Wirral’s remaining Covid-19 test centres will close today as free testing in England comes to an end.
Tomorrow, the major policy change comes into effect and most people across the country will have to pay for a test. Free tests will still be available for groups who are at risk of serious illness from coronavirus and those who live or work in places where infection can spread rapidly.
In Wirral, community testing will end at 5pm today, with symptom-free lateral flow testing centres at the former House of Fraser store in Birkenhead and The Cherry Tree Shopping Centre in Liscard closing down. The Liscard site will be converted into a pop-up vaccination centre.
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The following PCR test centres have already closed:
- Bebington (Civic Centre)
- Europa Pools, Birkenhead
- Hamilton Building, Birkenhead
- Heswall Library
- The Oval, Bebington
Those who can access free tests if they have covid symptoms include NHS staff, care home staff and residents, social workers and people who are eligible for Covid-19 antiviral and other treatments. Free testing for those who do not have symptoms will be available for patient-facing NHS staff and adult social care staff, as well as a small number of other groups.
The changes are happening despite a trend of rising covid cases across the country over the last month, although that has started to change in the most recent figures. In Wirral, the infection rate is still rising.
In the week up to March 25, Wirral’s rate was 1,024 per 100,000. That is 16% up on last week and almost quadruple the rate of 258 per 100,000 seen on February 26.
The latest numbers we have for Wirral’s hospitals show rising case numbers are putting the NHS locally under greater pressure. On March 22, 70 patients were being treated for covid, the third weekly rise in a row.
Far more people are being treated for the virus than at the start of the month, when, on March 1, there were just 15 covid patients in Wirral. However, the number of deaths registered within 28 days of a positive test remains low.
