60 Fife venues now offering home testing kits for COVID

These include many High Street pharmacies as the project is expanded.

The kits are aimed at people without symptoms.

Around one in three people who become infected with COVID may not feel unwell, but can still spread the virus without knowing it.

NHS Fife said if they test positive and self isolate, it helps stop the virus spreading.

Dr Duncan Fortescue-Webb, consultant in public health and the lead for COVID-19 testing in Fife, said: “We are urging everyone across Fife without symptoms use home testing kits collected from a site near to them, or ordered online for delivery to their home.

“Through regular testing we can identify people who don’t know they’re carrying the virus, support them to isolate quickly, and prevent the onward spread.

"This helps keep our communities safe and reduces the chances of further restrictions.

“It is important that people who carry out home testing report their results, regardless of whether these are positive or negative.

“This helps us to identify areas where cases of COVID-19 are rising and declining so we can all keep each other safe.”

People working in health and social care, teachers, students in secondary and further education, and those in certain workplaces have already been taking part in regular home testing for many months.

Earlier this year the Scottish Government announced the introduction of free home test kits for everyone in Scotland.

While access to kits was initially available online or by phone, an expansion in testing provision means that lateral flow test kits can now also be collected free of charge from more than 60 collection sites across Fife – including testing sites and many high street pharmacies.

To find your nearest collection site, visit: https://maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk/.

All adults without symptoms can collect one box of lateral flow tests for each member of their household.

Each box contains seven tests, allowing someone to test themselves twice weekly over three weeks. Results are given in 30 minutes.

If you receive a positive result, you will be required to self-isolate and arrange a further PCR test.

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