All residents, over the age of 18, who are living or working in the targeted testing area are strongly encouraged to take a COVID-19 test as soon as possible. Please see the map above or use the postcode checker to confirm whether you are in the targeted testing area.
If you are in a targeted testing area, and you do not have any symptoms of COVID-19, you should get a symptom-free test for the variant as soon as possible. You must also continue to follow the national lockdown guidelines and Hands, Face, Space precautions at all times.
If you are a critical worker, or you need to go out for essential reasons such as essential shopping or caring for others, a mobile variant testing site is available for you to take the test located at Walsall College Wisemore Campus (Littleton Street West, Walsall, WS2 8ES). Please make your way to the rear carpark where testing is carried out. The testing is not being conducted inside the college building. You do not need to call to book. The testing is being carried out by Public Health England and the Department of Health and Social Care, and not Walsall College. The testing site offers a drive-through option where you remain in your car and follow the directions from health officers for your test and a walk-through option available for those residents who do not have a vehicle. The testing site is open seven days a week from 8am–4pm. This is the only testing site that you should attend, as it tests residents without symptoms specifically for the South African variant, as well as the original COVID-19 virus.
If you do not need to leave your home for essential reasons, you must continue to stay home in line with national lockdown guidance and use the home testing kit delivered to your door. All households in the targeted testing area will be directly contacted at their doorstep and will be provided with home testing kits for every member of the household aged 18 years and over from a public health or licensed officer. Clear instructions for their use will be included.
If you develop any COVID-19 symptoms (a high temperature, continuous cough, loss or change to smell or taste) no matter how mild, you must self-isolate and book a standard COVID-19 test through the NHS, via the NHS COVID-19 App, online or by calling 119.
All households and residences with the targeted testing area will be directly contacted at their doorstep and will be provided with home testing kits for every member of the household aged 18 years and over from a public health or licensed officer. Clear instructions for their use will be included. Please see the guidance above: I am in a targeted testing area, what should I do?
Yes. Every effort will be made to access all properties so all households in the identified areas receive a home test kit.
Any care homes in the targeted testing area will be provided with tests for residents and staff and these will be sent to labs to be sequenced.
No. If you live or work in a targeted testing area and you have no COVID-19 symptoms, please see the guidance above for information about how to arrange a symptom-free variant test: I am in a targeted testing area, what should I do?
The NHS test booking system is for people with symptoms or those who have been directed by the NHS to book a test as they have been identified as a close contact of a positive case. These tests are sent to a different lab.
If you are not in the targeted testing area, you do not need a specific test but you must please continue to follow national lockdown rules and Hands, Face, Space safety precautions at all times. If you develop any COVID-19 symptoms, (a high temperature, continuous cough, loss or change to smell or taste) no matter how mild, you must self-isolate and book a standard COVID-19 test through the NHS, via the NHS COVID-19 App, online or by calling 119.
Yes. Please attend the mobile testing centre located at Walsall College Wisemore Campus (Littleton Street West, Walsall, WS2 8ES), open seven days a week 8am–4pm. The site is both a walk-in and mobile testing site and you do not need to book. This is the only testing sites that you should attend, as it is testing specifically for the South African variant, as well as the original COVID-19 virus. If you are attending the Walsall College Wisemore Campus site, please make your way to the rear carpark where testing is carried out. The testing is not being conducted inside the college building. You do not need to call to book. The testing is being carried out by Public Health England and the Department of Health and Social Care, and not Walsall College.
Please see the map above or use the postcode checker to confirm whether you work or are in a support bubble with a person who lives in in the targeted area.
If you lived or worked in the targeted testing area after 15 December 2020, you should get tested, even if you don't live or work there anymore. Please attend the mobile testing centre located at Walsall College Wisemore Campus (Littleton Street West, Walsall, WS2 8ES), open seven days a week 8am–4pm. The site is both a walk-in and mobile testing site and you do not need to book. This is the only testing sites that you should attend, as it is testing specifically for the South African variant, as well as the original COVID-19 virus. If you are attending the Walsall College Wisemore Campus site, please make your way to the rear car park where testing is carried out. The testing is not being conducted inside the college building. You do not need to call to book. The testing is being carried out by Public Health England and the Department of Health and Social Care, and not Walsall College.
