PEOPLE are being urged to get themselves tested for Covid-19 as new figures show the infection rate in Bradford is rising.

Testing enables people to self-isolate if positive and slow the spread of the virus.

Roughly one in three people with the virus have no symptoms, so they could be spreading the disease without knowing it, leading to an increasing infection rate.

Broadening testing to identify those showing no symptoms will mean finding positive cases more quickly, and so break the chain of transmission if those people follow self-isolation guidelines.

Residents of the Bradford district - which includes the Steeton-Silsden-Addingham area - can take advantage of a range of ways to get tested for Covid-19, whether they have symptoms or not.

Bradford Council’s Covid-19 Response Hub, in partnership with the Department for Health and Social Care, opened its doors last month for residents of the district to access fast, free Covid-19 tests and help drive down transmission rates.

Community testing aims to reduce the prevalence of the virus in the highest risk areas. Taken together with existing national restrictions, community testing will help save lives.

Testing is available for people without symptoms at St George’s Hall in Bradford city centre and in the Airedale Shopping Centre, Keighley. There is no need to book an appointment – anyone who lives or works in the Bradford district can just turn up.

Support workers will be on hand to offer advice and guidance on how to do the tests.

Do not go to the testing centres if you do have symptoms – they are only for people with no symptoms.

Home testing is also being offered on the doorstep by community engagement volunteers and staff in targeted areas each day.

Anyone with one or more of these symptoms – a high temperature, a new continuous cough, or a loss or change to sense of smell or taste – should book a test at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling 119.

Free test kits are also available at many pharmacies in Bradford. There is no need to reserve or book a test but please do not visit the pharmacy in person if you have any symptoms.

You can send someone to pick up a free test kit for you if they don’t have symptoms and they live outside your household

For more information please follow the website link:

https://www.bradford.gov.uk/health/health-advice-and-support/coronavirus-testing-in-bradford-district/

You also need to prove that you have had a positive test if you want to claim the £500 support for self-isolation and are on a low income.

Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council Executive Member for Healthy People and Places said: “Fast community testing could significantly improve the detection of positive cases, so people can isolate if they need to, and slow down the spread of the virus.

“The testing we’re offering at St George’s Hall and the Airedale Shopping Centre is for people who do not have COVID-19 symptoms.

“I would urge people to get themselves tested, to help us get back to as normal a life as possible, as soon as possible.

“To improve our chances of detecting positive cases, people who test negative can take another test each a week to be really sure, if they wish. By getting tested regularly we can save lives, keep our loved ones safe and help to stop the virus spreading.”