14/12/20
This morning I visited Ditton Community Centre in Widnes to be tested for Covid -19 as mass community testing was finally rolled out to Halton. I found it to be very efficient, it took 10 minutes and I had the results 30 minutes later – my result was negative.
As many of you know I have been calling for mass community testing in Halton since April and have directly requested it for our area from the Secretary of State for Health on numerous occasions, so I am glad to see the test sites open today and thank the Army for their support.
The two rapid SMART test sites are at Ditton Community Centre in Widnes and Grangeway Community Centre in Runcorn. If you live/work in Halton, you can be tested at either of them, Monday to Friday 8.30am – 6pm and Saturday & Sunday 10am – 3pm, you do not need an appointment and you do not need to be suffering any symptoms.
This afternoon I was selected to ask Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health a question following his update statement. I mentioned the testing in Halton and also asked him when vulnerable and older people who have received the first dose of the vaccination will receive their second dose. The reason for this is they are not protected until they receive the second dose and I believe it is important that they receive it as close as possible to the minimum 21 day gap to give them protection as quickly as possible. I will be monitoring the time gaps between the doses in Halton. You can watch the exchange on the video link below.
