Covid rapid tests will be implemented in 67 towns and cities

Hundreds of thousands of rapid-result covid Covid tests will be rolled out this week for people, even if they have no symptoms, the government announced.

Local public health leaders in dozens of areas will be sent thousands of tests to try to stop the spread of the virus and identify it in people who show no signs.

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Local teams will be able to run community tests based on their expert knowledge and can use them as they see fit.

The new tests will provide results to people in as little as 15 minutes.

Hancock confirmed the news today in the House of Commons, saying he had been in contact with 67 authorities, giving them the ability to assess 10 percent of their population.

He said today: “I am pleased to say that 10,000 of these tests will now be sent by NHS Test and Trace to more than 50 directors of public health as part of our asymptomatic testing strategy.

“I want to thank all the directors of public health for their support and efforts over the past few months to help us fight this virus, bring it under control, and bring the country back to what we love.”

See the full list here:

About 600,000 tests will be sent out to people across the country over the next few days to try to detect more asymptomatic cases and test 10 percent of the population.

The first round of swabs will be followed by weekly packets of more tests.

It is part of the massive testing regime already in place in Liverpool.

And NHS staff will be screened twice a week to try to protect patients and employees, Hancock said.

“The (rapid) tests allow us, starting today, to start rolling out tests twice a week for all NHS staff, which will help keep people safe when they enter the hospital, and will also help keep people safe. my wonderful colleagues in the NHS, “the Health Secretary told the Commons.

Rapid tests could also be used to try to get families and friends to visit nursing homes.

And they could even be used to reduce self-isolation times.

When asked about it, Hancock said the ministers would look closely at the idea and follow the advice of doctors.

In announcing the new rapid tests, Boris Johnson said last night: “We are now going further by sending hundreds of thousands of lateral flow rapid tests to local authorities across England, and also of course to decentralized administrations.”

And he promised to work with universities “to establish, as soon as possible, a similar mass testing capacity for students across the country.”

Scientists say massive testing could cut the R rate, the number of people each Covid victim infects, by half.

The army has been recruited to go door to door with tests and has set up special centers in Liverpool to get them to as many people as possible.

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