Households are being reminded to continue with their regular coronavirus testing as half-term draws to a close this week.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is asking residents to take advantage of the many ways to get tested, as households across the city have been enjoying the sunny weather to spend time with friends and relatives, and plan day trips and holidays.
Council leader Abi Brown said: “It has been wonderful to have such good weather over the bank holiday weekend and during the half-term break. The easing of the coronavirus restrictions means we have all been able to socialise and plan trips in ways that we haven’t been able to do during the past 14 months.
“Residents across the city have been brilliant in ensuring they carry out regular tests to help to safeguard themselves and their loved ones from the spread of the virus – more than 30,000 tests are being carried out every week. We have made it as easy as possible for people to get tested, and it is really important that we all continue to do so as the half-term break ends and we return to classrooms and workplaces.”
The seven-day rate of coronavirus cases in the city is now 21.8 per 100,000 people, for the week 20 May – 26 May 2021. This is the same rate as the previous seven days. The percentage of people who have had a test and tested positive is again 0.7 per cent.
This week the council is holding pop-up lateral flow testing in Longton, and has been in Longton Market during the day today (Wednesday), and will be at Longton Park bandstand on between 1pm and 5pm on Friday (4 June).
Dr Paul Edmondson-Jones, director of adult social care, health integration and wellbeing, said: “This is the second time we have been running pop-up enhanced community testing, after our teams handed out 432 home testing kits to visitors to Hanley Park late last month. Our friendly teams are on hand to give you advice about testing, can help you to carry out a test and show you how the tests work so you can carry out your own tests in the comfort of your own home.
“It’s really important that we all continue to follow the public health guidance to combat the spread of the coronavirus, and I’d like to encourage people to come along to Longton Park and see our teams. We’ll be visiting further locations across the city in the coming weeks.”
Residents can pick up home testing kits from a range of venues across the city. More details can be found at www.stoke.gov.uk/communitycollect. Kits can also be collected from 58 pharmacies across the city, and residents can find out where to collect them from via a map on the NHS website: www.maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk. Tests can also be ordered on line via: www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests.
Residents who have one of the three main coronavirus symptoms are not eligible for lateral flow testing. You should instead book a test through https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test, or by calling 119.
Please also remember that confirmatory PCR tests for positive lateral flow tests have been reintroduced. It is really important that everyone has a confirmatory PCR test within 48 hours maximum of a positive lateral flow test (LFT) at our community venues.
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For all media enquiries please contact the Communications Department at Stoke-on-Trent City Council on press@stoke.gov.uk
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