MASS testing will give St Helens another tool in the fight against Covid-19, public health chiefs have said as they gear up to open two more sites.
The borough’s first symptom-free community testing site, which uses the 30-minute lateral flow tests, opened in St Mary’s Market on Monday.
The military-backed operation is an expansion of the mass testing pilot ran in Liverpool that uncovered hundreds of asymptomatic Covid carriers.
Soldiers are supporting St Helens Borough Council to set up two more sites at Chester Lane Library and Community Centre in Sutton, and Grange Valley Youth Centre in Haydock, which are both due to open on Wednesday.
Sue Forster, St Helens Borough Council’s director of public health, said community testing will help “break the chains of transmission”, and encouraged the general public to regularly get tested.
Ms Forster said: “For people who don’t have symptoms, this is a way of actually understanding whether you have got the virus, without any symptoms, and then being able to isolate and protect your family from actually going on and spreading the virus.
“In Liverpool it proved to be really, really effective.
“Just in Liverpool alone they found 700 they wouldn’t have found otherwise, and there was quite a few people in other boroughs that they also found.
“So this is just another tool in our toolbox to actually cut the chains of transmission down.”
St Helens’ infection rate has started to creep up over the past week, as restrictions ease due to moving into Tier 2.
Ms Forster said she is still “very concerned” about the overall picture in St Helens, and urged residents to remember the three steps – hands, face, space.
She said: “It’s great news about the vaccine, however, that’s going to be a while before we get any kind of population health immunity, heard immunity.
“So we still have to keep on doing those things to make sure the vulnerable are protected.
“This is a way of actually trying to get on top of that as well and break the chain of transmission and especially if you have a regular test.
“So, I have a test today and then a test in five days and then you keep on knowing that actually you’re quite safe.
“But you still have to do hands, face, space.”
The military will support St Helens’ mass testing operation this week.
Then it will be up to an army of volunteers to run the operation over the coming months.
The council and Halton & St Helens Voluntary Community Action put a call out for volunteers on Thursday.
And now Labour councillor Anthony Burns, cabinet member for public health, leisure, libraries and heritage, has made a fresh appeal for help.
Cllr Burns said: “We’ve got the military here for a week to help us set up.
“We’ve got council staff redeployed, and that helps, but then we’re really reliant on volunteers.
“We’ve seen this year what St Helens Together can do with people pulling together, so it’s a big plea for anybody out there who can come and help.
“You’ll get the full training of what to do, you won’t be handling anything, it’s just really about pointing people in the right direction.
“So if anybody is out there that can help it will be great to have your help.”
All testing sites in the borough will operate on a walking in basis, with no need to book, seven days a week, from 8.30am – 6pm Monday – Friday and 10am – 3pm Saturday and Sundays.
For more information on when and how testing will be available and a list of frequently asked questions, please visit sthelens.gov.uk/LetsGetTested
Anyone interested in volunteering to help support symptom-free community testing is asked to register at volunteering.haltonsthelensvca.org.uk
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