Army to support surge-testing in Blackburn with Darwen
The new phase will see door-knocking in certain areas
Army staff will be supporting efforts to contain the spread of the Indian coronavirus variant in Blackburn with Darwen.
It's still one of the most affected areas in England, with the second highest covid rate - and the biggest week-on-week rise in the seven days to the 23rd May.
The borough has seen a rise of 499 cases, increasing the case rate from 159.7 per 100,000 to 333.3 per 100,000.
Bosses in the area have been carrying out surge testing and encouraging people to get their vaccine but the surge testing will move into a new phase of door-knocking in the Shear Brow area of Blackburn, with the added Army support.
The surge testing will expand into many other areas of Blackburn over the next four weeks.
From today (28th May), staff from the council's engagement teams will be calling at people's homes in the areas that have a higher rate of the Indiant variant - known as VOC-21APR-02.
They'll be delivering information about testing and giving out PCR tests - returning later to pick them up.
The Army is helping from tomorrow (29th May) by taking over the running of the five community hubs in Blackburn which is where residents can collect and return their PCR tests.
They will also help to staff the rapid Covid-19 test site at King George's Hall from Tuesday 1st June.
What is surge testing?
Surge testing just means that places with higher case rates will see increased testing to in order to try and curb the spread.
To do this, council officers work with residents to encourage them to take a PCR test for Covid even if they have no symptoms.
Research suggests around 1 in 3 people with Coronavirus won't have symptoms and will spread it unknowingly.
What will happen when your area is surge tested?
- You'll get a postcard through your letterbox, letting you know when the surge testing in your area is starting.
- They'll call back the next day to talk to the household about why surge testing is important and leave PCR test kits for everyone in the household over the age of 11.
- If you need help with the test, they will point you in the right direction to go to a mobile testing site.
- They'll then let you know when they'll be back to collect the completed PCR tests and help you register the kits so you can get your results.
- If you get a positive test, they'll help offer advice on what to do and provide information on the support available to you.
Professor Dominic Harrison, Director of Public Health for Blackburn with Darwen, said:
"We have now seen increases in virus rates across most areas of the borough and, as the dominant variant in the UK now, we anticipate that we have cases of the variant VOC-21APR-02, which was first identified in India, beyond the original areas of concern.
"This increased surge testing is vital to helping us get a better understanding of how rapidly this variant is spreading across the borough, and how we can work to shut down transmission.
"Over the next month or so Blackburn residents can expect to see lots of people in high vis yellow jackets in their neighbourhoods, handing out information about testing. It’s all about keeping people safe and helping people understand what they can do to prevent further spread of the Variant of Concern.
"These teams are very experienced in working with residents and will be happy to answer questions anyone has about why this testing is so important and what they need to do."
Coun Mohammed Khan CBE, Leader of the Council, added:
"We don’t want residents to feel alarmed about the arrival of Army personnel from this Friday.
"This is not the first time the Army have been deployed in Blackburn with Darwen – they supported us last summer to set up our first mobile testing sites, and again late in 2020 as we established rapid testing hubs.
"By taking over the running of our community hubs and our rapid Covid-19 test site, our own engagement staff will then be able to get out on the ground in areas where we know the variant of concern is spreading, to talk to residents and encourage more people to take a PCR test – even if they have no Coronavirus symptoms.
"I would urge everyone in the areas affected to get tested. By finding symptomless cases of Covid, infected people can isolate and help to slow transmission of the virus – and protect our communities."
For more information about testing for Coronavirus in Blackburn with Darwen, visit www.blackburn.gov.uk/get-a-test.