Free Covid-19 home tests available now

[Sue]

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

[Hoi Polloi]

Pointless if Chinese manufactured kits are used that are not accurate.

[Sue]

Hoi Polloi Wrote:

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> 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.

[Sue]

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?

[KidKruger]

And when you do the test, it'll be recorded in Govt statistics as 'two tests', no ?!

[Sue]

KidKruger Wrote:

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> 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.

[Penguin68]

Just to point out that the home tests have a very poor record of accuracy - not because there is a problem with the testing kit itself, but because the actual sampling process (swabbing, effectively, the tonsils and then the back of the nose) is very difficult to do, particular on yourself, invasive and quite uncomfortable. So the samples taken are frequently of poor quality. In hospitals and testing centre the testers are more experienced, and frankly more brutal in getting their samples.

[Sue]

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

[Clutterqueen]

Hope you get your result Sue, especially if you are within the first few days of your symptoms.

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.

[Clutterqueen]

Please don't tell me there is already such a test!

[Sue]

Clutterqueen Wrote:

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> 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 :(

[tiddles]

No need as we can all travel as we feel necessary

[Sue]

tiddles Wrote:

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> No need as we can all travel as we feel necessary

😢 or possibly 🤣