Star date: 4th September 2020

SALFORD TO DROOL OVER NEW COMMUNITY TESTING

Salford has 16 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the cumulative total up to 1,861. There have been no new virus-related deaths at Salford Royal Hospital but there has been a slight increase in COVID patients being admitted to North West hospitals.

Meanwhile, Salford Council has set out how the new weekly community testing for coronavirus will work, requiring a person "to drool a small amount of saliva into a small funnel which then captures the saliva in a small tube..."

Full details here...

Salford has 16 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the cumulative total to 1,861, up from the previous day's 1,845.

Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, cases in Manchester rose to 4,411 (up from 4,369), followed by Oldham with 2,998 (up from 2,968), Wigan 2,347 (up from 2,339), Bolton 2,497 (up from 2,455), Rochdale 2,311 (up from 2,295), Stockport 2,004 (up from 2,000), Tameside 1,981 (up from 1,966), Trafford 1,726 (up from 1,718), and Bury 1,620 (up from 1,608).

There have been no new virus-related deaths at Salford Royal Hospital. However, the number of patients being admitted to hospitals in the North West is rising slightly, with 17 admitted on 1st September and 124 people currently in hospital (with16 on ventilation). The latest seven day average for hospital admissions in the North West is 14.9, for the week ending 29th August, compared to 9.7 for the week ending 22nd August.

Meanwhile, Salford City Council has set out how its new trial of community testing for coronavirus, announced by the Government yesterday*, will work..."Saliva is collected in a secure tube and then sent to the laboratory to be tested" it states "It is less invasive than the PCR test (swabs) currently being undertaken. The test requires a person to drool a small amount of saliva into a small funnel which then captures the saliva in a small tube..."

It is proposed to begin testing small groups to check how the system works before rolling it out "gradually in phases in Salford, but the aim is to make it available to anyone who lives, works or studies in Salford". How this is to be done, the Council states, is "yet to be determined".

"The aim is to offer people who do not have COVID-19 symptoms a weekly test" it adds "This will identify any positive cases early and allow those who know they are coronavirus free to go about their normal lives..."

Salford Council has not stated whether the results of the new testing trial will be made public...

For more details see the Salford Council website – click here

* For more details on the £500million Government trial see previous Salford Star article – click here