COVID-19 test centres have struggled to cope with the surge in numbers which has coincided with the return of schools in the past fortnight.
It has caused massive disruption, with many told to take long journeys within Scotland to reach a centre that is not booked out, while some have even been referred to Northern Ireland and England.
Journalist Craig Cairns decided he should get himself checked out after getting the sweats through the night. “I had a test booked through the website, it had a Paisley postcode and I assumed that it was next to the airport, but it was for the Isle of Bute,” he said.
Author and publisher Kevin Williamson took to Twitter to reveal how the lack of available spaces in Edinburgh meant he had to take an eight-hour round trip to Inverness with his 11-year-old son.
Williamson tweeted: “Eleven-year-old off school with [a] cough so we [are] all in quarantine now. Can’t go back untested.
‘‘No Covid tests available in Edinburgh today. All booked. Told to drive up to Inverness/Aberdeen to get tested. That’s him booked in for test in Inverness this evening. Testing capacity here is a crock.”
He added: “Doubt if it’s Covid. Cough isn’t persistent. No temperature just a sniffle and occasional cough. Most likely a summer cold. But rules are rules which is fine but can’t understand why testing capacity can’t meet demand.”
Ian McMillan spoke out for friends who also had to take long journeys.
“My friend was asked to go to Nottingham from Fife. Then another to Belfast.
‘‘All have symptoms of colds and coughs. But [they were] told [that] if they couldn’t afford to travel then just to stay in for 14 days. Seems farcical. Especially worrying with winter fast approaching,” he said.
Terence Kelly told a similar story. “My daughter, son-in-law and family were told they would initially have to go to Antrim, but managed to get one in Port Glasgow last night. All locked in the house now awaiting results.”
Scotland effectively has two testing systems running in parallel – one through the NHS which is the responsibility of the Scottish Government and the UK Government’s own testing programme.
People classed in the top priority group – mainly frontline healthcare and care home staff, patients and residents – are generally tested by the NHS through a referral system.
Other key workers can also access an NHS test, but if there is a capacity they can apply for a test under the UK Government programme using its booking website.
The UK Government operates drive-through testing centres at Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports and the Highlands and Islands University campus in Inverness.
The Sunday National approached the UK Government for a response on this issue of members of the Scottish public being rerouted far from home but had not received a response before publication.
The Scottish Government told The Sunday National that they are addressing the situation.
A SCOTTISH Government spokesman said: “The increased demand on test centres this week has been well reported and we would like to thank people who have experienced delays in booking a test or receiving their results for their patience.
“We’re aware some people have been offered testing far from home and can confirm that this technical issue is being resolved.
“We are also taking a number of steps to increase the availability and accessibility of Covid-19 tests.
“Eleven walk-through testing sites are planned to be up and running before winter, and we are working closely with the NHS and local authorities to locate these in locations easily accessible by bike, wheel or foot across Scotland.
“It is important we remain flexible in our deployment of testing capacity so we can remain responsive to local needs as Covid-19 cases occur. That is why we have mobile testing Units which visit different parts of the country on a regular basis to give people local access to testing in person.
“We have been engaging with the UK Government on a daily basis to monitor the situation closely due to the high levels of demand on test centres in Scotland and are deploying an increased number of mobile testing units to help meet demand.”
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