Anyone who has a fever, a new, continuous cough or a loss or change to their sense of taste and smell should immediately self-isolate and book a test by visiting GOV.UK or calling 119 as soon as possible. People can now get a test within eight days of first developing symptoms.
Wolverhampton has 5 Covid-19 test centres, with a capacity to carry out up to 800 tests per day. They include a drive through site at Alderlsey Leisure Village and four walk-through sites, at Showell Road, Blakenhall Community Resource Centre and Faulkland Street in Wolverhampton and at Mountford Lane in Bilston. Appointments must be booked in advance.
The city’s Director of Public Health John Denley said: "Testing is incredibly important. Primarily, of course, it will enable you to find out whether you have got Covid-19 and to then take whatever steps may be necessary as a result.
"But it's also really important in helping us understand where we are as a city in the fight against coronavirus – for instance, whether infection rates locally are going up or down, where in Wolverhampton the hotspots are and, possibly most important of all, what impact the local measures which were introduced last month are having.
"Only by having a really good understanding of how Covid-19 is being transmitted in Wolverhampton will we be able to determine what measures are needed to help beat the virus. Without testing data we cannot do this."
He added: "We’ve been able to substantially increase our testing capacity over the last few weeks and people shouldn't experience any difficulties booking online or by calling 119 – please remember that you must get tested if you have symptoms of Covid-19, no matter how mild they may be."
Details of all of Wolverhampton’s test centres can be found at Coronavirus Testing. People are reminded that they should wear a face covering when attending walk-through centres, only removing these while the test is taking place. Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace and will be asked to share information about people that they have been in close contact with recently.
The latest information and guidance around coronavirus is available at GOV.UK and on the council’s own coronavirus pages at Coronavirus advice and information.
For details of the local Covid-19 measures which came into force last month, please visit Local restrictions in Wolverhampton.
