don 't have symptoms.

Staffordshire County Council now plans to roll out testing hubs in each of the eight district and borough areas as part of the testing blitz to help tackle soaring Covid cases. Tests are available at two sites in Tamworth, Monday to Saturday this week, and results are available within 30 minutes.

With cases now hitting a record seven-day rate of 500 per 100,000 population, the move aims to tackle the 'silent spreaders ' - people who carry the virus but have no symptoms.

Cllr Jeremy Oates, Tamworth Borough Council 's Covid lead, said: “Regular testing of people who feel otherwise well is key to us getting our infection rates back down in Tamworth and helping to reduce the mounting pressure on local health services.

“We know that one in three people who have the virus have no symptoms. It is vital that we identify these people if we are going to break the chain of infection and stop the alarming spread of cases, which has more than doubled in Staffordshire since before Christmas. In Tamworth, latest figures show the infection rate has risen sharply to 455 per 100,000 of the population.

“I 've heard and read people questioning this method of asymptomatic testing because it can push up the local figures; however those cases still exist in the community whether tested or not AND if they are not found they will continue to be spread. This is simple, the more people who test positive the more people who isolate, the less the virus spreads. ”

“We 're at a critical point in this pandemic and we need to work hard to get on top of it locally. We know the vaccine is due to be rolled out imminently in Tamworth, but it 's going to take several weeks, if not months, before that starts to have any impact on infection rates and hospital admissions, so this asymptomatic testing is key, and I 'd urge Tamworth residents to take advantage of it. ”

Rapid result Lateral Flow Covid tests will be available in Tamworth throughout next week for people WITHOUT symptoms of the virus.

Sessions are available on the following days and slots MUST be booked online at https://staffordshire.zipporah.co.uk/TrackAndTrace/