Oldham will get access to rapid COVID-19 testing

All ten Greater Manchester boroughs will have access to rapid COVID-19 tests

Oldham will be getting a share of over half a million rapid-turnaround COVID-19 tests which can give out results within an hour.

They'll be sent out by the NHS Test and Trace to local public health leaders this week, which includes the other nine Greater Manchester boroughs.

The pilot was launched in Liverpool last week, where all residents have been offered regular COVID-19 tests which Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said had "the potential to be a powerful new weapon in our fight against COVID-19".

It means anyone, regardless of whether you have symptoms or not, can be tested in the hopes that it will limit the spread of the virus.

Test kits will be sent to over 50 directors of public health this week, who can then direct and deliver community testing based on their local knowledge.

The kits will be a batch of 10,000 antigen lateral flow devices to be able to test priority groups.

It'll then be followed up with a weekly allocation of these antigen tests. 

Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said:

"Last week we rolled out mass testing in Liverpool using new, rapid technology so we can detect this virus quicker than ever before, even in people who don’t have symptoms.

"Mass testing is a vital tool to help us control this virus and get life more normal.

"I am delighted to say 10,000 of these tests will now be sent out by NHS Test and Trace to over 50 directors of public health as part of our asymptomatic testing strategy.

"I want to thank all directors of public health for their support and efforts over the past months to help us tackle this virus, bring it under control and get the country back to what we love doing."

It's hoped that it'll give local authorities a more accurate picture of the number of cases in their area and to build evidence looking at how well these tests can be delivered at scale. 

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