Maldon district residents may soon get the opportunity to use the new rapid Covid-19 tests being rolled out across the country.

It was announced by the Government today (Tuesday, 10 November) that Essex County Council is one of more than 50 local authorities earmarked to receive the lateral flow antigen tests, with 10,000 to be received by the county this week. It is thought that there will then be a substantial number of the tests allocated to Essex each week moving forward.

The Department of Health and Social Care said in a statement that this new development would:

• allow NHS Test and Trace to work with local public health directors to increase testing of priority and high-risk groups in local communities on a weekly basis

• facilitate an increase in asymptomatic testing to help pick up more cases, so limiting the spread of the virus.

A spokesperson for Essex County Council said: "We received a letter from the Secretary of State regarding preparation for the roll-out of mass Covid-19 testing in Essex.

"Work has now started to consider how we, together with partner organisations, can facilitate this across the county to protect our residents as quickly as we can."

Benefits of the lateral flow antigen tests

The innovative testing technology can provide results within an hour.

This means self-isolation and contact tracing can take place much more quickly.

In addition, no laboratory is required to process the tests and while swabbing and processing must currently be carried out at a dedicated testing site by trained staff, the devices are designed to be easy to use and the possibility of them being self-administered is being looked into.