Surge testing strongly encouraged in Ash:
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has today announced that it is asking residents in Hart District, Rush moor Borough and the Surrey border (Including Ash) to participate in surge testing. This is applicable to people with these post codes:
- GU11
- GU12
- GU51
- GU52
In the announcement, DHSC is strongly encouraging Everyone aged 12 and over who lives or works in these postcodes to take a COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test from Wednesday 26 May, whether they are showing symptoms or not. The community testing initiative is currently planned to end on 9 June 2021.
How to book your test
You can book a test using the national booking website, which will take you to your nearest available local testing site.
Note when answering “Why are you asking for a test?” answer “I’ve been told to get a test by my local council, health protection team or healthcare professional“.
https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test
You can book at a test:
- At a walk through test site
- At a drive through test site
- Order a home testing kit for up to 3 persons
Why is this surge testing needed
This surge testing is being deployed following the identification of a small number of confirmed cases of the variant first identified in India, B1.617.2.
In the DHSC statement, they confirmed that all the confirmed cases have been instructed to self-isolate, and their contacts have been identified.
The seven-day rolling rate of new cases is published via an interactive map, which for May shows an up surge within the targeted post codes, resulting in surge testing in and around the impacted areas.
What the PCR test involves
The test involves taking a swab of the inside of your nose and the back of your throat, using a long cotton bud.
You can do the swab yourself (if you are aged 12 or over) or someone can do it for you. Parents or guardians have to swab test children aged 11 or under.
What if I have had a vaccination
Government advice says you should get a test even if:
- You have no symptoms of COVID-19
- You’ve had a vaccination for COVID-19
- You’ve tested positive for COVID-19 previously (but not within the last 90 days by a PCR test)
Is a PCR test the same as a lateral flow test?
No, the free rapid lateral flow tests are different as they determine a COVID-19 result only. The full PCR test additionally detects a variant of any a positive COIVD-19 result.
Sometimes called “molecular photocopying,” the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a fast and inexpensive technique used to amplify / copy small segments of DNA. Because significant amounts of a sample of DNA are necessary for molecular and genetic analyses, studies of isolated pieces of DNA are nearly impossible without PCR amplification. This method of test collection allows the laboratories to perform the studies they need to fight COIVD-19.
Nearby Surge testing locations
- ASYMPTOMATIC TESTING ONLY, Carrington Lodge, Carrington Recreation Ground, Ash Vale, GU12 5QP
- ASYMPTOMATIC TESTING ONLY, Farnborough (Napier Gardens Car Park), Napier Gardens Car Park, Queens Avenue, Farnborough, GU11 2JH
- ASYMPTOMATIC TESTING ONLY, Aldershot Multi-Storey Car Park, Wellington Avenue, Aldershot, GU11 1SD
Carrington Recreation Ground, Mobile Testing Unit location