Manchester residents tell of fear amid Covid surge testing

Our Lady's Roman Catholic Church in Manchester is one of the surge testing venues

People living in part of Manchester where a new variant of coronavirus has been detected have spoken of their fears as surge testing gets under way.

More than 10,000 tests are planned after cases of the E484K mutation of the Kent variant of Covid were found in two unconnected households.

House-to-house testing will take place and extra test centres have been opened.

Community leaders said some people were "frightened".

Charles Kwaku-Odoi, 42, chief officer at the Caribbean and African Health Network, said: "Obviously there is real concern.

"When such news breaks out it is not unusual that people are concerned. We will be reassuring people."

He said health professionals could help by reassuring people about the steps they could take to limit the spread of the virus.

Charles Kwaku-Odoi said people needed more reassurance

House-to-house testing is taking place in the Fallowfield, Hulme, Moss Side and Whalley Range districts.

Father-of-one Lloyd Brown, 48, who lives in Moss Side, said: "People are worried and a bit fearful over what might happen and where this could lead. We just want all this to end."

Gary Wilson, 51, who lives in Whalley Range, said: "It's the last thing anyone wants."

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Manchester City Council has urged residents to get tested and said while the variant is more transmissible there is no reason to be concerned it is any more severe than others.

The authority said those people without symptoms could get tested at Our Lady's Presbytery on Raby Street or Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurdwara on Monton Street.

David Regan said two more testing sites will soon open

Manchester's director of public health, David Regan, said the Islamic Cultural Centre On Bedwell Street would also become a testing site on Wednesday, followed by Moss Side Leisure Centre on Thursday.

He said the council would also be doing targeted door-knocking to deliver testing kits to vulnerable households, schools and businesses.

"It's a mass case-finding exercise [as] the government is really keen that we keep a step ahead of this virus," he said.

"It will mutate, but vaccines are still effective and we are still encouraging the public to get their vaccine, even in the affected zone."

Labour's Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell also urged "anxious and worried" residents to get tested.

"There will be lots of local testing sites and door-to-door knockings will be happening so people can get a test on their doorstep," she said.