Preston Covid rate now highest on record as changes to testing in the city are announced

A total of 180 people in the city council area tested positive in the seven days to 13th September, surpassing the 155 cases identified in the space of a week during the previous peak of the outbreak in Lancashire in late May.

The Post can also reveal that the test positive rate in the city – regarded as the most accurate measure of Covid spread in an area with high levels of testing – stands at 5.3 percent in the latest seven-day period. That means more than one in 20 people who were tested were found to have Covid-19.

It comes after it emerged that capacity problems which have beset the national Covid testing system were hitting walk-in test sites in Lancashire – including the two in Preston at Moor Park and Preston Markets, which were initially intended to test people in the city council area who are not displaying Covid symptoms.

As the Post first reported yesterday, it has now been confirmed that the sites will move to five-day-a-week opening. That means that, with immediate effect, they will be operational only from Saturday to Wednesday between 10am and 3pm - and closed on Thursdays and Fridays.

It is understood that demand at the units is at least partially being driven by individuals who are struggling to get a slot at nationally-administered sites, such as the one at the park and ride near the Capitol retail park in Walton-le-Dale.

However, when the Post’s cameras captured the level of activity at the facility on Wednesday lunchtime, it appeared to be at a trickle.

As the only permanent test centre in the Lancashire County Council area, the unit offers testing for residents with symptoms, by appointment only.

But during the time we witnessed the process, an average of just one vehicle every five to ten minutes was passing through the centre. If that rate were to be replicated throughout the day, it would easily be dwarfed by the 624 people who turned up for a test at Preston’s walk-in facilities on Monday alone.

Yet when the Post attempted to check availability for tests in Central Lancashire – for a key worker with Covid symptoms - we were advised that there were no drive-through or walk-in tests available and told to try to book at a different time.

Abdul Razaq, consultant in public health at Lancashire County Council, told a meeting of the authority’s health scrutiny committee this week that nationally-run test sites were currently either “switched off or at very low capacity”.

That includes the mobile units which pop up for a limited time in different areas, one of which will be pitched in the University of Central Lancashire’s Vernon Street car park on 17th and 18th September, as well as next week on 24th and 25th September.

That facility will only be for people with Covid symptoms – and requires an appointment to be made through the government website.

However, people in the Preston City Council area can still be tested at the walk-in facilities even if they do not have symptoms - because they live in an area under additional Covid-restrictions.

Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, director of public health for Lancashire, said: "We know that people want to get tested, but there are restrictions in the national system, which are making it harder for us to offer the testing we'd like to do.

"Covid affects everyone, so we all need to do what we can to protect our communities and keep things more normal.

"It’s important that you get tested if you’re showing symptoms, so that we can reduce the spread of Covid. Even milder cases, where people don’t end up in hospital, can have serious long-term health impacts.

"By getting tested, you'll know if you need to stay at home so that you don't pass it on to people you know.

"If Covid isn't under control, then we could end up facing further measures which restrict what we can do. We all need to follow the guidance and protect each other."

Preston City Council leader Matthew Brown said he was "disappointed" by the reduction in opening hours at the two walk-in facilities, which he attributed to "national problems with testing".

"These testing sites have been extremely well-used by residents and we are proud of the way the different organisations involved and many volunteers have worked together to offer this service," Cllr Brown added.

Neil Jack, chair of the regional co-ordination group on the Lancashire Resilience Forum, said: "The demand on the community testing sites has increased enormously since schools reopened, due to lack of laboratory capacity in the national system and the restrictions on available appointments at other sites.

"Lancashire has requested additional testing capacity from the Government, to support the needs of our communities."

Responding to issues about testing capacity, a spokesperson for the department of health and social care insisted: "NHS Test and Trace is working."

"Our capacity is the highest it has ever been, but we are seeing a significant demand for tests. New booking slots and home testing kits are made available daily for people with symptoms and we are targeting testing capacity at the areas that need it most, including those where there is an outbreak, and prioritising at-risk groups.

“Our laboratories are processing more than a million tests a week and we recently announced new facilities and technology to process results even faster. If you do not have symptoms and are not eligible to get a test you can continue to protect yourself if you wash your hands, wear a face covering and follow social distancing rules.”

The government says it aims to carry out 500,000 tests a day by the end of October. The latest daily figure stands at just over 207,000.

HOW TO BOOK A TEST

Call 119 or visit gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test for an appointment.

For those living in the Preston City Council area, walk-in testing centres are available at the former parks depot on Moor Park, off Moor Park Avenue, and Preston Markets, under the canopy, close to Lancaster Road. Both are open Saturday to Wednesday, 10am until 3pm.

People attending should wear a face covering, unless exempt, and also arrive in plenty of time before the sites close, as queues can be lengthy

Under-fives are not able to be tested at these facilities due to the type of kit required. Tests for this age group should be booked via the 119 number or government website above.