South Derbyshire's council chief has urged residents to get tested for Covid-19 in the rapid community roll-out starting next week in Swadlincote.

Frank McArdle, chief executive of South Derbyshire District Council, says the set-up in Swadlincote for rapid community testing from Monday, December 21 at Grove Hall – part of the leisure centre complex – aims to "set the standard" for the process.

Testing will be for residents without symptoms aged 11 and up with the aim of carrying out 150,000 tests in the next six weeks, according to Dean Wallace, the county's public health director.

A total of 120 army personnel from the Joint Military Command (East) will run the site, alongside council staff.

Mr McArdle says that the district's councillors and council staff have been working at pace to set up the testing and arrange for buildings to be repurposed for the next six weeks.

They have been working closely with Derbyshire County Council's (DCC) public health team and the army to arrange community testing in the town.

This, he says, includes bringing in two extension buildings to add on to Midway Community Centre to make the site viable.

Mr McArdle told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Let's not beat about the bush, the virus is still with us, the vaccinations are things to come in the New Year. Testing is one way we can isolate when we need to and prevent the spread of the virus.

"In a very short space of time we have organised and to some extent commandeered premises for these centres.

"With the lateral test in Liverpool, things were different, if you tested positive, you were back on the street and went home to self-isolate, and if you tested negative, you were back out on the street.

"With community testing it is different, if the lateral flow tests positive you will be taken to another part of the building for a PCR test, which is more invasive but more accurate, and then you are counselled about your health, how you are feeling yourself, you are asked about your home life and given support about any financial benefits to self-isolate and to substitute lost income and you are given advice for yourself and your family.

"That is more intensive and takes longer to do, but hopefully it will result in less people being asymptomatic and going out and thinking 'I'm fine' and actually spreading it again.

"It is about protection, for everybody.

"The fact that you may walk away with a clear result means nothing. But at least it means that you're not a super-spreader and you're not a person that's taking the direction of positives in South Derbyshire upwards, which lets face it, it's not good.

"You're not going to create a problem for people older than you, that would suffer more than you, from you being asymptomatic and passing it, unknowingly, to those people.

"It is now a fact that people aged 60 and above are suffering more severe symptoms and therefore needing more care in hospital, than previously.

"It used to be the very elderly and now it is 60-plus. Those figures are there.

"In South Derbyshire, it reflects that, and hospital admissions are high, too high.

"Our infection rate is above the average and nothing to be proud and nothing to be ashamed of, but it is something we need to address.

"This being the first isn't an accident, it's what's needed to happen and we are doing it and responding as a district council. Your council and the members have stepped up."

Councillor Martyn Ford, South Derbyshire District Council's leader, said: "Providing testing for our residents is important to monitor and reduce the number of cases of coronavirus in South Derbyshire.

"This is why SDDC has provided these community buildings for the testing sites and the chief Executive and his staff have worked with DCC, the military and partners round the clock to ensure they will be able to open on time and provide the testing capacity."

Rapid community testing starts in Swadlincote from Grove Hall, close to the Princess Diana Memorial Garden, from 9am on Monday, December 21.

Two further centres, Midway Community Centre and Gresley Old Hall, will both open on Tuesday, December 29.

Residents will be given lateral flow tests which produce test results within 30 minutes

If a resident tests positive on the lateral flow tests (rapid tests) they will then take a "confirmatory" polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

This is due to the lateral flow tests not being as accurate as the slower PCR tests, with occasional false positives and negatives, especially if administered by people who are not healthcare professionals.

The confirmatory PCR will be sent off by a priority courier with an aim to bring back a test result within 24 hours.

During this time, between tests, the resident, if they tested positive on the initial rapid test, will be asked to start self-isolating, along with other members of their household.

They will also be asked for their recent contacts.

Once the PCR test result is received, and if it also shows a positive result for Covid-19, resident's recent contacts will be contacted to carry out tracing procedures, to provide advice around self-isolating, and to point them in the direction of mental health or voluntary services for further support.

You can use the following link to see how busy the test centres are, when they are launched, to help organise your visit HERE