Twice weekly rapid Covid testing available to adults in Nottinghamshire

From April 9, in line with the government announcement, people will be able to collect two boxes of seven tests per person or four boxes per family from Nottinghamshire County Council’s asymptomatic community testing sites.

People aged 18 and over will also be able to collect the same number of tests from local pharmacies through the Government’s new ‘Pharmacy Collect ‘service. Local participating pharmacies can be found at www.test-and-trace.nhs.uk.

If testing at home, people will need to register their results online or by calling 119. They should self-isolate if positive and order a confirmatory PCR test.

Dawn Jenkin, public health consultant at Nottinghamshire County Council said: “The government has expanded its rapid testing programme so that everyone can get themselves tested twice a week. We know that around a third of people with Covid-19 do not experience any symptoms and may be spreading the virus without knowing.

“Rapid testing detects cases quickly, meaning positive cases can isolate straight away. As these rapid tests are being made available to everyone, and if everyone uses them, more cases will be detected, thereby breaking chains of transmission.

"This will help to suppress and control the spread of the virus and in turn help to reopen society and the economy more safely.”

With rapid testing offered to everyone, people are being encouraged to take regular tests to help prevent outbreaks and get back to a more normal way of life.