If members of your support bubble lived or worked in the targeted testing area after 25 December 2020 all members of both households (aged 18 and over) should get tested, even if they don't live or work there anymore. Please attend the mobile testing centre located at Walsall College Wisemore Campus (Littleton Street West, Walsall, WS2 8ES), open seven days a week 8am–4pm. The site is both a walk-in and mobile testing site and you do not need to book. This is the only testing sites that you should attend, as it is testing specifically for the South African variant, as well as the original COVID-19 virus. If you are attending the Walsall College Wisemore Campus site, please make your way to the rear carpark where testing is carried out. The testing is not being conducted inside the college building. You do not need to call to book. The testing is being carried out by Public Health England and the Department of Health and Social Care, and not Walsall College.
No. We are focusing symptom-free variant testing in specific areas, as shown in the map above. However, anyone Walsall who has any symptoms of COVID-19 (a high temperature, continuous cough, loss or change to smell or taste) of course can get a test. This can be booked through the NHS COVID-19 App, online or by calling 119.
No. Whether you live or work in a targeted testing area or not, you must continue to follow existing lockdown restrictions. You are required to remain at home unless for permitted, essential reasons. If you are able to work from home, please do.
After your symptom-free COVID variant test, you do not need to self-isolate while you await the results but you must continue to follow national lockdown restrictions as before. You must stay home unless you need to go out for essential reasons such as for work if you cannot work from home, essential shopping or caring for others. If you are required to go out please make sure you keep your distance from anyone you do not live with, wear a face covering and wash your hands frequently.
Symptom-free COVID variant tests conducted in the new testing centres will be sent to a separate lab from those tests conducted by the NHS for people with symptoms or the routine symptom-free critical worker tests.
If you have been given a home testing kit, these will be collected by public health or licensed officers and sent to the correct laboratory. You will be given more information about kit collections when your home testing kit is delivered. Please do not post your kit back, as it may not be returned to the laboratory that is testing and sequencing for the South African variant specifically.
If your test comes back positive for COVID-19, you will be notified and required to self-isolate for 10 days. If your test comes back positive for the South African variant of COVID-19 rather than the original COVID-19 virus, you will be also be contacted by NHS Test and Trace who will conduct more detailed contact tracing. This is so Public Health England can better understand how the variant may have come into the community and whether additional areas in Walsall will need to be targeted for variant testing.
Test results showing whether you are positive or negative for COVID-19 will take up to 48 hours to be returned. Genomic sequencing (analysing the test sample for the South African variant) will be carried out after the initial test for positive or negative, and will take a bit longer.
If you are a critical worker living in a targeted testing area and you cannot work from home, you can continue to go to work (even if this is outside the targeted testing area). We strongly recommend that you have your symptom-free variant test, and you can still go to work after you have been tested for the COVID-19 variant as long as you continue to have no COVID-19 symptoms, or unless your test result comes back positive.
If your test result comes back positive, you must self-isolate for 10 days.
If you develop COVID-19 symptoms after you have been tested for the variant, you must self-isolate and book a standard COVID-19 test through the NHS via the NHS COVID-19 App, online or by calling 119.
If you do not live in a targeted testing area but you work in the targeted testing area, or your work requires you to visit a targeted testing area, you can continue to go to work in line with the above guidance. You should also get tested too, please see the above guidance: ‘I don't live in a targeted testing area, but I work there or am in a support bubble with residents of the area ― should I be tested too?’.
It is right that we should be cautious about new variants and that people may be anxious in the current climate. Public Health England (PHE) is constantly on the look-out for any new variants, and its ability to identify these early allows for public health interventions to keep people safe.
PHE is investigating a new variant of COVID-19 which originated in South Africa. Viruses often evolve and this is not unusual. PHE carries out this work as a priority to understand the potential risk this variant may cause. It is important to say that there is currently no evidence that this variant causes more severe illness, or that the regulated vaccine would not protect against it.
The best way to stop infection is to stick to the rules — wash our hands, wear a face covering and keep our distance from others.
No matter where you live, whether you live or work in a targeted testing area or not, if you have COVID-19 symptoms (a high temperature, continuous cough, loss or change to smell or taste), no matter how mild, you must self-isolate and book a standard COVID-19 test through the NHS via the NHS COVID-19 App, online or by calling 119. You should not attempt to take a symptom-free test.
If you are in a targeted testing area and you have COVID-19 symptoms please do not attend the variant testing sites. You must self-isolate and book a standard COVID-19 test through the NHS via the NHS COVID-19 App, online or by calling 119. You should not attempt to take a symptom-free test.
The guidance on who to test was identified by PHE and national test and trace teams.
Under national lockdown restrictions, everyone should be working from home where possible. If your staff live in a targeted testing area and cannot work from home, they can continue to come to work as normal (please see the above guidance ‘Can I go to work?’). All residents living in the targeted testing area are advised to have a symptom-free variant test, and are able to continue work as long as they continue to have no COVID-19 symptoms, or unless their symptom-free variant test result comes back positive, at which time they will be required to self-isolate for 10 days. There is no requirement for people living and working in the target test areas to self-isolate while awaiting results after they have been tested for the COVID-19 variant.
