A new pilot “walk-through” COVID-19 test site is set to open in Warrington next week as cases continue to rise with a further 73 (57) new lab-confirmed positive test results reported in the town today, Saturday.
The walk-through testing facility is set to be on land owned by, but not run by, Warrington Borough Council, at the Academy Way car park behind Cineworld and near the Time Square multi-storey car park. The site forms part of a pilot to open new “walk through” Local Test Sites which are easily accessible by foot or by bike. It compliments regional drive through but still has to be booked in advance via the government portal.
Warrington South MP Andy Carter has welcomed the opening of a new walk-through testing centre in Warrington Town Centre following calls for more capacity in the town.
Mr Carter has been working behind the scenes to push the Government on their testing capacity and has lobbied Ministers to make sure everyone who needs a test in Warrington, gets one, and gets the results as quickly as possible. It follows the news that around 5,000 people in Warrington were tested in the previous week.
Mr Carter is pleased that the Government has listened to his concerns by upping the testing capacity across Warrington.
He said “A week ago, I raised in the House of Commons my concerns over the availability of COVID-19 testing for people living in Warrington South. The spike in demand, as schools went back, meant people having to travel long distances to get a test.
“As we head into winter it’s important that local people have nearby access to tests so that they can get a check quickly when symptoms occur. I’ve continued to raise the matter with Ministers, and I’m pleased to confirm that a new walk-in testing centre will open from today on Academy Way in the town centre.
“The existing facilities elsewhere in the town and surrounding areas will also continue to accept anyone who needs a test from Warrington. This is a critical step in Warrington’s fight against coronavirus.”
The COVID-19 testing programme has been built at unprecedented pace and scale to support the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. On average 225,000 swab tests have been processed each day across the UK over the past week, with capacity currently running at around 350,000 per day.
The Prime Minister confirmed recently that we would be further increasing our capacity as quickly as we can to 500,000 swab tests a day by the end of October. We currently test at higher levels per capita than countries of comparable size including Germany, France and Spain.
But while capacity is at a record high, demand has rapidly increased and is currently above these levels.
Across the country along with partners and local authorities we are working to urgently increase capacity, so that more tests can be processed every day. We have increased capacity by 10 per cent in the last few weeks, establishing four new Lighthouse Labs in Newport, Newcastle, Charnwood and Brant’s Bridge, bringing in more than 300 additional staff for our labs, increasing testing sites to 500 and buying up more capacity abroad.
If you have symptoms you must still book a free test before attending a testing centre by using the below link:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/get-a-test-to-check-if-you-have-coronavirus/
The total number of COVID-19 cases reported in Warrington since March is now 2,261 (2,188) 1,076.6 (1,014.7) per 100,000 population.
The seven day average as of Sept 19 was 47 (41.1).
The latest available figures from Warrington Hospital released on Friday, Sept 25.*Next update 2pm Monday.
Previous days figures in brackets.
Covid-19 positive inpatients 27 (22) – Of which 5 (4) are in ICU
Total number of tests (inpatients/community) cumulative – 23,221 (22,982)
Total tests with a positive result (inpatients/community/died/discharged) cumulative 1,355 (1,338)
Discharges of positive patients (excluding deaths) cumulative 427 (425)
Deaths of Covid-19 positive inpatients cumulative 141 (141)
Across the UK the daily number of COVID-19 associated UK deaths was 34 (34), taking the total number of deaths to 41,971 (41,936) –
The daily number of lab-confirmed UK cases was 6,042 (6,874), taking the total number to 429,277 (423,236).
Across the country, there are 1,727 (1,616) patients currently in hospital and 262 (243) patients in ventilator beds.
To find out more about COVID-19 testing, and to book a test if you have symptoms, visit warrington.gov.uk/get-tested-coronavirus
For the latest COVID19 guidance for Warrington visit https://www.warrington.gov.uk/coronavirus-latest-guidance
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