A WEST Belfast pharmacist says the public should remain vigilant against Covid-19, despite changes to testing brought in this week.

It comes after Department of Health ended free Covid-19 testing for all but health service staff this week. Furthermore, people with symptoms of Covid-19 will no longer be advised to take a lateral flow test.

The move is in line with the Test, Trace and Protect Transition plan published in March 2022 which aims to make testing more proportionate and targeted to protect the most vulnerable. People who are eligible for new Covid-19 treatments and those working in health and social care settings will continue to be advised to test. They will continue to have access to free lateral flow tests.

Terry Maguire, of Maguire's Pharmacy on the Falls Road, said: "Covid has moved into more of an endemic, even though it is still classed as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation.

"We are the last region in the UK to hold on to testing. It probably could have been done away with in June.

"People rightly test for good reasons if they have symptoms but the information was not getting fed back to the Public Health Agency so they could monitor the spread better.

"We have seen that the Omicron variants of the virus are much less severe and do not cause the same level of disease and death as we have seen in the past. Nevertheless, the public should remain vigilant. The virus is still with us and a new mutation is possible at any time.

"I think the advice is good. If people have symptoms, please stay at home and isolate. This should be the case for any illness, not just Covid.

"I think the public should maintain good behaviour practices they adopted during the pandemic such as social distancing and frequent washing of hands.

"As for the winter, it remains to be seen what it will bring in terms of the flu and Covid. I would urge people to keep up to date with the vaccinations available to them."

West Belfast People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll has slammed the Health Minister over the removal of free lateral flow tests.

Mr Carroll described the move as “short sighted”, stating that it would put more people at risk of infection.

“Covid-19 is still a threat to the public and the Health Minister can’t simply ignore the problem,” he said.

“Regular testing has played a crucial role in dealing with the pandemic. The removal of free lateral flow tests will make it more difficult to contain any future surges and will paint a wildly inaccurate picture of the spread of Covid-19."