Sue

Don't know where abouts you are, Sophia Sophia, but if you are anywhere near the Crystal Palace Road area near The Actress, you have my deepest sympathies if you are still ill in bed. There is a group of people having what sounds like a party in the garden, with possibly the loudest voices I have ever heard (at least no music). I know it's a bank holiday evening, but also surely we aren't supposed to be having social gatherings in our gardens? Ah - now music has started up in the other direction. So much for our quiet evening in the garden communing with the frogs. Signed, Grumpy Old Woman 😬

Clutterqueen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hope you get your result Sue, especially if you > are within the first few days of your symptoms. No, due to the lack of availability of home tests whenever I checked, and then delays, I am nowhere near the first few days of my symptoms. The test was collected this morning, and the first definite symptoms were when I woke up on 15 May. So it's highly unlikely I would get a positive result. > I hope there can be a test in the future for > people who think they might have had the virus in > the past i.e. back in February and might have > antibodies. Yes hopefully one will become available, however as presently nobody knows whether having had the virus actually renders you immune, and if so how long for, I'm not sure what the point is. If it meant you could go out without protection because you couldn't get infected again and/or you could no longer transmit the virus, obviously that would be brilliant, but currently I don't think that is the case :(

I understand that a saliva test may be available soon, which would be much easier to administer.

No, it seemed that the provisional findings of the King's study may show six (?) distinct groupings in terms of type of symptom etc.. I'm interested because it seems that the publicised symptoms (fever, dry cough) may well be absent in many confirmed cases.

KidKruger Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > And when you do the test, it'll be recorded in > Govt statistics as 'two tests', no ?! Probably. When I tried this morning to book a courier collection, the site wouldn't accept the number on my label. I had to phone the helpline yet again and they put it through at their end with no difficulty. The guy said there have been massive problems with the home testing system, including couriers not collecting completed tests at all 😮 I don't know why I'm bothering as it's so late now it's bound to give a negative result, but I don't want to be in the stats as someone who requested a test and then didn't return it. A GP on the helpline when I first got symptoms told me I almost certainly had the virus, but at that time as there were no home tests available I should just proceed on the assumption I had it. However although it makes no practical difference, I would quite like to know if I did. My partner got it (but less badly) a few days later and has also requested a test. We are both pretty pissed off as we had been extremely careful quarantining/washing everything coming into the house, but clearly something slipped by somehow. Just lucky neither of us had respiratory symptoms.

That's very interesting. I'd be very interested to see the groupings.

Oh great. I ordered a test kit yesterday. It has just arrived (nearly 5pm). On opening it, I see that one is asked to book a registered courier to collect the test sample. On going to book the courier, I find a page saying "This service is currently closed and will open again tomorrow at 8am". On further investigation, I find that I must book a courier by 4pm to ensure a pick up the next day. So I can't book a courier until tomorrow. I then have to do the test tomorrow night, and the courier picks up on Sunday. I have just phoned the Covid helpline to confirm that my understanding is correct, and that I can't book a courier tomorrow to collect the same day (Saturday) So that is three days wasted, on top of several days when I couldn't book a home test at all because none were available. My GP surgery said on Thursday that it was still worth having a test even though I had already lost a few days, but really, this is ridiculous. I have registered a complaint, but what's the point?

Renata Hamvas Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I have tried again and the manager hasn't called > back yet. I do know post is taking up to 7 weeks > and is not arriving in the time order it's sent > in. So how is this going to affect Covid-19 home testing kits, which have to be used within the first few days of symptoms to be effective? The completed test samples are collected by courier, but I assume the kit is sent out by post?

jamesmcash Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > Sue - I'm sorry to hear it! You can report > bonfires here: > https://www.southwark.gov.uk/environment/air-quali > ty/air-quality-queries-and-complaints I hope > that's helpful for future reference. > Thanks James!

Nigello Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Never a starling in almost twenty years. It?s odd > how in such a relatively small area there are > discrepancies over visiting wildlife, especially > birds which are very mobile. Never seen an owl or > raptor or bst, either. (I?m near to Goodrich > School and a minute or so from Dawson?s Hill.) Those bsts are quite rare :))

Zig-Zag Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Not very special, but I seem to have attracted > every starling in London bringing their very noisy > big babies...over 30 of them. They have found the > mealworms and are going crazy with excitement, and > using the makeshift water-baths with relish. I'm > waiting for further complaints from my neighbours, > and spending a fortune on giant sacks of > mealworms! Crikey! I haven't seen a starling in my garden since one was carried off by a bird of prey some years back :(

Sue Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I have loads of little tadpoles! So happy! > > Thanks for the spawn, Lynne! :) My taddies should be getting their back legs now, shouldn't they? No sign yet .......

Hoi Polloi Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Pointless if Chinese manufactured kits are used > that are not accurate. To the best of my knowledge the tests being used by the NHS are accurate, however no test is 100% accurate.

Finally there are home tests available, should anybody be within the first few days of symptoms (otherwise likely to come back negative) https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test

Get well soon, Sophia Sophia. I really feel for you 😢 ETA: Would it be possible to get either good earplugs or something generating white noise? There may be white noise apps?

richard tudor Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Why dont you two just get married and be a real > old married couple. Why don't any two posters on here having a dialogue just get married and be a real old married couple? 🙂 Probably because they don't want to! 🙂 Anyway I have a very lovely partner already ❤️ This is a forum. It's for discussion. You don't have to read it if you don't want to 🙂

DulwichFox Wrote: --------------------------------------------------- > > I don't Hate Sadiq Khan. I just dislike his > Polices. I do not Hate anyone. > So just to be clear, Foxy, when you said in a post above "The man is truly a Saboteur. A Destructive person who I find Sinister" you were referring to his policies and not to Sadiq Khan?

seenbeen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > That was in the list of symptoms at the beginning. It was never listed on a gov or NHS website. The only symptoms listed were a dry continuous cough and a high temperature. Only now joined by a loss of taste and smell. The Covid-19 survey being run by Kings asks about a much wider range of symptoms which are associated with the virus. It is quite possible to test positive without having a cough, a high temperature or a loss of taste/smell. The numbers of people having this virus in the UK have probably been vastly underestimated, but more worryingly, many many people have probably infected others because they had symptoms which they had no idea were due to Covid-19.

Sympathies, but did you not get your post redirected from your old address to your new address? ETA: Or ask the new people at your old address to forward it?

Don't know why this has been moved to the lounge from the Covid-19 section?

UK coronavirus tests advised for people who lose taste or smell https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/18/uk-coronavirus-tests-advised-for-people-who-lose-taste-or-smell?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

bels123 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Extreme speeding is unfortunately on the increase > across London > https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/lockdown-spe > eding-metropolitan-police-bank-holiday-a4434581.ht > ml > > Worrying trend 163 mph 😮

That's all very well if a) you have a car and b) you are well enough to drive there! But better than nothing I suppose.

They seem to have made a number of improvements to the app, and they are suggesting that if people still have problems they reinstall the app.

This was posted on a local Facebook group yesterday: A warning to anyone who?s used the ATM at the Lloyds Bank branch on Lordship Lane recently... I found a skimming device on it, removed it and reported it to the police earlier today. Check your statements and / or cancel your cards ASAP! Sad scumbags would do this, particularly at this challenging time! 😡