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Covid testing : where when how and what happens next.

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SheilaNaGig

Break requested
I’m seeing posts on loads of other threads asking for and offering advice and information about testing : when should I get tested, where can I get tested, how can I get tested. I reckon it makes sense to have all that under one heading.

We could also talk about more general problems with the test & trace shitshow here. Like this Moonshot thing.

www.theguardian.com

Boris Johnson pinning hopes on £100bn 'moonshot' to avoid second lockdown

PM believes huge rapid testing programme is ‘only hope’ before a vaccine, leaked document says
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 
That’s what I thought. I wanted to see discussion and understand what experiences people are having (in order to add to another RL discussion) but it’s all spread out over the whole Covid forum. But I don’t actually have any personal experience to share, so my OP was kinda pointless... as in didn’t really have a point. Hopefully someone will dive in with some information or detail.
 
I gather test if ANY of: new persistent cough (ie, not just coughing a couple of times), fever of 38C or over, or loss of smell or taste.
 
Cloo said:
I gather test if ANY of: new persistent cough (ie, not just coughing a couple of times), fever of 38C or over, or loss of smell or taste.
Click to expand...
And fatigue, loss of appetite and headaches in children.
www.bmj.com

Covid-19: UK studies find gastrointestinal symptoms are common in children

Gastrointestinal symptoms are common in children infected with SARS-CoV-2 and should trigger tests for the virus, researchers have said. A prospective study of 992 healthy children (median age 10.1 years) of healthcare workers from across the UK found that 68 (6.9%) tested positive for...
www.bmj.com www.bmj.com
 
Cloo said:
I gather test if ANY of: new persistent cough (ie, not just coughing a couple of times), fever of 38C or over, or loss of smell or taste.
Click to expand...
So many people have covid that dont start with these symptoms
Eg sore throat
Migraine
GI upset
Unusual and persistent fatigue
No particular fever
Malaise and aches
 
I know, I'm still not sure I didn't have it just before lockdown, because I had a really weird bug with on and off fatigue, sore throat, aches in mid March - no cough or fever; lasted just over a fortnight with a few ok days scattered during that time :confused:
 
Apart from those with symptoms - anyone contacted by the tracing system, or if someone you've been in contact with at the pub or wherever has been tested & comes back +ve ...

Stay in quarantine as long as the rules say you have to stay ...

But not if you're only going on holiday and don't qualify as above.
And, ffs, when you come back, stay in isolation if you are supposed to be in there.

(I yelled at some plonkers in a local shop a couple of days ago who were loudly saying that they had just come back from somewhere that now has "quarantine on return", but they felt OK, so why should they stay in and not go out to meet their mates in the pub? Note - nor did they have masks on properly, so the shop manager had a few words ...
Why are these covidiots allowed to put me at risk !)
 
I’ve not had any need to ask for a test myself, only reading how others have found it.
Quite a range of experience tbh.
Two people in London a couple of months ago seemed to have a fairly straightforward experience; home test kit dropped off to them, instructions how & when to do it; booked in to have it picked up. Results came back quite fast, both were clear.

In the past couple of weeks been seeing stories of various friends around the country coming down with symptoms theyve been advised to take their kids out of school & get tested. Their experiences of going a drive up test centre sound pretty chaotic at all points. Appointment slots vanishing before they can select them, & being directed to places many miles away. Afaik they did all manage to get a test after some kerfuffle & so far they’ve all been clear ie not got covid.
 
Our son got a covid test same day - only drive through was in Milton Keynes but 'walk ins' available, albeit only across to East London at times when you had to travel through rush hour in each direction on north circular
 
Months ago, they had a mobile one set up on the same site as my workshop.
Fine, they needed the provision.
But no-body told us in advance, and there were bodies coughing in cars parked all over the place. We stayed well clear !
At the same time, I had clients to talk to on a video walk around, showing them our workshop (guess what, I didn't get that contract !) ...
 
Considering current problems getting tests. What's the knock on for contacts isolating? Does track & trace occur only for a positive test?
 
So far I seem to have managed to avoid the virus (touch wood) but I expect if I did get it and was feeling poorly one of the last things I would want to do is to drive miles to some testing station to be told yes I am poorly.
 
sparkybird said:
Woop. Our household has been selected for testing by the ONS. Once signed up someone comes to the house weekly/monthly and each person gets about £400 in vouchers if you complete all the tests.
Click to expand...

Oh congratulations! I have been secretly peering through my mail a bit more keenly in recent days, hoping I would get asked. :D

Now I wonder where the vouchers can be exchanged.....
Click to expand...
Amazon, apparently:(
 
My toddler has been snotty/poorly the last few days, and had a sore throat and lost her voice yesterday. Started coughing a really barky cough intermittently today so had to try to get her tested. Took a while of refreshing the testing website and losing slots, being given centres 100s of miles away before finally getting one 15 miles away.
Hopefully will get the results back in the next couple of days. Though it's difficult to see how accurate a test done on a fighting, snotty child by a totally unqualified parent in the back seat of a car will be :hmm:
 
Saw something the other day where a mum needed her kid testing. Only tests available on line were 100+ miles away. She took him to the local test center and got seen straight away as no one else was there.
 
A tale of two tests.

Me:
Thursday 3rd report cold symptoms to ZOE app
Friday morning order home test
Saturday evening test arrives
Sunday I do nothing as instructed.
Monday 4.30pm post test
Tuesday nada
Wednesday Nada
Thursday Nada
Friday negative result.

Mate local to me:

Friday 4th symptom
Saturday book test centre (eventually)
Sunday lunchtime test centre test
Monday 3am negative result

🤷‍♀️
 
Last edited:
The fact the situation got bad enough that someone leaked that dashboard is noteworthy in itself.

I suppose I sort of expect that the swab backlog has been in that range for a long time, because otherwise presumably the stats for how long people have to wait for results would be better than we've managed so far.

Would be fascinating to see the sort of data shown in that dashboard snapshot but graphed over time instead.
 
zahir said:
elbows - would the swab backlog and delays make test results less reliable?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I will be able to provide a definitive answer to that.

Going mostly by the data in that slide, including how many tests are processed per day, I'd say the main implication of the backlog is an additional 1-2 day delay in the results being processed. That is a big issue in itself in terms of contract tracing etc, and in terms of test reliability the number of tests marked void and longstanding issues with false negatives (not covered by the slide) tend to leap out at me more.
 
So one of my friends who had a negative test result is still very ill with quite a few of the covid symptoms. It’s been 1 week since the test & 5 days since the result.
Anyone know if they get another test?
 
nyxx said:
So one of my friends who had a negative test result is still very ill with quite a few of the covid symptoms. It’s been 1 week since the test & 5 days since the result.
Anyone know if they get another test?
Click to expand...

Out of interest are they (and their household) still self isolating?
 
nyxx said:
So one of my friends who had a negative test result is still very ill with quite a few of the covid symptoms. It’s been 1 week since the test & 5 days since the result.
Anyone know if they get another test?
Click to expand...
Hadn't even thought about this scenario. Would be interesting to see what their gp advises though. Hope your friend feels better soon.
 
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