'Huge step forward' as first batch of new rapid Covid testing kits arrive in region
Health chiefs in the West Midlands and Staffordshire are preparing to roll out mass Covid testing after taking delivery of the first batch of 10,000 kits.
Lateral flow tests, with a turnaround time of under an hour, have now been distributed to 67 parts of the country, including Wolverhampton, Dudley, Staffordshire and Birmingham.
Clive Wright, the Covid regional convener for the West Midlands, said the kits were "under the control" of each local authority involved in the pilot scheme.
He said: "It is up to each director of public health to determine how they are going to use them.
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"They are using them differently in the authorities across the West Midlands, depending on their priorities, and how they the new technologies best match the need alongside the existing testing regime.
"What that will deliver is different approaches, and the opportunity to learn from what works best.
"It is quite an exciting time in terms of testing, and a huge step forward in terms of the numbers and the speed at which we can test."
