Covid-19 Rapid Test Centres Open After Delay
Facilities in Sands End and King Street were due to start last year
Sands End Arts and Community Centre in Peterborough Road
The two new Covid-19 test centres have opened at the Sands End Arts and Community Centre in Peterborough Road, and an office building at 145 King Street.
They offer residents who are not displaying symptoms the new lateral flow tests, which can provide results within 30 minutes.
Residents who are showing symptoms should not try to visit these sites, and should instead order a standard PCR swab test to be delivered to their home, via the NHS website.
The two centres had been due to open on Monday, December 21.
Eventually they opened on Wednesday, December 30, and residents are advised to book an appointment via the council’s website.
A third site in Shepherd's Bush was also due to offer the lateral flow tests. Instead, the council has said a “mobile testing centre” will be set up, where residents can receive the PCR test.
The council says postponement was due to operational changes needing to be made, following the announcement that London would be placed in Tier 4.
However, it did not comment on what these changes were or the problems behind them.
The Sands End and King Street rapid test sites will be open seven days a week from January 2 to February 1, 9am to 8pm.
Latest Government figures show that Hammersmith and Fulham’s infection rate in the seven days before December 26 was 584 positive cases per 100,000 residents. Despite the sharp rise over the previous week this remains one of the lowest levels of infection in London.
Owen Sheppard - Local Democracy Reporter
January 1, 2021