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Covid testing : where when how and what happens next.

Thora said:
SheilaNaGig I've been told that home tests are released at 8am and 5pm and centre slots at 10am, and 7 or 8pm. No idea how accurate that is but we did suddenly manage to get a drive through slot at 10am for that afternoon, and I was on the website ready at 8am this morning and managed to get home tests ordered.
Click to expand...


Shouldn’t this information be available on that NHS site? Like, on the same page where is told me that there weee no home tests available, please try later?

Later. Later at night, later in the week, in the year?

Or, “more tests are released at 8 am and 5 pm each day”.
 
Epona said:
On a slightly different note, I received my IgM/IgG antibody home testing kit yesterday and will be doing my blood test later. (Am part of a randomly sampled study being conducted by Imperial College, I am very happy to help with this sort of statistical research).
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A local clinic is offering antibody tests at 100 quid a pop. I’m sure that’s happening all over the place. So we can only know our current immune status if we’ve got spare cash to fling about, or if we’re lucky enough to be in a trial.

I’m pleased for you Epona and hopefully the results will lead to better testing protocols.
 
SheilaNaGig said:
A local clinic is offering antibody tests at 100 quid a pop. I’m sure that’s happening all over the place. So we can only know our current immune status if we’ve got spare cash to fling about, or if we’re lucky enough to be in a trial.

I’m pleased for you Epona and hopefully the results will lead to better testing protocols.
Click to expand...

Even if you get an antibody test it doesn't confirm immune status because that is still unknown, and one of the things that the study I am involved in may investigate. We have all been told in no uncertain terms though that a positive result for antibodies does NOT mean you are immune, this is still unknown. I wouldn't blame them for not rolling these out more widely if people are going to misinterpret the results and potentially indulge in risky behaviour as a result tbh.

Anyone paying for an antibody test right now to determine possible immunity is being conned
 
Thora said:
Clearly what happened is, everyone went back to restaurants, workplaces and schools as instructed by the government, but as there is little or no social distancing, mask wearing or extra hygiene in those places, infections with all kinds of viruses has gone through the roof.
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But there are also stories all over the places of people being super careful and coming down with some kind of URTI or even Covid despite all precautions.

This whole time I’ve has the odd niggle in my respiratory tract from time to time, which I’ve found interesting rather than worrying because it’s somtimes happened even when I’ve had no human contact or interaction for many days and it’s made me realise I must ignore this stuff most of the time. This time though I’ve been on buses, the Tube and in the company of a couple of people for several hours at quite close quarters, and the symptoms have lasted more than 24 hours.

The mushroom season has started so it might be a reaction to the spores, like an autumn hay fever. But it could be Covid. We’re supposed to have the wherewithal to check, so that we can either isolate and protect others, or get on with life.

Instead I’ve got to weigh up the various likelihoods myself in the absence of any useful facts and then make a decision with potentially catastrophic outcomes.

This stupid lottery is stupid.
 
SheilaNaGig said:
Shouldn’t this information be available on that NHS site? Like, on the same page where is told me that there weee no home tests available, please try later?

Later. Later at night, later in the week, in the year?

Or, “more tests are released at 8 am and 5 pm each day”.
Click to expand...
I don’t know - the times for the home tests came from the Zoe app, the times for the test sites was in an email from my council’s head of education about trying to get school staff tested.
 
This was two days ago

www.theguardian.com

Covid tests sent to Italy and Germany as UK labs are overwhelmed

Leaked documents reveal backlog of 185,000 swabs and tests sent abroad for processing
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com


Yesterday’s news

www.theguardian.com

Hancock says Covid testing crisis may last weeks as UK hospitals plug gaps

Admission comes as more people with Covid symptoms turn up at A&E and call 111
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

inews.co.uk

Covid test rationing plans put parents and teachers behind care homes as chaos set to continue

The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, was besieged by protests from MPs complaining that constituents with symptoms had been unable to book a test
inews.co.uk inews.co.uk
 
SheilaNaGig said:
But there are also stories all over the places of people being super careful and coming down with some kind of URTI or even Covid despite all precautions.

This whole time I’ve has the odd niggle in my respiratory tract from time to time, which I’ve found interesting rather than worrying because it’s somtimes happened even when I’ve had no human contact or interaction for many days and it’s made me realise I must ignore this stuff most of the time. This time though I’ve been on buses, the Tube and in the company of a couple of people for several hours at quite close quarters, and the symptoms have lasted more than 24 hours.

The mushroom season has started so it might be a reaction to the spores, like an autumn hay fever. But it could be Covid. We’re supposed to have the wherewithal to check, so that we can either isolate and protect others, or get on with life.

Instead I’ve got to weigh up the various likelihoods myself in the absence of any useful facts and then make a decision with potentially catastrophic outcomes.

This stupid lottery is stupid.
Click to expand...
You have a greater chance of winning euromillions than you have of finding a test locally
 
Thora said:
I don’t know - the times for the home tests came from the Zoe app, the times for the test sites was in an email from my council’s head of education about trying to get school staff tested.
Click to expand...

Well anyway it’s now moot because Hat Mancock is now saying we need to prioritise front line workers for testing because the system is overwhelmed.

