Important Covid update

@PHE_uk have found a small number of cases of the Covid variant first found in Kent in parts of Manchester.

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Extra testing is being set up to investigate whether the strain has spread further in Manchester and we are strongly advising that as many people as possible in the area get tested, even if they don’t have symptoms.

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As of tomorrow (Tuesday 9 Feb), we will be setting up extra testing sites in parts of the city and street teams will be knocking on doors to ask people over the age of 16 who live in postcode areas to get a test:

- M14 4, M14 7

- M15 5, M15 6

- M16 7, M16 8

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The results will take a few days to come back but you don’t need to isolate while you wait for them, unless you have symptoms, or you are a close contact of a positive case.

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If you test positive, have any symptoms, or are contact traced following contact with someone who tests positive, you should self-isolate for 10 days immediately.

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There is currently no evidence that this mutation causes more severe illness, or that the vaccine would not protect against it.

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It’s really important that everybody continues to follow the lockdown rules to keep us all safe:

- Wash your hands regularly

- Wear a face covering

- Keep your distance from others outside of your household.

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If you’ve been called for a vaccine you should still attend but if you develop symptoms, please rearrange your appointment.

For more information including a list of the postcodes visit:

-> http://www.manchester.gov.uk/covidtesting 

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How to get a test

-> If you have coronavirus symptoms you should continue to book a test at http://nhs.uk/coronavirus , via the NHS COVID-19 app or by calling 119

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-> Mobile testing units will be set up at Our Lady's RC Church and the Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurdwara.

-> For those people who are unable to attend a test site, home test kits will be delivered to their homes.

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If you have tested positive using a PCR test, which is when the sample is sent to a lab for the results to be analysed, in the last 90 days, you do not need to take another test.

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If you've already had the vaccine, please also still take a test. The vaccine will prevent you getting seriously ill, but it's not clear if it stops the transmission of the virus. That means you could still pass it on.

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Please help to keep your community safe by getting tested so we can track the variant and protect you and your loved ones.

For more info visit: http://www.manchester.gov.uk/covidtesting 

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