Canterbury surge tests after Indian coronavirus variant outbreak

Mobile testing units are being set up in the areas affected

Surge testing is being carried out in Canterbury following an outbreak of an Indian variant of Covid-19.

Health officials have said the number of cases are low but have asked everyone without Covid symptoms living, working and studying in two postcode areas to get tested.

Six mobile testing units have been set up in the CT1 and CT2 7 postcode areas.

Latest figures show Canterbury has 30 cases of the strain, compared with 1,354 in the Bolton hotspot.

Kent County Council said a mobile unit was also set up in Maidstone on Tuesday to offer enhanced testing, after cases of the variant were confirmed in the area.

In the UK, it is thought the Indian strain B.1.617.2 - now named the Delta variant by the World Health Organization - could be spreading more quickly than the Kent strain, which was responsible for the surge in cases over the winter.

A scientist advising the government has said there are signs the UK is in the early stages of a third wave of infections, with the Indian variant making up at least three quarters of cases.

More than 25 million people in the UK have now had two doses of a vaccine

Kent's interim director of public health, Dr Allison Duggal, said: "It's important to stress the number of cases of the B.1.617.2 variant of concern in the county are low."

She said Public Health England and Canterbury City Council were taking a precautionary approach, to assess the situation and act quickly to tackle outbreaks before they spread.

"We're taking the right actions at the right time," she said. "That way we can hopefully avoid some of the issues we've seen in the north west where they have got quite high rates."

'Confirmed cases'

Surge-testing involves testing people without symptoms to monitor, suppress and better understand new variants.

Rachel Carnac, deputy leader of Canterbury City Council, said: "We've seen the impact that it's had on our country and globally over the past year and a half - so we have to take this very seriously.

"But we have to also remember that cases are extremely low at the moment and the unlocking so far has been successful, so we have to moderate those concerns."

A Kent County Council spokeswoman said the Maidstone mobile unit had been set up outside the Quaker Meeting House and people living or working in the area could get a test.

She said: "We have had a few confirmed cases of the Delta variant in the area and - as we have done in Canterbury - we have acted quickly.... We urge anyone who is eligible to please get tested."

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