No testing for me.

So now I have to decide whether or not to isolate.
 
Miss-Shelf said:
Saw this shared on facebook

Ofc it could get out of date suddenly but theres probably some useful data here on walk in test centres across London

London MTU deployment schedule 19aug20.xlsx

docs.google.com docs.google.com
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row 25 does not match for the past couple of weeks so there probably/maybe is a newer version available, row 31 would match what wtfftw said in an earlier post.
eta: I was wrong about row 25 as they were there when I drove off to work so I probably got the colour coding on the spreadsheet wrong.
 
Last edited:
A few weeks ago they were running ads all over the place saying we must fet tested to get 'back to the things we love' even without symptoms :facepalm:
 
SheilaNaGig said:
Well anyway it’s now moot because Hat Mancock is now saying we need to prioritise front line workers for testing because the system is overwhelmed.

No testing for me.

So now I have to decide whether or not to isolate.
Click to expand...
I’m a frontline worker and there’s no priority for me that I can see. I’m trying to get a test through my employer but it’s not looking hopeful.
Surely if you have any symptoms you self isolate? Not sure what to do if there’s no test available at all. Self isolate for 10 days or until I’m better? It’s pointless getting a test after 5 days isn’t it so by Monday a test won’t tell me anything. Or have I got that wrong?
 
Looby said:
It’s pointless getting a test after 5 days isn’t it so by Monday a test won’t tell me anything. Or have I got that wrong?
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There is an optimum window for tests picking up the virus but it probably varies quite a bit per person. I wouldnt automatically think it was pointless after 5 days had passed, but my confidence would certainly decrease as time went on.
 
TBH, this testing debacle doesn't inspire me with confidence.

The changing messages from gov't, because politicians are making decisions that should be clinically / scientifically determined, is making for greater chaos now and will induce further stresses on the NHS as winter flu season approaches.

[so glad that I can get the 'flu jab this year, OH's just had the pneumonia one and I may be already immune - at least likely to be - to that potential complication]
 
The research team, from University College London, Lancaster University and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, predicted that coughs and fevers would jump from about 155,000 cases a day in August to:

  • 250,700 in September
  • 445,000 in December
And if 80% of people with coughs or fevers requested a test, daily demand for UK testing would exceed current capacity for five months straight, from October to February.
Click to expand...

www.bbc.co.uk

'Not enough tests for five months due to winter coughs'

Normal coughs and fevers alone will lead to high demand for coronavirus tests over winter, it says.
www.bbc.co.uk
 
Looby said:
I’m a frontline worker and there’s no priority for me that I can see. I’m trying to get a test through my employer but it’s not looking hopeful.
Surely if you have any symptoms you self isolate? Not sure what to do if there’s no test available at all. Self isolate for 10 days or until I’m better? It’s pointless getting a test after 5 days isn’t it so by Monday a test won’t tell me anything. Or have I got that wrong?
Click to expand...


I agree in principle that we ought to isolate with all and any respiratory tract symptoms just in case.

But in practice this doesn't make any sense. For one, Sx outside the respiratory tract can be covid. And if course RT sx might be caysed by something quite innocuous.

So if this is just the minor irritation I get some - but not every - year at this time, do I just stay home all alone losing what little money I'm currently able to earn for the whole month?

A test would make it possible to decide.

I'm really sorry to know that you're not able to get a test despite being on the frontline.


Makes a mockery of the conspiracy idea that this whole thing is an effort to get us all tagged.
 
Why is no one bringing this shit show of a government to task on the sqillions they have thrown at their mates for the non-existent services that are now hampering everyone who now needs tests?
It's criminal the way that they are being allowed to duck out of responsibility and then provide mealy mouthed soundbites to deflect from the actual situation.
 
quiet guy said:
Why is no one bringing this shit show of a government to task on the sqillions they have thrown at their mates for the non-existent services that are now hampering everyone who now needs tests?
It's criminal the way that they are being allowed to duck out of responsibility and then provide mealy mouthed soundbites to deflect from the actual situation.
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What are you doing?
 
It was a retorical statement on my part as to why they seem to be getting away with it from the opposition and the national press. If I thought that my word could influence my Conservative MP for Bolsover then I would but the bastard has done nothing since being elected.
 
SheilaNaGig said:
I'm really sorry to know that you're not able to get a test despite being on the frontline.
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I’ve actually had a code to book now but I’m stuck on a loading page. I really want to log off but unfortunately I used my work laptop to try and book it. What a twat! 😄
Try again at 8 maybe for you.
 
quiet guy said:
It was a retorical statement on my part as to why they seem to be getting away with it from the opposition and the national press. If I thought that my word could influence my Conservative MP for Bolsover then I would but the bastard has done nothing since being elected.
Click to expand...
I have a cunt Tory MP and like to email him a lot with lots of other folk copied in :)
 
quiet guy said:
It was a retorical statement on my part as to why they seem to be getting away with it from the opposition and the national press. If I thought that my word could influence my Conservative MP for Bolsover then I would but the bastard has done nothing since being elected.
Click to expand...
not even caught the fucking virus :mad:
 
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