Corby residents urged to get Covid-19 tested

Corby Council’s leader Tom Beattie is calling on residents to get tested for Covid-19 in a bid to help slow down the transmission in the community.

In the past few weeks positive cases in the town have been rising, with a walk-in mobile testing unit set up in the centre of town to make it easy for residents to check whether they have the virus.

In the seven days between August 7 and August 14 there were 16 new cases and altogether since the outbreak began there have been 358 confirmed cases in the town.

This is a lower overall cases number than neighbouring authorities of Kettering, Wellingborough and East Northants, but the steady increase in recent weeks has given cause for concern.

As a whole Northamptonshire now has a significantly higher rate of Covid-19 cases than the national rate.

Cllr Beattie, who has himself taken a test recently, said: “The local testing site is currently available in the most accessible part of the borough and we would urge anyone with symptoms, however mild, to book an appointment and get tested today. Being tested for Covid-19 is quick, simple and completely free of charge so please ensure you act now should you need a test and help us to continue to limit the spread of the virus.”

Anyone with symptoms however mild can go along to the testing facility in James Ashworth VC Square however an appointment must be booked first at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/get-a-test-to-check-if-you-have-coronavirus/Anyone who tests positive at the Corby test site will be contacted by the NHS test and trace service, to help identify any others they may have been in contact with.

Close contacts of those testing positive will also hear from NHS Test and Trace, advising them to stay at home for 14 days to prevent them from unknowingly spreading the virus.