By Emily Rooney
A new walk-in coronavirus testing centre opened in Upper Brown Street on Tuesday (24NOV), to enable citizens of Leicester to get a coronavirus test without having to book.
There are currently ten other coronavirus testing sites in Leicester, with six being walk-through and four being drive-through.
However, all ten of these sites require an appointment, potentially making it difficult for people to get a test at a time that suits them due to all appointments being booked.
The new testing site in Upper Brown Street, which is where the Sue Townsend Theatre is, will be open all week from 10am to 4pm every day, performing the standard free NHS swab tests, which yield results in about 48 hours.
Professor Ivan Browne, director of public health in Leicester, said: “This new facility has the capacity to provide 500 tests a day.
“Testing is vital in our fight against coronavirus and helps to protect our most vulnerable residents. Only by identifying where and how the virus is spreading will we be able to prevent our numbers in Leicester from rising further.
“It’s always better to book your test in advance but this centre will be open to people who just walk up.”
Currently, people are only encouraged to get tested if they have coronavirus symptoms, such as a high temperature, loss of smell or taste, or a new, persistent cough.
The case rate per 100,000 people for coronavirus in Leicester is currently 429, making Leicester the 16th highest in the country for COVID-19 cases per 100,000 of the population.
The number of positive tests has fallen compared to last week, but there were still 3,320 lab confirmed positive coronavirus tests in the two weeks up to November 20, with the highest concentrations of positive tests being in Hamilton, Abbey, and Stoneygate, says the Leicester City Council website.
For more information, advice and guidance on coronavirus, visit leicester.gov.uk/coronavirus
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