COVID: Highland Council and NHS Highland arrange pop-up Lateral Flow Device - LFD - Collect service points in Inverness city centre - all locations and times included for pick up from Wednesday 15 until Friday December 17
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Packs of LFD tests will be distributed from Inverness city centre locations from Wednesday 15 December to Friday 17 December.
The Highland Council and NHS Highland are working in partnership to increase availability of Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests throughout the Highlands.
This week, there will be pop-up LFD Collect service points in Inverness City Centre. Packs of LFD tests will be available for free to the public, to be taken away and used at home, and staff will be present to give guidance on how to take the test.
The deployment is not due to any particular outbreak in these areas.
Packs of LFD tests for anyone without symptoms will be available to collect at:
Wednesday 15 December
Inverness City Centre (morning)
Inverness Railway Station (morning)
Thursday 16 December
Inverness City Centre (afternoon)
Victorian Market, Inverness (afternoon)
Friday 17 December
Inverness City Centre (morning)
Victorian Market, Inverness (afternoon)
Inverness Railway Station (morning & afternoon)
Inverness Bus Station (morning & afternoon)
A Highland Council spokeswoman said: "Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests are easy to administer. By taking one twice a week, we can help our community, families and friends stay safe and slow down the spread of coronavirus. Tracking down cases of the virus earlier will limit the spread of new variants.
"If you have been vaccinated, you should still consider getting tested. While vaccines reduce the risk of infection after 14-21 days, people who have been vaccinated could still become infected. No vaccine provides 100 per cent protection against a virus.
"Free LFD tests for people without COVID-19 symptoms are also available to collect from pharmacies, and can be sent to your home by visiting nhsinform.scot/testing, or by calling 119.
"The LFD test is already used in some workplaces, including schools. If you do already get tested through your workplace or education setting you should continue to use those routes."
Convener of Highland Council, Bill Lobban, said: “In Highland, cases of Covid-19 are high. Cold winter weather bringing us indoors more, and the increase of socialising during the festive season, means it is more important than ever to use LFD tests regularly to make sure we don’t have the virus asymptomatically. As we meet friends and loved ones during the coming festivities, testing can reassure us that we’re keeping each other safe. We should all make sure we have enough LFD tests, and pop-up LFD Collect service points are a convenient way to top up while you’re out and about.”
Dr Tim Allison, director of Public Health with NHS Highland, said: “There is still a high level of Covid-19 within the Highlands and minimising spread remains vitally important. When dealing with a disease that can be asymptomatic, such as COVID-19, it is necessary to diagnose cases as early as possible to prevent more people becoming infected without realising. The regular taking of LFD tests in our community helps the NHS to find asymptomatic cases and stop the virus spreading.”
The community testing programme offers rapid COVID-19 tests for people without symptoms, through the use of mobile testing sites and outreach events such as pop-up LFD Collect service points. If you do have symptoms, you should not visit a mobile testing site or LFD Collect service point. Instead, you should self-isolate immediately and seek a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test. Symptoms include new continuous cough, fever, or loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste.
PCR tests for people with COVID-19 symptoms can also be arranged by visiting nhsinform.scot/testing or by calling 119.
