From Today, we will launch a whole city mass testing pilot in Liverpool – using the latest technology to get the virus under control.
To respond to coronavirus, we have built the largest testing system in British history and are now poised to exploit new technologies in rapid testing, in order to get the virus under control. The tests will be provided through a partnership between Liverpool City Council, NHS Test and Trace and Ministry of Defence, with logistical support from Armed Forces personnel.
This means that today we are able to launch the first deployment of whole city testing, offering everyone living or working in Liverpool coronavirus tests, whether they have symptoms or not. This will help to find more positive cases and break chains of transmission – in a city that has one of the highest rates in the country.
This is made possible by the dramatic increase in testing capacity. At the weekend we met our target daily test capacity of 500,000 by the end of October, with new figures yesterday showing almost 2 million tests being processed in the last week of October. We will continue to expand capacity to improve test turnaround times, and push forward testing innovations to make sure anyone who needs a test can get one.
Residents and workers will be tested using a combination of existing swab tests, as well as new lateral flow tests which can rapidly turn around results within an hour without the need to be processed in a lab, as well as LAMP technology due to be deployed in Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for NHS staff.
Testing will be carried out in sites across the city, including a large number of new sites determined by local leaders. There will be a variety of ways to book a test, including online, walk-up, or by invitation from the local authority. Testing will be carried out in new and existing test sites, using home kits, in hospitals and care home settings, and schools, universities and workplaces.
Eligible individuals who test positive – and contacts who are required to self-isolate – may be entitled to the £500 Test and Trace Support Payment in the same way as a regular swab test ordered through NHS Test and Trace. For more information to see who is eligible, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme-claiming-financial-support/claiming-financial-support-under-the-test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme.
Commenting, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
“These tests will help identify the many thousands of people in the city who don’t have symptoms but can still infect others without knowing. Dependent on their success in Liverpool, we will aim to distribute millions of these new rapid tests between now and Christmas and empower local communities to use them to drive down transmission in their areas.
“It is early days, but this kind of mass testing has the potential to be a powerful new weapon in our fight against COVID-19.”
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:
“We are pleased that our numerous conversations have resulted in Liverpool becoming a pilot for mass testing, which will help to quickly identify people who have the virus and reduce transmission substantially.
“We hope this new initiative boosts our efforts, and we will continue to see the numbers of positive cases drop across the city.
