UP to 12,000 residents in Johnstone will be tested for coronavirus over the next week as the town is handed a key role in Scotland’s efforts to beat the deadly illness.
A testing centre has been set up at Johnstone Town Hall for those without symptoms of Covid-19, giving people the chance to find out if they have the virus.
It is the only fixed site in Scotland’s current mass testing pilot project.
Each day from now until Wednesday, December 9, the testing centre will be open between 8am and 8pm.
Anyone who lives, works or goes to school in Johnstone and who is currently asymptomatic (not displaying symptoms of Covid) is invited to attend.
It is hoped the pilot will help to slow the spread of the virus in the town, give a clearer picture of the extent of asymptomatic transmission within communities and provide valuable information to inform future mass testing across the country.
Johnstone was chosen due to the high rates of Covid-19 detected in recent weeks.
The town saw a rate of 214 cases per 100,000 residents in the seven days to November 26 and, along with the rest of Renfrewshire, is currently in Level 4 of the Scottish Government’s lockdown restrictions.
The drop-in testing centre is being run by 100 staff from Renfrewshire Council.
Councillor Jacqueline Cameron, who represents Johnstone and is chair of the Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Integration Joint Board, has urged local residents to undergo a test over the next week – “for themselves, their loved ones and their town.”
She told The Gazette: “Just because you don’t have coronavirus symptoms doesn’t mean you can’t have or spread the virus.
“There are people out there passing it on without knowing – but the people of Johnstone have a chance to find out if they are among them and I urge them to take that chance.
“The test is quick and easy and taking part will help to protect your loved ones and the town’s elderly and vulnerable.
“But this is also about your town. The more people who get tested, the more we slow the spread of the virus in the town.
“We all want to get back to normal as quickly as possible but that won’t happen until the rates of Covid-19 locally come down.
“Doing that means we keep our schools open, get our local businesses back trading and can start getting life in the town back to normal quicker than would otherwise be the case.
“At the same time, the people of Johnstone can help inform the national approach to mass testing – and help better equip the whole country to beat Covid.”
Read more: Everything you need to know about the Johnstone testing hub
Strict infection control and physical distancing procedures are in place at the testing hub.
Testing is being done via lateral flow tests, which return results quickly.
Anyone who tests positive will then be asked to take a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, like the ones carried out at government-run testing centres, to confirm the diagnosis.
Those who test positive after a PCR test will, along with their household, be asked to self-isolate, in line with national guidance, and work with NHS Test and Protect to identify their close contacts.
Renfrewshire Council leader Iain Nicolson said identifying asymptomatic people in local communities is an important step in the country’s response to coronavirus.
“It is welcome that Johnstone has been chosen to feature in the pilot for mass testing,” he added.
“Testing on such a large scale will help our partners better understand the prevalence of the virus and provide crucial information to inform the approach to mass testing in the months ahead.
“I would appeal for as many people as possible in Johnstone to come along and find out whether they are unknowingly carrying the virus or not.
“With cases remaining high in the area, the testing centre is our chance to help slow the spread of the virus locally, protect family and friends and help us get back to normal more quickly.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has also urged Johnstone residents to be part of the “collective effort” to defeat coronavirus.
She has said the new testing centre at Johnstone Town Hall, along with mobile testing units in other parts of Scotland, have an important role to play in the coming days.
Ms Sturgeon added: “We do hope that identifying more people who are positive will help us ensure that they are not spreading the virus and that’s why we are currently focusing these trials on areas with high prevalence.
“So, if you live in one of these areas, I would encourage you to come forward for testing.
“You give yourself the chance of finding out if you have the virus if you don’t yet have symptoms but you’re also helping that collective effort to try to break the chains of transmission.”
Commenting on the use of lateral flow tests in Johnstone, she said: “The lateral flow tests produce much more quickly than the conventional PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test. That potentially makes them very useful.”
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