Areas in tier three in the West Midlands are among the first to start community coronavirus testing programmes, according to the Department of Health., external

More than 1.6 million of the rapid lateral flow tests will be delivered for community testing this month, the government said.

It is hoped, along with existing measures, it could help lead to an easing of restrictions in tier three areas.

The community testing is in addition to schemes run by local directors of public health. They have been able to request a set number of lateral flow tests to be used in their area, regardless of tier, since early November.

These are the areas in the West Midlands the tests will be introduced:

Birmingham; Dudley; Sandwell; Cannock Chase; East Staffordshire; Lichfield; Newcastle-under-Lyme; South Staffordshire; Stafford; Staffordshire Moorlands; Tamworth; Stoke-on-Trent; North Warwickshire; Nuneaton and Bedworth; Rugby; Stratford-on-Avon; Warwick; Wolverhampton and Solihull.

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Covid vaccinations will start being given to patients from GP surgeries in the West Midlands as part of the next stage of the rollout of the programme.

Image source, Getty Images

GP practices in more than 100 locations will receive their first deliveries of the vaccine later, the NHS said.

Some will start vaccinating on Monday afternoon, with the majority getting under way on Tuesday.

Tens of thousands of people in the UK received the Pfizer-BioNTech jab last week in hospitals.

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The latest news, sport, travel and weather across the West Midlands and south Cheshire.

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BBC Radio WM

It is "in the balance" as to whether Birmingham and other parts of the Black Country will see their Covid-19 restrictions loosened next week, according to the West Midlands mayor.

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After lockdown, most of the West Midlands was placed under the toughest rules, tier three, which included a ban on households mixing indoors.

The government said it would review the tier allocations on 16 December.

Mayor Andy Street told BBC Radio WM the infection rate in the area had come down to 192 per 100,000 people but other factors like pressure on hospitals would affect the decision.

"I would say it is absolutely in the balance.

"Therefore what we have got to continue to do over the next few days, we have got to make sure the latest numbers that the government will be looking at on Monday are as good as we can make them which means everyone has to follow the rules."

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Staying mainly cloudy tonight with a few more showers before turning misty in places with some patches of hill fog around. Low: 6C/43F.

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