More than 25,000 people were tested for Covid-19 last week as part of the expanded mass testing programme in the Liverpool City Region.
People in boroughs outside Liverpool have been able to get tested since December 8 in an effort to cut Covid-19 transmission by identifying asymptomatic cases.
237 people were identified as asymptomatic Covid-19 carriers across Wirral, Sefton, Halton, Knowsley and St Helens in the seven days up to Thursday (the latest day for which data is available).
The mass testing programme - known as “SMART testing” - uses lateral flow tests to identify people with the virus but who don’t show any symptoms and would otherwise have continued mixing with others and may have passed on the virus to more vulnerable people.
In Wirral, 12,243 asymptomatic people were tested for the virus in the week up to Thursday (December 17), with 101 testing positive for the virus.
This amounts to 3.7% of the borough’s population being tested in a single week across Wirral’s four testing centres.
Halton, which only began testing asymptomatic residents on Monday (December 14), carried out 2,033 tests and identified 29 cases. Halton’s positivity rate of 1.4% was the highest seen out of the region’s lateral flow testing this week.
Sefton saw numbers pick up throughout the week, rising from around 300 tests on Friday (December 11) to 700 on Thursday (December 17).
Keep up to date with coronavirus cases in your area by adding your postcode below
In total, Sefton tested 3,322 people and found 27 asymptomatic cases last week, and the borough’s director of public health urged more people to get tested before Christmas.
Margaret Jones said: “Getting the results of a SMART test at our Bootle, Southport and Aintree sites will reduce the chance of passing on the Covid-19 virus to relations who may be vulnerable to what is still a dangerous virus over Christmas.
“It takes just 30 minutes to get the results and the reassurance that you’re helping to keep your family safe this Christmas.”
Knowsley, previously one of the worst affected boroughs in the country, tested 3,542 people during the week and found 39 cases. In total, Knowsley’s mass testing has found 53 cases from 4,332 tests.
Cllr Sean Donnelly, Knowsley Council’s cabinet member for health and social care, said: “It’s really important that people without symptoms get tested.
“Our testing to date has identified 53 people who have Covid-19 but didn’t know they have it and were unknowingly passing it on to others.
“Importantly, they can now self-isolate to prevent the further spread of the virus within our communities. In other words, we have caught 53 cases which wouldn’t previously have been identified and the people concerned can now take action to kill the virus."
St Helens carried out 4,508 tests during the week, finding 41 positive cases.
In total, the expanded mass testing programme has carried out almost 35,000 tests in around two weeks and identified more than 300 people who would not otherwise have known to self-isolate.
Residents of Knowsley, Sefton, Wirral, St Helens and Halton who do not have coronavirus symptoms can get tested at the following locations:
Knowsley
- Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park, Longview Drive, Huyton
- Kirkby Leisure Centre, Cherryfield Drive, Kirkby
- Halewood Leisure Centre, Baileys Lane, Halewood
Sefton
- Splash World, Southport
- Aintree Race Course, Aintree
- Bootle Leisure Centre, North Park, Bootle
Wirral
- Floral Pavilion, Marine Promenade, New Brighton
- Greasby Library, Greasby Road, Greasby
- Eastham Library, Mill Park Drive, Eastham
- Birkenhead Market, Claughton Road, Birkenhead
St Helens
- St Mary’s Indoor Market, St Helens
- Chester Lane Centre, Sutton
- Grange Valley Youth Centre, Haydock
Halton
- Ditton Community Centre, Dundalk Road, Widnes
- Grangeway Community Centre, Grangeway, Runcorn
