Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

[wemakeyousoundb]

via Oxenholme the Lake District, Lancaster, Preston, Crewe and Milton Keynes

I know, but there isn't much positive I find when I look at the news at the moment or even around me.

 

[yield]

Millions at risk of being blocked from Covid tests

Outline.com

outline.com

FT. September 30, 2020

Millions of people face being barred from receiving Covid-19 tests in England because their identity cannot be verified by a credit-checking company contracted by the government to prevent the abuse of the public testing system.

How fucked is that? Class war

 

[MrSki]

Serco will in future be a simile for shite.

 

[Chilli.s]

isolate, get tested / traced and stay isolated until you're cleared.

In her case, got positive result then took train back london to glasgow I think.

 

[frogwoman]

Millions at risk of being blocked from Covid tests

Outline.com

outline.com

FT. September 30, 2020

How fucked is that? Class war

The abuse of the public testing system? What are people becoming addicted to pushing things up their nose?

 

[Chilli.s]

Isn't it a private testing system that is open to the public?

 

[SpookyFrank]

Millions at risk of being blocked from Covid tests

Outline.com

outline.com

FT. September 30, 2020

How fucked is that? Class war

They could have seen this coming as the same system has been in place for online universal credit claims for years and the huge issues with it are well known. Clearly it's more important to keep paying for these contracts than to have a system that's fit for purpose.

 

[SpookyFrank]

As for preventing abuses, I seriously doubt rich people are having to do identity fraud to get better access to testing than the rest of us.

 

[Chilli.s]

Abuses of testing is a red herring. The system needs a huge capacity to work in an effective way and should have enough slack built in to make that possible. Giving the contract to an organisation that is going to make itself a profit from the tests is what really will render this less effective than a real publick owned system.

 

[wtfftw]

The whole abusing the system bullshit is pure benefit fraud echoes. It's toss designed to pit us against each other and distracts from the same theme (if there's not enough to go round it's a top down fault).

 

[two sheds]

if the NHS did the test & trace they tied the test to your NHS number how could there be fraud?

 

[MrSki]

if the NHS did the test & trace they tied the test to your NHS number how could there be fraud?

Or failing that just use your NI number.

 

[Chilli.s]

if the NHS did the test & trace they tied the test to your NHS number how could there be fraud?

And the amount of legitimate data gathered would be a useful research tool for the good of everyone.

 

[teuchter]

It isn't - if you feel you have symptoms, take a test. Wait for the test results to come back. If you're positive, then quarantine.

I appreciate there are people for whom there are financial / career / childcare problems as the result of this but they do not apply to her (as they didn't apply to Cummings) and so she should do the decent thing or we will have people feeling empowered to do what she did.

What is "you feel you have symptoms" though?
Probably something like once every week or two, since this thing started, I've felt a bit off and thought "do I have symptoms". So far each time I've decided that no, I probably don't, but the threshold at which I'd go the other way is not very clear. Especially when you know that many people only experience mild symptoms.

 

[two sheds]

And the amount of legitimate data gathered would be a useful research tool for the good of everyone.

And do they think people are going to be selling their fraudulently obtained tests on the black market? Rather than people just getting one for free in their own name?

I don't know what fraudulent tests even mean

 

[Chilli.s]

And do they think people are going to be selling their fraudulently obtained tests on the black market? Rather than people just getting one for free in their own name?

I don't know what fraudulent tests even mean

Exactly, an idea (fraudulent tests) came up at a blue sky thinking meeting about how to maximise profit.

World beating

 

[brogdale]

Millions at risk of being blocked from Covid tests

Outline.com

outline.com

FT. September 30, 2020

How fucked is that? Class war

This happened to my DiL; rejected for having no verifiable credit history (she's a vulnerable person) and then helpfully told to book a drive thru...like she has a car or can drive.

Just collateral in the profit gouging.

 

[killer b]

I would guess if you wanted to know if you had coronavirus but didn't want to be legally obliged to self isolate if tested positive, you might want to obtain a test in someone else's name.

 

[maomao]

I would guess if you wanted to know if you had coronavirus but didn't want to be legally obliged to self isolate if tested positive, you might want to obtain a test in someone else's name.

That's still possible though. And it would be possible (with NHS or NI numbers) to create the same obstacle to doing so as a credit check.

 

[two sheds]

You could do the same with the credit rating though, couldn't you?

 

[brogdale]

You could do the same with the credit rating though, couldn't you?

It's just hard to imagine quite how psychopathic you'd have to be to even entertain the idea that 'credit rating' represented an appropriate means of gatekeeping Covid testing. These fuckers are properly sick.

