Covid testing centre in Wick to stay in place 'for as long as required'
Wick's walk-through coronavirus testing centre will remain in place "for as long as it is required", the UK government has indicated.
However, it would not divulge details of how many people have been tested at the complex of portable buildings since it was set up two-and-a-half months ago, or how many tests have proved positive.
The centre, which opened on January 7 and occupies one end of the town's riverside car park, is described as being part of "the largest network of diagnostic testing facilities in British history". It is one of 36 local testing sites and four regional testing sites across Scotland operated on behalf of the UK government by private firm Mitie.
The John O'Groat Journal put a series of questions to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) but it would not be drawn over the number of people tested so far at the Wick centre, or even staffing levels there.
The department said it does not publish information about "positivity rates, staffing capacity or total testing throughput at specific testing sites".
It said testing capacity is reviewed continually "to ensure that we have the capacity to ensure that anyone who needs a test can get one". Testing provision will remain in place "for as long as it is required without impacting availability of testing for local communities".
It has been suggested locally that sandwiches are transported from Edinburgh each day for the testing centre staff at Wick. The DHSC would only say: "We cannot provide specific breakdowns of government contracts and costs because this detail is commercially sensitive."
In Scotland, the UK government is providing all Covid testing and test processing outside of the NHS. The Wick testing site is open from 8am until 8pm, seven days a week.
Tests must be booked in advance at www.nhsinform.scot/test-and-protect or by calling 0800 028 2816. People should only book at test if they have coronavirus symptoms – a high temperature, a new and continuous cough, or a loss or change to their sense of smell or taste.
A DHSC spokesperson said: “Over the past year, the UK government has built the largest network of diagnostic testing facilities in British history, from scratch, and we have now carried out more than 109 million coronavirus tests.
“We are working tirelessly to expand and improve it with new technologies and innovations, and have the capacity to process more than 750,000 tests per day. On top of this, we now have over 1105 symptomatic test sites running across the UK and seven major laboratories processing hundreds of thousands of tests every single day.
“Testing remains a vital part of the response to Covid-19 as we cautiously ease lockdown restrictions, which is why we have rolled out regular rapid asymptomatic testing which is supporting children to go back to school, people to go back to work and visitors to see their loved ones in care homes.”
Speaking in January as the Wick testing centre opened, NHS Highland's chief executive Pam Dudek said: "This new facility will make it even easier for people in Caithness to get a test. I want to thank all of the staff for their hard work in ensuring the service is up and running and I would encourage anyone who has symptoms of Covid-19 to book a test immediately."
At the same time, Mitie's Simon Venn said: “Our priority during the pandemic is to support the nation’s efforts to fight Covid-19 and help keep the country running. Testing is a critical part of the UK’s strategy to combat coronavirus and we’re proud to support the UK government with this vital task."