New coronavirus test centre opens in Middleton Grange

The new Test and Collect Centre replaces the existing facility at Mill House Leisure Centre.

The Government is encouraging all adults to get tested twice a week - even after they have been vaccinated - to help the country on the path back to normal life.

The new centre – on the ground floor opposite the Vodafone shop - is open Mondays to Fridays (excluding Bank Holidays) from 9am to 5pm.

Anyone aged 18 or over who lives or works in Hartlepool and does not have COVID symptoms can get a free test at the centre.

The test is simple and quick - you will be given a swab and sent to a sample collection booth. You will be asked to take a swab of your tonsils (or where they would have been at the back of your throat) as well as one nostril.

Tests should be booked in advance at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/covid-test-and-collect or by calling 01429 523330 during normal office hours.

You can also collect a free kit to test yourself and your family for COVID at home without an appointment. Staff will advise you on how to use the testing kit safely.

In both cases you will get your result by text within 24 hours, and in most cases within an hour.e.

Craig Blundred, Hartlepool Borough Council's Director of Public Health, said: “Rapid testing detects cases quickly, meaning positive cases can isolate immediately, and by making rapid tests available to everyone, more cases will be detected, breaking chains of transmission and saving lives.”

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