LOCAL community Covid-19 testing is now underway in West Berkshire.
Burghfield Community Sports Association and Hungerford Rugby Club will open today (February 22) as community (lateral flow) Covid-19 testing sites, helping to protect those most at risk and to drive down transmission rates.
Tests will be conducted using rapid turnaround tests supplied by NHS Test and Trace.
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These two new sites join the existing sites at Highwood Copse Primary School, Newbury and Thatcham Rugby Club as part of the community testing initiative run by West Berkshire Council in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care.
Around one in three people who are infected with Covid-19 have no symptoms and could be spreading the disease without knowing it. Broadening testing to identify people showing no symptoms will mean that positive cases can be found more quickly, helping to break the chain of transmission.
Testing is available to critical and keyworkers and those who have to travel for work or care for others.
Burghfield Community Sports Association
However, the council is also inviting the self-employed and those in small businesses who come into contact with the public to get tested as well.
Testing is only for those without any symptoms - anyone who does have symptoms should book a test here or by calling 119.
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Cllr Graham Bridgman, the deputy leader of West Berkshire Council and one of the ward members for Burghfield and Mortimer, said: "I am delighted that we will have testing sites open in Burghfield and Hungerford from Monday - we have made every effort to make community testing accessible across West Berkshire and this means that those in the far east and west of the district no longer have to travel to Thatcham or Newbury to get tested.
Covid stock image
"It's vital that critical and keyworkers, and those self-employed and in small businesses who come into contact with the public, take up the invitation to have testing done in order to help to slow down the transmission of Covid-19 and keep themselves and everyone else in West Berkshire safe."
The following link provides access to booking at all four sites: https://www.westberks.gov.uk/lft
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