The government has revealed the number of coronavirus tests being processed across Leicestershire in response to a viral video showing empty testing centres in the city and county.
The video, shared widely on Facebook, shows someone filming test centres in Wigston, Birstall, Highfields and Evington.
The centres all appear quiet with no obvious queues in the recording.
It is not clear what time of day the video was taken or when the footage was recorded, but in it, a man can be heard asking security staff how many tests are being carried out at each of the sites.
Those who reply tell the man that he’s not allowed to film and that they can’t tell him how many people are being tested.
LeicestershireLive sent the video to the Department of Health and Social Care and asked them to respond.
A spokesperson said: “NHS Test and Trace is processing tests at an unprecedented scale and the daily testing capacity has now surpassed 500,000.
“Over 1.4 million people who may otherwise have unknowingly spread coronavirus have been contacted and told to isolate by NHS Test and Trace. We have also launched over 100 local contact tracing partnerships with local authorities across the country to help reduce transmission rates.
“Anyone with coronavirus symptoms can get a free test, and must get tested as soon as they develop symptoms.”
When asked how many people were tested at sites in Leicester and Leicestershire, the DHSC said: “The number of tests processed has increased week-on-week in October across Leicestershire.”
A breakdown of tests processed was also provided:
- Oct 1-7: 17,226
- Oct 8-14: 21,588
- Oct 9-21: 21,877
- Oct 22-28: 22,344
Since the start of the pandemic, there have been more than 20,000 cases confirmed across the city and county.
At one point, shortly after the local lockdown, Leicester accounted for more than 10 per cent of all testing nationally.
In September, people needing tests expressed frustration at not being able to make an appointment despite sites in Leicester and Leicestershire appearing empty.
A mass testing programme will start in Liverpool tomorrow, with the armed forces coordinating the operation that will see 500,000 people tested.
The city is trialling the mass testing programme with the hope it will give a better understanding of the scale of coronavirus cases in an area, which will give local and national leaders better information on how to manage the pandemic.
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