Surge Covid testing deployed to part of London to catch cases of Delta variant

SURGE Covid testing has been deployed in London to catch cases of the Delta variant from India.

It’s hoped the testing blitz will keep cases of the super-infectious variant down.

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The Department of Health said everyone in Kingston should get a Covid test from Wednesday morning.

It follows the identification of a small number of confirmed cases of the Delta variant. 

All the confirmed cases have been instructed to self-isolate and their contacts have been identified.

Everyone aged 11 and over who lives or works in these areas is strongly encouraged to take a PCR test, whether they are showing symptoms or not.

A PCR test is the top standard of Covid testing and is different to lateral flow devices that you can use at home for quick results.

If you have symptoms you should book a free test online or by phone. 

Kingston is the latest London area to be targeted with testing, adding to Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon and Redbridge.

Elsewhere in the country, a series of towns and cities have needed surge testing against the Delta strain.

It includes Leicester, North Tyneside, Kirklees, Hampshire, Bradford and several parts of the North West.

Most recently additional tests were rolled out to residents in Calderdale, West Yorkshire.

The North West has been particularly hard hit by the Delta variant, leading to more restrictions.

Six million people – one tenth of the UK’s population – in Greater Manchester and Lancashire are being told to “minimise” travel in and out of the areas.

A huge vaccination surge is also being launched to combat spiralling Covid cases, but it won’t involve any additional jabs.

The same approach also applies in Bedford, Blackburn, Kirklees, Leicester, Hounslow, and North Tyneside.

The Army will be sent in to help with a huge new jabbing drive in a mirror of measures introduced in neighbouring Bolton last month.

Bolton, a recent hotspot, has managed to drive down infection rates with a huge effort to test and vaccinate the population.

The PM’s spokesman said: “We want to provide the package of support that has been effective in Bolton, to a wider area.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said yesterday: “We know that this approach can work, we’ve seen it work in south London and in Bolton in stopping a rise in the number of cases.”