Covid: Thousands urged to get tested after South Africa variant found in Leeds

City becomes latest part of England to have surge testing facilities introduced

Health officials have instructed an entire Leeds postcode to get a coronavirus test after the city discovered a case of the South African variant.

People in the LS8 area, where the variant was found, are being “strongly encouraged” to take a test when offered, even if they do not have symptoms.

This includes Harehills and the area just north of Easterly Road, the Department of Health said.

Leeds will now become the latest part of England to receive surge testing facilities, with the department announcing it would implement additional testing and genomic sequencing in the area as a result of the discovery.

“Extra testing is being introduced in addition to existing extensive testing, and in combination with following the current lockdown rules and remembering hands, face, space advice, will help to monitor and suppress the spread of the virus,” a spokesperson said.

“Positive cases will be sequenced for genomic data to help understand Covid-19 variants and their spread within these areas.”

People with symptoms should book a test in the usual way, the department said, and those without symptoms are being asked to visit their local authority website for more information.

The move comes after targeted testing regimes were also set up this week in parts of Norfolk, Southampton and Woking.

Meanwhile, officials in Manchester have broadened testing teams in an attempt to track down further examples of the more transmissible Kent variant.

The number of Britons taking rapid tests has spiked in recent weeks, with Public Health England (PHE) confirming some 1,295,051 PCR tests were conducted in England in the week to 10 February.

Polymerase chain reaction tests – swabs that are processed in a laboratory – take around two weeks to process, according to PHE.

There has also been a rise in the number of lateral flow device (LFD) tests being taken – a record 2,400,724 of the “rapid turnaround” tests were conducted in England in the week to 10 February, according to the latest NHS Test and Trace figures.