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Rapid response coronavirus testing has been offered to all local authorities in England as the government aims to expand mass testing across the country.
Liverpool has been the first part of the country to do massive testing for everyone, including those who don’t have COVID-19 symptoms.
Lateral flow tests, with a response time of less than one hour, are available from Friday for people who live and work in the city.
Lateral flow tests can give results in less than an hour.
And Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed that he now aims to implement similar schemes in England and the rest of the UK.
“I can confirm that we are implementing the kind of massive tests that we are seeing in Liverpool – and in fact previously we did in Stoke-on-Trent – in 66 different local authorities,” he told Sky News.
“Last night I wrote to the public health directors of all local authorities in England, saying that we could make available these brilliant new lateral flow tests that give you the result in 15 minutes.
“Sixty-six expressed interest in the first instance, now I expect much more.
“If you’re a director of public health and haven’t signed up for this yet, let us know and we’ll get you on board.
“And, of course, in all decentralized nations.”
It is reported that discussions have already taken place on Nottinghamshire to become the next region to implement massive tests.
At a Downing Street press conference on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the government would send hundreds of thousands of rapid lateral flow tests to local authorities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Department of Health and Social Care said an initial batch of 600,000 rapid coronavirus tests would be sent this week to local public health leaders in England.
Each would receive 10,000 tests as part of a new pilot that would allow them to begin testing priority groups, which would then be followed up with weekly assignments equal to 10% of the local population.
It will be up to local public health directors to determine how to allocate the new tests, based on the specific needs of their communities.
Johnson also revealed that the government was working with universities to establish a similar mass testing capacity for students.
The prime minister urged the people of Liverpool to “go to a testing center”, adding: “The more people get tested, the better we can protect that great city and reduce disease in Liverpool, so do it for your friends. “for your relatives, for your community.”
