Covid in Wakefield: New permanent coronavirus testing site opens as rate of cases in Wakefield, Pontefract and Castleford falls for first time

The test site, at the Waterfront Car Park on Barnsley Road, will offer walk-in appointments to those with symptoms of the virus.

It replaces a temporary site which had previously been held at Wakefield Trinity's Bell Vue stadium.

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A mobile coronavirus testing site at Featherstone Rovers remains open, alongside a district-wide ‘drop off and take away’ service provided by Wakefield Council in partnership with Conexus.

Anna Hartley, Wakefield Council’s Director of Public Health, said: “I would like to thank Wakefield Trinity for allowing us to use their site as a mobile testing unit. It has been a great help to improving local testing for our residents in the fight against Covid-19.

“Other sites are still available across the district, including the permanent site which opens today.

“If you are displaying symptoms please book a test. You will be allocated an appointment at one of our testing sites and having this permanent site available will improve capacity to help you get tested more quickly and closer to home. Please make an appointment, even if your symptoms are mild.”

It was confirmed last week that Wakefield was one of 66 local authorities to have expressed an interest in receiving a new types of Covid-19 test, known as lateral flow tests, which can

provide results in as little as 15 minutes.

The tests are currently being used in Liverpool but up to 10,000 could be made available in Wakefield in the coming weeks.

Rate of cases falls for the first time

There have been 11,730 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Wakefield to date, up from 8,349 at the start of the month.

But despite the rising cases, the rate of cases in the district fell slightly this week, down from 485 to 463 per 100,000 for the seven days up to November 14.

It is the first time the rate of cases in the district has fallen in over a month.

But it remains far higher than the national rate of cases, which is currently 261 per 100,000.

In their latest Covid-19 dashboard update, issued on Monday, Wakefield Council said the district had the 12th highest infection rate in the country.

Anyone displaying coronavirus symptoms is urged to get a test by visiting nhs.uk/coronavirus or calling 119.

Residents in the district who suspect they have symptoms of the virus can also access tests via a home delivery service but people are urged to try the national system first.

The local testing delivery service is available from Monday to Friday and bookings for appointments can be made at www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 01924 224497. Or email the person’s name and contact details to [email protected] so the booking team can get in touch.