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Covid

Impossible to get a test

128 replies

mumum1 · 14/09/2020 11:50

Can't believe how difficult it is to get a test.

DD6 ended up with a bit of a cold over the weekend and a fever yesterday morning. I got a fever too and just a general feeling of being tired.

Have been trying since yesterday morning to get a test but no test sites available.

We're all self isolating now which means I'm off work, DD9 is off school too (she's gutted) as well as DD6

I'm pretty sure we've just got colds but DDs school and my work won't let me back until I have a negative test although we both feel ok now.

I would have thought that the powers that be would have thought that maybe with the return to school to make sure we had enough testing capacity!

Has anyone managed to book a test today? How have you managed it? Any times of day I should be trying?

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User27aw · 14/09/2020 11:52

I can't get a test either. I've put in postcodes all over the country and not one of them has any availability.

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Sandytoes86 · 14/09/2020 11:58

Same here tried with various postcodes and no tests . We are all isolating

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mumum1 · 14/09/2020 12:21

Been trying everything, postal, walk ins, drive through but absolutely nothing.

Just feel bad for my DDs. They've missed being at school with their friends during lockdown now they may need to stay home for another week for no reason.

Really annoyed at the situation! Work has been a nightmare too! Feeling sorry for myself Sad

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PosyRosie · 14/09/2020 12:28

We drove from North Eat England to Scotland yesterday, round trip of 160 mikes. It took me two days to get that booked. I think they might release some at around 6.30pm and maybe at around 11am. I had lots of instances of trying and just being offered nothing.

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ImFree2doasiwant · 14/09/2020 12:40

Same. Ds aged 3 has a cough. Can't send him to pre school. Can't get a walk through, drive through or home test. Ds (5) has no symptoms and SO pleased to be back at school .

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Goldistheanswer · 14/09/2020 13:19

Just seen on Sky news that someone in Keir Starmer’s family has Covid symptoms and has been tested. It seems that some tests are available for some people. 😙

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JustMeG · 14/09/2020 13:27

Same here, been trying since Saturday. 4 DCs home because 2Dcs need something that's impossible to get. If I don't get tests by Wednesday they can't go back until 28th.

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mumum1 · 14/09/2020 13:31

Thought I got a drive through appointment. Gave me a site and an appointment time.

Pressed save and continue and it took me straight to the home page again.

I'm tempted to turn up but I don't have a code or a pass.

DP not so keen at its still a 40 min drive and doesn't want to make the journey for no reason

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Flube · 14/09/2020 13:33

My 4yo has woken with a cough, he also has the same cold symptoms (sneezing and sore throat) that the rest of us have in the house. However he is the only one with a cough.

School (just started in reception class) are happy for him to go in with a cold just not any of the main 3 symptoms, which means we are all home.

This morning, I took him to this weeks local no appointment walk in. After queuing for around an hour, someone organising the pop up test site, told us that they are not able to test under5's.

I cannot get a test online, 119 tells you to book online. I did get the option for a home test but by the time I filled in all the details, it said problem with my order. Tried again, no home tests and no slots.

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Flube · 14/09/2020 13:42

I'm wondering if I manage to get one of the other children tested at the pop up, and get a negative result, if school would also accept that for the 4yo. 🤔

They do have the exact same symptoms as each other apart from the cough! Idk. It just seems silly having to keep all 4DC off because the one with the cough can't get a test.

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83maddog83 · 14/09/2020 13:42

We are the same. My daughter started coughing on Thursday, also has a sore throat and temperature. Both my sons and I have since developed the same symptoms. We are all off school and work for 2 weeks now as we are unable to get tests. Literally nothing on the website. A friend of mine managed to book a local one but got turned away with many others as they had double booked appointments. It's ridiculous.

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Boofay · 14/09/2020 13:52

It's impossible to get test results either.
This system is literally costing my livelihood.

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Flube · 14/09/2020 15:02

@Boofay

It's impossible to get test results either.
This system is literally costing my livelihood.