If your staff, as part of their role, are required to visit a targeted testing area, they can also continue to go to work in line with the above guidance but should also get tested too (please see the above guidance ‘I don't live in a targeted testing area, but I work there or am in a support bubble with residents of the area ― should I be tested too?’).
If any member of your staff develops COVID-19 symptoms they must self-isolate and book a standard COVID-19 test through the NHS via the NHS COVID-19 App, online or by calling 119.
At this time no further action is required by Walsall schools or early years settings. Any settings who are in targeted testing areas will be contacted on the return for half term on how to access testing for school staff.
'Drop and collect' test kits will be delivered to you for all school staff as a one-off test. Any school staff who are working from home and have not been in the area do not require testing.
Please continue to test using your usual lateral flow testing processes (your symptom-free test provided by the Department for Education).
Any staff that develop COVID-19 symptoms, (a high temperature, continuous cough, loss or change to smell or taste) no matter how mild, must self-isolate and book a standard COVID-19 test through the NHS, via the NHS COVID-19 App, online or by calling 119. They should not attempt to take a symptom-free test.
The reason for reducing the population size being tested in this area is due to the limit on national testing capacity. Sequencing is now being undertaken on other new and emerging cases of the South African Variant across the country, and therefore the testing sample size is based on the national picture and, specifically, the national laboratory capacity that analyses for the South African variant.
The government has already taken measures to mitigate the impact of the South African variant, please see the government website for more details.
It is important to recognise that there have only been a small number of cases identified so far in England. Rates in Walsall and across the West Midlands are coming down ― the national lockdown is having an impact but it is important we continue to following lockdown guidance and observe hands, face, space.
It takes a few weeks between a positive test and a random sample being fully sequenced in a lab. Sequencing means that analysis takes place on the positive virus sample and that is then compared with other positive cases. These infections likely occurred the period after Christmas. Latest data can be found on the GOV.UK website.
***The below FAQs were issued by central government, and not the council.
What do we know about South African variant?
- The variant named B1.351 (also referred to as 501Y.V2) was first detected in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, in samples at the beginning of October although molecular dating suggests that it arose at the end of August.
- There is limited information available on the variant to date, however epidemiological and virological investigations are ongoing in South Africa.
- The variant first discovered in South Africa, VOC202012/02 in the UK appears to have emerged around the same time as the UK variant and has been seen in a number of other countries including the UK. It shares the same mutation to the N501Y spike protein which makes it more transmissible but also has a number of other mutations including one to the E484K spike protein.
- Laboratory tests have shown that the E484K mutation may be able to escape the body’s neutralising antibodies and is therefore of potential public health concern, so it’s one we’re monitoring closely. All cases with this mutation are currently being followed-up closely and monitored in the UK.
- The UK government imposed a ban on direct flights from South Africa and other affected countries, restrictions on flights to the country in order to reduce the spread of the variant in the UK.
What research is being undertaken on the variant first discovered in South Africa?
We are performing three tests at PHE laboratories on the variant: diagnostics, antibody neutralisation/risk of reinfection and impact on vaccine testing.
How many cases are there nationally?
Please see the latest COVID-19 variants: genomically confirmed case numbers, published by the government and updated on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Are we acting too late? Will it not be spreading more freely now?
On 22 December 2020, two cases of the variant first discovered in South Africa, SARS-CoV-2 variant (called VOC202012/02 in the UK, also named B1.351 and 501Y.V2 internationally) were identified in the UK and both had been in contact with someone who has travelled from South Africa. Public Health England’s health protection teams followed up with both cases and contact tracing was undertaken.
On 23 December the government put in travel restrictions from South Africa.
As of Thursday 14 January 2021, 35 genomically confirmed and 12 genomically probable cases of the variant had been identified in the UK.
As of Thursday 27 January 2021, 72 genomically confirmed and 33 genomically probable cases of the variant had been identified in the UK
Laboratory work has begun on the VOC 202012/02 in the UK and is routinely undertaken on all variants under investigation or of concern once samples are available and is ongoing.
Why is the UK not just closing the borders entirely?
Please see the statement from the Home Secretary on the government website in relation to measures being taken at UK borders: Home Office — Tougher border controls to protect public health (27 January 2021).
Surely no one should be coming in from countries where the variant is present?
Please see the statement from the Home Secretary on the government website in relation to measures being taken at UK borders: Home Office — Tougher border controls to protect public health (27 January 2021).
