[ad_1]
The entire population of the city of Liverpool, the COVID-19 hotspot, will be regularly offered a coronavirus test in a pilot scheme using the military.
The city, which has been under Level 3 restrictions for almost three weeks and has one of the highest coronavirus Rates in England of 366.4 cases per 100,000, volunteered for the scheme, which will begin on Friday.
The scheme will use new rapid response tests, with 2,000 members of the military working alongside NHS personnel, and everyone living or working in the city will be offered retests, even if they are asymptomatic.
The Liverpool city region has been subject to Level 3 restrictions for almost a month
Residents and workers will be screened using a combination of existing swab tests, as well as 500,000 new lateral flow tests, which can quickly change results in one hour without the need for laboratory processing.
People will be able to book a test online, by entering a test center or by invitation of the town hall.
The tests will be carried out at new and existing test sites, using home kits, in hospitals, residences, schools, universities and workplaces.
In announcing the pilot plan, Prime Minister Boris johnson said: “I want to thank the civic leaders of Liverpool for volunteering to join the UK’s first citywide population test pilot and the people of Liverpool for participating.
“These tests will help identify the thousands of people in the city who have no symptoms but can still infect others without knowing it.”
“Depending on your success in Liverpool, our goal is to distribute millions of these new rapid tests by Christmas and empower local communities to use them to reduce transmission in their areas.
“It is early, but this kind of massive testing has the potential to be a powerful new weapon in our fight against COVID-19. “
:: Subscribe to Sophy Ridge Sunday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
Health Secretary Matt hancock He added: “Last month we set our ambition to use the latest mass testing technologies to control this virus.
“Massive testing will help us control this virus, finding it even before people show symptoms.
“I am delighted that we can now implement massive trials in entire cities, starting with Liverpool.
“With half a million of the latest rapid tests, this implementation can help suppress the virus and give residents and workers peace of mind.
“Everyone at Liverpool can help play their part by getting tested and following the rules, including the fundamental basics of hands, space and face.”
Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson revealed his brother died of COVID-19 last month
Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson whose brother Bill died of COVID-19 last month, he said: “We are pleased that our many conversations have resulted in Liverpool becoming a mass test pilot, which will help to quickly identify people who have the virus and substantially reduce transmission.
“We are seeing a slow decline in numbers in Liverpool, which shows that we are on the right track and that residents and businesses are working together and following the guidelines for the greater good.”
“We hope this new initiative will boost our efforts, and we will continue to see the number of positive cases decline across the city.”
Explaining the role of the forces in testing, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said: “Since the onset of the pandemic, the military has worked with colleagues across government to increase the national testing capacity.
“We will be deploying 2,000 talented armed forces personnel to once again address the challenges posed by COVID-19 and ensure that we go above and beyond for the Liverpool community – we will stand behind them throughout the trial.
“The military is in a unique position to assist in the fight against COVID-19 and stands ready to support the mass testing initiative in Liverpool alongside the additional needs of the country at this time.”
Government test chief Dido Harding, the fellow Conservative facing growing calls from MPs to be fired over the faltering test-and-trace system, broke her recent silence to welcome the plan.
“Mass testing has the potential to allow us to find the vast majority of people who have coronavirus, regardless of whether they have symptoms or not, and thus dramatically improve our ability to stop the spread of the virus,” he said.
“This first city-wide test rollout in Liverpool is a really important step forward and it is thanks to the huge increase in test capacity and our investment in new test technologies.
“NHS Test and Trace will continue to work closely with local leaders, public health directors and the military to ensure that Liverpool residents and workers can benefit from these advances.
“If everyone in Liverpool comes in for testing and isolates themselves if necessary, we have a real opportunity to make a big difference.”
