Covid: Surge testing expanded in West Yorkshire

Surge testing is being expanded in West Yorkshire to help identify and contain the spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19.

Kirklees and Calderdale Councils said more people were invited to get a PCR test from Tuesday.

New testing sites are set to open alongside the existing centres and door-knocking will also increase.

The Delta variant, first detected in India, is dominant in both Kirklees and Calderdale.

In Calderdale, more testing and contact tracing is starting in Todmorden and the Park and Warley wards.

Surge and enhanced testing began in Kirklees on 26 May, when council staff began visiting homes in Savile Town and Thornhill Lees to ask anyone over 11 to take a PCR test.

Door-knocking will also start in Batley following a "great response" in other areas of Kirklees, such as Dewsbury.

Latest BBC data shows week-on-week infection rates have decreased for Kirklees but increased slightly for Calderdale.

In Kirklees, the infection rate per 100,000 in the week to 3 June was 101, down from 120 the week before.

In Calderdale, the rate increased to 60 from 49 for the same weeks.

The number of Delta variant cases is still low, the councils said.

About 7,000 additional PCR tests have been carried out in Kirklees since 26 May, with 171 new cases being identified as a result, the council added.

Rachel Spencer-Henshall, Kirklees' public health director, said: "Thankfully our hospital admissions and deaths related to Covid-19 remain low, but we all have to do what we can to make sure this remains the case."

Calderdale Council said all positive results would be analysed to determine whether cases are a new variant of concern.

Councillor Tim Swift, leader of the council, thanked people for their efforts to help control the virus.

Anyone eligible for a vaccination is encouraged to book one as soon as invited by the NHS.

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