Coronavirus Testing in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin

We’re asking residents to follow guidance and only to book a test if they are displaying symptoms of Covid-19:

• high temperature
• a new continuous cough
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.

Most people with coronavirus have at least 1 of these symptoms.

If you have Covid-19 symptoms, get a test. It’s really important that anyone with Covid-19 symptoms can get a test. This will help us stop the spread of the virus. If you don’t have Covid-19 symptoms and you are trying to book a test, do not come forward for a test – you could be taking a test away from someone who really needs it. This is increasingly important as we head into Autumn and Winter and more people will get colds and the flu. Only if you have one of the 3 symptoms should you book a test.

If someone in your household starts to have symptoms, then that person must get tested and the rest of the household should self-isolate with them whilst they wait for the results. If you or other members of the household don’t have symptoms, then you should not get a test – only people with symptoms should get tested. The vast majority of people who are tested in person get their results the very next day. Full guidance on self-isolation is available on gov.uk.

If you are self-isolating or in quarantine, then a negative test result does not mean you can end isolation early. The virus can take time to develop and so a test early on does not prove that you won’t go on to develop the virus. That means you could still be at risk of spreading the disease to other people.

If you have symptoms and need to book a test, you can do this online or by ringing 119. We have been seeing more people trying to ring 111 about testing but we need to make sure that 111 is protected for people who are ringing about other medical and health issues.

Anyone without an appointment who turns up at a testing site will be advised to book an appointment before they will be able to receive a test.

If when you book a test you can’t get an appointment at your local centre, please try again later.

Across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin we’re continually updating our local outbreak plans and will put in place measures to avoid a local lockdown should we see a significant increase in cases locally.”