STAFF were on hand to receive the first Oxford residents getting tested at a new walk-through coronavirus test this weekend.

An Oxford Mail photographer visited the facility, based at Osney Lane near Oxford station, as it opened on Saturday.

People are able to book appointments at the site, which is run by Serco and offers self-administered tests.

Oxford Mail:

Testing is only available for those with coronavirus symptoms – a high temperature, a new continuous cough, or a loss or change to sense of smell or taste.

It is the second walk-through testing facility in the city, the other based at Oxford Brookes University.

Drive-through testing is done at Oxford Parkway Park & Ride.

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Oxford University also runs its own coronavirus testing for staff and students.

The Department of Health and Social Care was asked how many people had already used the site but said the information would not be provided.

A spokesperson said: “This is not routinely published data. All the data – including regional breakdown – that we regularly publish is on the coronavirus dashboard.”

It comes as Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced mass rapid-turnaround testing would soon be available across large parts of England.

Oxford Mail:

Addressing MPs in the House of Commons, he said he had written to 67 directors of public health about providing ‘10 per cent of their population per week’ with tests.

Oxfordshire is not on the initial list of areas set to get the mass testing and the government said directors of public health were prioritised for the first phase of rapid community testing based on the local prevalence of Covid-19 and ‘expressions of interest’ to the Department of Health and Social Care.

It added: “Any director of public health who wants to start rolling out local testing using lateral flow tests can do so by contacting DHSC.”

This new testing provide results within an hour without needing to be processed in a lab.