It's a shit show, and is really impacting on people's employment. Flowers

H is afraid to stay off work for too long, fortunately he does have the choice between unpaid or sick pay. But by taking sick pay, he will then be hitting trigger levels (which normally lead to disciplinary, unsure if it applies in the current situation). And it's looking as if redundancies are looming, so he certainly does not want to be hitting the trigger levels.

We cannot afford for him to take it unpaid nor can we afford for him to be out of work with redundancy.

It's a mess.
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Flube · 14/09/2020 15:13

H is afraid to stay off work for too long, fortunately he does have the choice between unpaid or sick pay

I was wrong here, apparently it has been changed this morning to no pay if self isolating.

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Bedsheets4knickers · 14/09/2020 15:35

Took us 24 hours or trying to get a test 35 min drive . Could take 5 days to get the results . Beyond fucked off x

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mumum1 · 14/09/2020 16:05

Still no luck.

Still can't get my head around the fact that there seems to be no foresight at all.
How could they not realise extra testing capacity would be needed when schools started.

Understandably my work want me to let them know when I can go back to work so they can plan cover but I actually have no idea.

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mumum1 · 14/09/2020 16:09

@Flube

How did you find the local walk in that doesn't need appointments.

Was is advertised locally? Can't find anywhere that doesn't need an appointment x

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Bedsheets4knickers · 14/09/2020 16:27

The test place my partner went today was really quiet . Just beggars belief doesn't it . I thinks it's a lab problem .

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Chrispackhamspoodle · 14/09/2020 16:35

I'm not particularly emotional but trying to get a test for 2 days has had me in tears today.I'm an NHS worker and have had to cancel all my appointments.Even the system set up by our trust to make sure we get tested doesn't work.Kids just back at school after 6 months and one of them coughing has us all off...it's looking like 2 weeks with no testing.It's so upsetting and deeply frustrating.

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Flube · 14/09/2020 16:54

[quote mumum1]@Flube

How did you find the local walk in that doesn't need appointments.

Was is advertised locally? Can't find anywhere that doesn't need an appointment x[/quote]
It was in the local paper and on local FB pages. It was at another local town last week, this week it is my town, presumably it will be somewhere else next week.

But according to the local FB pages, it also ran out of tests today and had to turn people away.

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Flube · 14/09/2020 16:56

I am in East Lancashire btw.

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RollingWithMyGnomie · 14/09/2020 17:11

I’ve been trying for days to get a test. Eventually tried just turning up at a site - they were really lovely but couldn’t test us.

Apparently last week they could have as they were performing 1400 tests a day - Government have cut it to 140 tests a day at the moment. The guy said it was a joke and there are 30 people standing about doing nothing.

Just madness

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Flube · 14/09/2020 21:07

I have got a test. A couple of sites became available at about 8.15pm.

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Rockhopper81 · 14/09/2020 21:21

@mumum1

Thought I got a drive through appointment. Gave me a site and an appointment time.

Pressed save and continue and it took me straight to the home page again.

I'm tempted to turn up but I don't have a code or a pass.

DP not so keen at its still a 40 min drive and doesn't want to make the journey for no reason

Exactly the same! Spent all day trying to get a test for one child (siblings all off school/nursery too as a result), selected a time and input car registration, but when it was 'saved' it just went back to the beginning, so no idea if he's booked in or not!!

It's about 30mins away - think we'll just turn up and see what is said? As people are saying, can't get tests at home, can't get tests at test sites - we can't all stay at home for the next 14 days for what we're fairly certain is a cold!!
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SansaClegane · 14/09/2020 21:26

I feel like fucking crying.
I've been trying to book a test since about 7am. Four times I got to the stage where I could select time slots, then "confirm your appointment" and bang! Back to the start page (without confirmation obvs).
Millions of times of putting in the first bit and just getting "this service is very busy right now", not even getting to the find test sites part.
Billions of times of refreshing the fucking "Find a test site" page with various postcodes.
And still I didn't get one.
I just can't face another day of it. I hate that fucking website with a passion now.

How did it get so bad? How can it be that the 111 Dr tells me we have to get tested within 3 days and yet it's impossible to do so?

slinks off weeping

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