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Rapid Covid-19 testing to be rolled out across Bristol
Bristol is one of 67 areas in the UK to receive “rapid Covid-19 tests” that could see as many as one in ten people tested each week.
The government-funded scheme announced by health minister Matt Hancock on Tuesday will enable people to receive results within an hour rather than wait for them to be processed by a laboratory.
Marvin Rees has welcomed the opportunity to coordinate mass testing locally and said a plan for exactly how and where this will be rolled out across the city is currently being finalised.
is needed now More than ever
Speaking during a press briefing on Wednesday, the mayor confirmed Bristol has already received 10,000 of the lateral flow antigen tests and is then set to get a weekly allocation of 10 per cent of the population.
Mayor Marvin Rees has welcomed the rollout of rapid Covid testing in Bristol – photo by CB Bristol Design
“We wanted more resource to support more emphasis on locally organised tests from the beginning,” said Rees, adding that more resources from central government are still needed to support the roll out in Bristol.
He said a plan is being drawn up by Bristol’s director of public health Christina Gray, along with the NHS and Public Health England. Once finalised, it will be shared widely with city stakeholders, with Rees saying he wants to “mobilise the whole city around this”.
It comes as the number of cases in the city has risen in the last week, with 422.3 cases per 100,000 residents in the past seven days, up from 398 the week before.
Rees said a “lag time” is expected before the impact of lockdown measures come into effect. He added that news of a vaccine is “potentially an incredible opportunity”, but warned people to continue to be vigilant.
“We want to continue with the message that this will not be an impenetrable protective cloak that descends upon us,” said the mayor.
“We are still going to have to engage in the behaviours that keep us safe – social distancing, the ‘hands, face, space’ message and recognising we have to engage in Covid-safe behaviours to go along with Covid-safe environments.
“That is the way we are going to manage the virus.”
The mayor said he wants to avoid Bristol being in the highest tier – 3 – if and when lockdown restrictions are lifted in December.
The government has said that proactively testing asymptomatic people will help identify those who unknowingly have the virus and enable those who test positive and their contacts to self-isolate, which can help drive down the R rate locally.
Read more: Covid marshals start patrolling Bristol’s streets
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