Symptom-free testing will pave road to lockdown freedom

The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Brighton & Hove has fallen again this week by an impressive thirty per cent (30%).

In the seven days up to 5 March there were 94 confirmed new Covid-19 cases in the city which is equivalent to a weekly rate of 32 per 100,000 residents. This is nearly half the rate for England as a whole, which is 61 per 100,000.

Many people with Covid-19 don't know they have it because they do not have symptoms, but they can still spread the virus to other people.

For this reason, easily available symptom-free tests for people who need to work away from home have been launched across Sussex this week. This is in addition to the tests already available for secondary-age school children and their families. Businesses of all sizes can now also get symptom-free test kits to use in the workplace.

Alistair Hill, director of public health explains why the symptom-free testing programme is important:

“The numbers of confirmed cases we report are only those we know about. Because some people who get Covid-19 do not get any symptoms, more people in the city will have the virus than these figures show. So there is still a significant risk transmission of the virus could increase again.

“You do not need to feel unwell to be tested for Covid-19. Regular testing, even when you don’t have symptoms, is the best way to find out if you have Covid-19 to protect yourself and everyone you live and work with.

“Symptom-free testing of secondary school children has already started and I want to thank all the schools and colleges who have made amazing efforts to get children back to school safely and start testing in schools this week.

“If you work away from home or have children attending school, please make regular symptom-free testing part of your weekly routine.

“If a Covid test is not available in your workplace you can get them at pharmacies and sites around the city. You can book the new symptom-free tests on the council’s website”