Additional rapid ‘pop up’ Covid test hubs are to be launched across North Somerset following a pilot scheme at Weston College.
North Somerset public health officials are finalising details of where the testing stations will be, with details due to be revealed in the coming weeks.
The move follows the pilot of a community Covid-19 testing hub at Weston College’s Loxton Road campus last month.
Community lateral flow testing is used to find people who have Covid-19 with no symptoms.
Those who test positive can then isolate and prevent the virus from spreading.
The expansion of the pilot scheme is being funded using Government cash.
A North Somerset Council spokesman said: “Our public health team is finalising the details of this service and we expect to be able to start offering tests to our residents in the next couple of weeks.
“We will release more details, including where the testing sites will be, who can benefit most from a test and how to book, as soon as it is available.”
There are currently three main coronavirus mobile testing units in North Somerset - one at Castlewood in Clevedon, at Locking Road car park in Weston-super-Mare and one at Bristol Airport.
The news that the pop up testing stations are being expanded comes as case numbers across the district continue to soar.
The weekly seven-day rate for North Somerset shows the North Somerset rate is 372.0 per 100,000 head of population - an increase on the previous figure of 360.4.
This compares to the South West seven-day rate of 344.1 and the rate for England at 612.1.
There is a lag in case data meaning the latest information is for the week ending Saturday, January 2.
A total of 800 new cases were identified in that week.
The spokesman added: “These rates are the highest we have seen in North Somerset since the pandemic began.”
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Anyone with symptoms - a new continuous cough, loss of or change in sense of taste or smell, or a high temperature – should continue to book their test at www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.