 

[andysays]

What is "you feel you have symptoms" though?
Probably something like once every week or two, since this thing started, I've felt a bit off and thought "do I have symptoms". So far each time I've decided that no, I probably don't, but the threshold at which I'd go the other way is not very clear. Especially when you know that many people only experience mild symptoms.

I'm not a doctor, but in the current situation I think it's relatively clear what the symptoms are and if you have them or not.

If I was genuinely unsure if eg my loss of taste or rise in temperature qualified, I'd try to get tested just to make sure, and in the meantime I'd isolate as best as I could, which doesn't include travelling from one end of the country to the other by train.

It's starting to look like you're trying to make excuses for this MP when even she has said that her actions were indefensible.

ETA Correction, it was actually Nicola Sturgeon who called her actions indefensible

 

[souljacker]

So I've got a cold. It's not a nice one but it's definitely a cold. The wife has it too and eldest daughter had it last week but is fine now. I told the Zoe app about my symptoms (runny nose, headache, very slight cough) and they have emailed offering a test. I really can't see why I need one and considering it's hard to get one, I'll be wasting the opportunity for someone with proper symptoms. What does Urban think? Should I still get one just in case?

The other question is how, considering I'm washing my hands and wearing masks everywhere, have I managed to get a second cold in a month? I'm guessing my kid got it at school but it doesn't bode well for the covid spread if I can get a cold that easily.

 

[two sheds]

Just have one test between you? If they say you should have a test I'd get one though.

 

[eoin_k]

So I've got a cold. It's not a nice one but it's definitely a cold. The wife has it too and eldest daughter had it last week but is fine now. I told the Zoe app about my symptoms (runny nose, headache, very slight cough) and they have emailed offering a test. I really can't see why I need one and considering it's hard to get one, I'll be wasting the opportunity for someone with proper symptoms. What does Urban think? Should I still get one just in case?

The other question is how, considering I'm washing my hands and wearing masks everywhere, have I managed to get a second cold in a month? I'm guessing my kid got it at school but it doesn't bode well for the covid spread if I can get a cold that easily.

The test won't be sourced in the same way as those used clinically. Establishing what correlation if any there is between your symptoms and Covid is the point. Accept their offer.

 

[killer b]

That's still possible though. And it would be possible (with NHS or NI numbers) to create the same obstacle to doing so as a credit check.

Would it be possible/legal to share the NHS info/NI details with a private company though? If they were intent on farming this out - and I suppose there's probably plausible reasons to do this, to do with creating capacity as quickly as possible, as well as enriching their mates - then probably using credit checking is the most straightforward & easily accessed way of confirming identity for most people?

 

[prunus]

So I've got a cold. It's not a nice one but it's definitely a cold. The wife has it too and eldest daughter had it last week but is fine now. I told the Zoe app about my symptoms (runny nose, headache, very slight cough) and they have emailed offering a test. I really can't see why I need one and considering it's hard to get one, I'll be wasting the opportunity for someone with proper symptoms. What does Urban think? Should I still get one just in case?

The other question is how, considering I'm washing my hands and wearing masks everywhere, have I managed to get a second cold in a month? I'm guessing my kid got it at school but it doesn't bode well for the covid spread if I can get a cold that easily.

Yes, the Zoe test is part of a research project so you’ll be contributing data to that (positive or negative result). You should do it.

 

[quimcunx]

It's not rocket science, dammit.
If you think you (might) have Covid, isolate, get tested / traced and stay isolated until you're cleared.

People in the public eye should be setting a good example ...

The test won't be sourced in the same way as those used clinically. Establishing what correlation if any there is between your symptoms and Covid is the point. Accept their offer.

It is. At least it was for me. Twice. In their instruction they say to click whatever on the gov site but that option never came up. Get the test. Zoe need negatives too for their study.

And it really isn't that obvious when you should test. Not every positive has the 3 symptoms. Children are different agsin and if you were to start a thread on say mumsnet saying you or your child has cold symptoms youd get half saying no dont waste a test its a fucking cold and half saying get a test to be sure and isolate because some test positive with non official covid symptoms.

 

[wtfftw]

I'd hope they'd offered it because you have runny nose plus more usual symptoms. I definitely have covid and I've had a slight runny nose and sneezing for the first week or so.

 

[maomao]

Would it be possible/legal to share the NHS info/NI details with a private company though? If they were intent on farming this out - and I suppose there's probably plausible reasons to do this, to do with creating capacity as quickly as possible, as well as enriching their mates - then probably using credit checking is the most straightforward & easily accessed way of confirming identity for most people?

Except that it excludes people. So if you're intent on doing it privately you're already wrong.