Hancock urges people in Merthyr Tydfil to take part in mass coronavirus testing
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has urged people in Merthyr Tydfil to “play their part” in bringing coronavirus under control by taking part in Wales’ first mass test pilot.
Rapid Covid-19 tests will be offered to residents and workers even if they do not have symptoms in the town which last week had the highest rate of new cases in the UK.
On Wednesday, Mr Hancock said the pilot, which follows one already in place in Liverpool, would provide “vital understanding” on how mass testing can be rolled out across the UK.
He said: “By testing more people, including those without symptoms, we are able to find more positive cases of the virus and break chains of transmission.
“Building on the learnings from the first whole city testing pilot in Liverpool and using the latest rapid tests, this pilot in Merthyr will provide vital understanding of how we can further roll out mass testing, as well as suppressing the virus and peace of mind for residents of Merthyr.
“I want to thank the Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council, Welsh Government and the armed forces for their work in making this pilot possible and bringing a test to everyone who needs one.
“I urge everyone in Merthyr to play their part in bringing this virus under control by getting a test, and by following restrictions in place.”
The testing programme will launch at Merthyr Tydfil’s Rhydycar leisure centre on Saturday with more sites due to open through Merthyr Tydfil County Borough throughout November.
Welsh Secretary Simon Hart said the pilot would be supported by 165 military personnel.
Yesterday I approved a Welsh Government request for military support to help rollout the UK Government mass testing programme in Merthyr Tydfil. 165 military personnel will be involved. We’re working hand in hand with Merthyr Tydfil Council & Welsh Gov to defeat this virus.
— Simon Hart (@Simonhartmp) November 18, 2020
Lateral flow tests will give results within 20 to 30 minutes, with people who test positive then given a traditional swab test and asked to return home so they can self-isolate immediately.
Wales’ health minister Vaughan Gething said: “This is the first time we have rolled out mass testing of symptomatic and asymptomatic people in Wales. It will give us an even greater understanding of prevalence within the community and how many people have Covid.
“We have chosen Merthyr as it has a high prevalence and this mass testing will also help to slow down the spread of the virus in the area.
“The introduction of the rapid testing lateral flow devices is a boost to our test, trace, protect strategy and will speed up the process hugely. This is vital technology which I hope will play an important role in our fight against this deadly virus.”
The leader of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, Kevin O’Neill, said: “We’ve all been alarmed by the high number of cases in Merthyr Tydfil and action is needed to respond as a community to protect our residents.
“Testing is important even if you don’t have symptoms. We learned this week that in Liverpool, where a Covid-19 testing trial has been carried out, 700 people were found to have unknowingly had the virus – these were cases that would not have been detected otherwise.
“The council will be throwing its support behind this significant undertaking in the coming weeks and encouraging as many of our residents as possible to play their part in trying to bring this virus under some sort of control.”
Last week, Merthyr Tydfil briefly became the worst-hit area of the UK, with 741 cases per 100,000 people.
On Monday, the figure had dropped but the town still had the highest rate in Wales, with 205 new cases recorded in the seven days to November 12 – the equivalent of 339.8 cases per 100,000 people.
