March 10, 2021 4.11 pm This story is over 36 months old

Over 10,000 rapid COVID-19 tests in Lincoln this year

Only 131 tested positive for coronavirus
A rapid coronavirus test being carried out at Lincoln City's LNER Stadium. | Photo: Stuart Wilde for COLC

Over 10,000 people have now had a rapid coronavirus test at one of the two community testing facilities in Lincoln since the start of 2021.

An average of 200 people per day have been for tests between the two sites at Lincoln City’s LNER Stadium and at St Swithin’s Community Centre off Monks Road. The rapid lateral flow tests provide results in less than an hour.

Some 9,980 people were tested by Tuesday evening and this figure rose above 10,000 by Wednesday afternoon. Of these people, 131 tested positive for COVID-19 (1.31% positivity rate).

The mass rapid testing site is located at St Swithin’s Community Centre on Croft Street. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

There are also two rapid testing sites in Boston. They are located at the Fenside Community Centre on Taverner Road and at the St Nicholas Community Centre on Skirbeck Road.

As of Tuesday, March 9, 651 coronavirus tests have been carried out this year at the Fenside Community Centre, with 14 people testing positive. This is a positivity rate of 2.15%.

Some 590 tests were carried out at the St Nicholas Community Centre. Less than 10 people tested positive, so there has been a positivity rate of under 1.7%

It was not possible to get exact figures for the centre on Skirbeck Road due to information governance rules as the numbers are very low.

All four Lincoln and Boston COVID-19 rapid testing sites are currently due to remain open until at least the end of March.

Simon Colburn, Assistant Director for Health and Environment at City of Lincoln Council, said: “We have now reached the 10,000 mark for community testing in the city at our Sincil Bank and St Swithin’s sites.

“From that 10,000, we have successfully found more than 130 positive cases which have been prevented from, unknowingly, spreading the virus in the community.

“With a roadmap now in place, and government restrictions beginning to ease, now is not the time for testing to reduce as the city begins to reopen. Additional testing in the home, work and school will become normal practice over the coming weeks.

“By working together we are successfully helping keep Lincoln safe, and that is testament to our staff who have worked hard to test those in the city, and to those taking these simple precautions to ensure the chain of transmission is broken.”

The coronavirus testing centre at the sports hall at Lincoln College.

Rapid testing also began in schools as pupils returned to face-to-face teaching on Monday, March 8, with secondary school and college students initially taking three COVID-19 tests.

After this, students will be given two rapid tests to use each week at home. Primary school staff will continue to be tested.

Some 9,031 lateral flow tests were carried out in Lincolnshire schools between March 5 and 10, of which only 10 were positive.

Martin Smith, assistant director for education at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “All schools continue to use appropriate safety measures to reduce the potential spread of the virus.”