Coronavirus: Personnel Run Asymptomatic Test Centres In Scotland

The British Army is running a network of new coronavirus testing sites across Scotland to track people carrying the virus who may not have any symptoms.

Asymptomatic testing hubs have been set up as the latest effort to combat the virus north of the border, by catching people who may be spreading the virus but don't know it, driving down the infection rate.

Coronavirus has already claimed more than 7,000 lives in Scotland, with most of the country spending much of the last year under restrictions.

"It's an important job," said Lance Corporal Mick Smart from 39 Engineer Regiment.

"When we look back on this in years to come we can see we actually made a difference.

"The more people that get tested, the more idea the Government has of the amount of cases of coronavirus that there are."

The plan is to reduce the rate of infection and get people back to normality as soon as possible. 

The centres get visitors to test themselves in order to better streamline and shorten their visit and the amount of time it takes for results to be returned.

LCpl Smart explained what the experience is like for those seeking testing.

"As they make their way through the queue [they] will be given the swab and they will test themselves and we'll process the tests and within half an hour they should be getting the test results back."

Two hundred military personnel were recently assigned across Scotland to support the vaccine rollout.

Fifty-seven personnel were deployed to help health boards across Scotland with the rollout, while as many as 24 logistic support staff, mainly from the Edinburgh-based 3 RIFLES, are helping with the running of vaccination centres in Grampian, Dumfries and Galloway, and Borders and Lothian.