Community testing programme extended to manage coronavirus outbreaks
Video report by ITV Wales Valleys correspondent Hannah Thomas
Community testing will be extended to the end of September to help manage outbreaks of coronavirus, it has been announced.
Testing has been taking place in Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf since the beginning of March, with plans also progressing in Anglesey in response to an outbreak in Holyhead.
The extension comes amid concerns over a spike in coronavirus cases in parts of Wales.
While the rolling seven-day case rate for Wales is around 42 cases per 100,000 of the population, the rate in Merthyr is almost triple that.
Figures up to March 17 show that Merthyr's Covid rate stands at 121, while on Anglesey it's 107.
Today health minister Vaughan Gething said the Welsh Government would not rule out imposing local restrictions in those areas.
Community testing is for people with no Covid symptoms and is intended to help reduce the spread of the virus, as some people who have the virus are asymptomatic.
An evaluation of the testing pilot in Merthyr Tydfil and Lower Cynon late last year by Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board found testing was cost effective and had contributed to the subsequent decline in coronavirus case rates.
It also found that testing prevented an estimated 353 cases, 24 hospitalisations, five intensive care unit admissions and 14 deaths.
As well as community testing, there are further plans to roll out self-testing kits for people who have to go into the workplace.
Health minister Vaughan Gething said: “We know that up to one in three people who have coronavirus have no symptoms at all and can therefore spread it unknowingly.
“While we are making good progress with the roll-out of our vaccination programme, testing remains pivotal in our response to the pandemic to help identify infectious individuals and manage outbreaks more effectively.
“By providing community testing sites and plans to introduce self-testing kits for people who have to leave their home for work, we are making getting a test more accessible and convenient.
“I welcome the results of the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board testing pilot, which shows that our community testing programme is making a real difference in reducing the transmission of infection, supporting contact tracing, protecting vulnerable individuals and helping to slow or stop the spread of coronavirus.”
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