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MOBILE Covid-19 testing units, operated by the Armed Forces, will travel around the UK, said the Department of Health and Social Care yesterday.
The plan is for units to respond to areas of highest demand — travelling to test frontline workers and the most vulnerable at sites including care homes, police stations and prisons.
The new units will work alongside the drive-through test sites, sending patient samples to the network of Lighthouse Labs, to rapidly increase the number of tests done each day.
The number of new mobile units is being scaled up after a successful pilot last week when Department of Health and Social Care vehicles were refitted as testing sites, using a design from the Royal Engineers of the British Army.
Today, there are 8 existing mobile units carrying out tests across the country. But the government hopes to release 96 mobile testing vehicles by the start of May.
The mobile facilities can be set up in under 20 minutes and are now travelling to those most in need and hard to reach.
Specially trained Armed Forces will collect swabs at the mobile sites, before they are sent to mega-labs for processing. And those tested will receive results within 48 hours.
The mobile sites will travel to workers in places including:
- care homes
- police stations
- prisons
- benefits centres
- fire and rescue services
Testing Minister, Lord Bethell said: “Everyone who needs a coronavirus test should be able to have access to one.
“New mobile testing units will travel the country to provide vital frontline workers with tests so those testing negative to safely return to work.
“We have built up capacity in the system with new testing facilities backed by Britain’s world-class scientists and industry partners.
“This means more workers can know if they have coronavirus if they have been demonstrating symptoms.
“Testing is key in our battle against coronavirus. We now have the ability to provide more people with the certainty they need to get back to the front line when it is safe to do so.”
And the national testing coordinator, John Newton said: “Across the country we are creating new infrastructure to rapidly increase our capacity to test for coronavirus.
“New mobile testing units will help us achieve our goal of 100,000 coronavirus tests a day, providing tests to vital frontline workers wherever they need them.
“In a matter of weeks we have worked with Britain’s leading scientists, academics and industry partners to build scores of new testing facilities and Britain’s largest network of diagnostic labs in history.
“Each day we are delivering more coronavirus tests, and allowing more frontline staff testing negative for the virus to safely return to work.”
Responding to the Government’s announcement, Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “Councils want to play their full part in the national effort to defeat this disease, and greater testing in our communities is a really important step.
“It is a credit to our armed forces that they will oversee the roll out of these mobile testing sites, which will give us a real chance to safely return thousands of staff back to the front line.
“With greater capacity to deliver more tests, the Government should prioritise those at most risk, including staff who work in care homes and support the most vulnerable.
“The Government’s testing regime should also be complemented by making use of existing local knowledge and skills on the ground.
“Where councils do help test those with COVID-19, any demand on existing services would need to be met by additional resources and funding. We look forward to working with the Government on the details.”
