Urgent calls to residents in Stoke-on-Trent as only 1% of the city are getting covid tested
The latest figures show more than 60% are still out and about.
Last updated 19th Feb 2021
There are fresh pleas from Stoke-on-Trent City Council to all people who live and work in the city to go and get a coronavirus test.
It comes after the latest figures show less than 1% of the population are visiting test centres - despite more than 60% being out and about.
The leader of the City Council Abi Brown said "I'm disappointed to see that despite the big roll-out of testing across the city we didn't see very many people taking that option up.
"We've got an ambition to test 10% of our population every week, and we know approximately six-in-ten people are out and about in the city - and therefore should be going and getting a test."
Stoke-on-Trent currently has 17 community venues open for free lateral flow testing, which give a result in around 30 minutes and are for people who don't show the three main symptoms.
These run in addition to the three regional testing sites for people who display the symptoms of a high temperature, cough, or loss of taste/smell.
20 community pharmacies will be also offering free lateral flow tests for residents from Monday February 22.
"This is a question for residents really, of how much they want to get back to normal life"
Last week only 2210 tests were taken across the entire city - which amounts to less than 1% of the population.
"We have 15,000 appointments available every week and there is no excuse to not get tested." said Councillor Brown.
"There is plenty of capacity; we have time slots early mornings, evenings, seven days a week. Walk-ins are welcome at each individual site. Book a slot online."
In Stoke-on-Trent, the seven-day coronavirus rate is 166.2 cases per 100,000 people, from February 5 to February 11, a decrease of 32.9% on the previous seven days. The positivity rate – which is the percentage of people who have had a coronavirus test and tested positive – has also decreased to 7.2%.
Councillor Brown said "Cases are widespread and the latest figures show that Moorcroft, Etruria, Hanley and Tunstall have the highest rates for COVID-19 in the city, and residents in these wards are not getting tested.
"If we are keen to emerge from lockdown, we hear very clearly from the government that more people getting tested is the way to do that, because we need to see these rates drop. I would really encourage people to go and do that please."
To find out all the details of where you can get a coronavirus test in Stoke-on-Trent click here and book.