Why didn’t you do this sooner?
On 23 December the government put in travel restrictions from South Africa. All non-essential travel already isn’t allowed — so people shouldn’t be going on holidays — and we already have tough measures in place. As we have done throughout this pandemic we will continue to take all steps necessary to protect the public and help prevent the spread of the virus.
What are you doing to limit the SA variant from getting to the UK?
The Department for Transport have restrictions in place for everyone arriving in the country from South Africa.
People who have been in or transited through the countries listed (please see the link above) will not be granted access to the UK.
This does not include British and Irish Nationals, or third country nationals with residence rights in the UK, who will be able to enter the UK but are required to self-isolate for 10 days on arrival along with their household. Isolation Assurance Service (IAS) is contacting all returnees from southern African countries to reinforce the advice to self-isolate, to encourage testing even if asymptomatic and inform anyone treating/testing them of their recent travel to southern Africa.
Why aren’t we surge testing for the whole country?
We are surge testing where we know we have confirmed cases of the variant. Public Health England are also undertaking contact tracing and will undertake testing of close contacts of confirmed cases.
Why aren’t you scaling up to test for other variants such as the Brazil variant?
To date, we do not have any cases of the variant of concern first identified in Brazil (P1).
We are focusing on the variant first discovered in South Africa first as we consider how we would scale up to test for other variants once identified.
How long will this last? When will you publish the results?
This targeted testing surge is planned to last for two weeks and will be kept under close review.
***The below FAQs were issued by central government, and not the council.
Are these cases in the community or associated with institutional settings?
As part of contact tracing, cases are investigated to determine routes of transmission and whether any links to settings exist.
Are they linked, or believed to be separate spontaneous occurrences?
As part of contact tracing cases, are investigated to determine routes of transmission and whether any links to settings exist.
Are they all B117 lineage with E484K?
The previously reported cluster of cases in Liverpool with the E484K mutation were from Lineage A.
Is there any evidence from laboratory studies or the epidemiology of these clusters that suggests E484K (in combination with N501Y already present in B1117 variant) has led to an increase in transmissibility/immune escape?
The E484K mutation is reported to result in weaker neutralisation by antibodies in laboratory experiments and so may need further investigation to understand more on immune response and how well vaccines work against it. There is currently no evidence that this mutation alone causes a variant to be more transmissible, but it’s something we’re monitoring closely.
What is genomic sequencing?
Genomic sequencing is the process of testing a sample of the virus in order to map its genetic sequence. This is happening as part of continued surveillance studies to identify any new variants of SARS-CoV-2 the virus that causes COVID-19.
Through the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium, the UK is a global leader in SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) genomics, providing around 48% of the genomic data supplied to GISAID, the scientific initiative which allows global, real-time surveillance of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why is it important?
Is vital to the global response to the pandemic, allowing us to monitor and understand the evolution of new COVID-19 variants and respond with timely public health interventions.
Should people be worried?
It is right that we should be cautious about new variants, we appreciate that people may be anxious in the current climate. The UK has a world leading genomic sequencing capability. We are constantly on the lookout for any new variants, our ability to identify any early will allow us to deploy public health interventions to keep people safe.
We are investigating this new variant of SARS-CoV-2 which originated in South Africa. Viruses often evolve and this is not unusual. We are carrying out work as a priority to understand the potential risk this variant may cause. It is important to say that there is currently no evidence that this variant causes more severe illness, or that the regulated vaccine would not protect against it.
The best way to stop infection is to stick to the rules – wash our hands, wear a face covering and keep our distance from others.
Is the variant of concern the one that was first identified in South Africa?
We believe that it is, but we are conducting additional testing to properly sequence and identify the scale of any transmission.
Is this variant more deadly?
There is currently no evidence that this variant causes more severe illness, or that the regulated vaccine would not protect against it.
Does this variant spread more easily?
Similar to the evidence collected from the variant first identified in the UK, there is some evidence that this variant can spread more easily than the ‘original’ version of the virus.
When do the cases date from?
The cases developed symptoms from the 18 to 28 December. It takes time for PCR positive tests to undergo whole genome sequencing, which explains why they have only come to light recently.
Are the clusters linked to one another?
No. The clusters do not appear to be linked.
Are we sequencing all positive cases that we detect in these areas linked to the community transmission already?
Yes, we are enhancing the sequencing of all cases detected in the area. In addition, we are also testing people without symptoms to find and detect additional cases.
Will sequencing still take two weeks? Or will it be sped up for these areas?
We will be working with the sequencing laboratory to prioritise the analysis of these samples and anticipate it will a quicker turnaround time.