Wife high risk but her work want her to do a covid test test

[Yellowskies1988]

She's been at home for... 7 weeks maybe 8 now. Her work rang her to do a test. She is an activity coordinator in a care home.
Apparently they want her to go down in the car (my car as she doesn't drive) and do a covid19 test.
Will have to have the kids with me as can't leave them with my nan (she is and has always been our only childcare option, obviously not seen her for 8 weeks or more)
I was at work when my wife's manager rang her yesterday she told me when I got home. I'm unsure if her work can actually request this as she has the text and the letter from the government. It states on that the letter is to be used as a sick note where required.

She has a wasting disease (don't like that term) she has been showing early onset symptoms for a short while now, maybe a year.

I'm I being unreasonable here to say "your not going"? Or are her work being unreasonable?

I would suggest to her that she phones them back to clarify if they are expecting her to go back. I presume she would have to take public transport to get there (not wise if she’s high risk), and arrange childcare before even getting to the problems of actually working there.
There’s no point heR taking a test if she can’t return anyway.

If she was shocked to get the shielding letter, and she is at a very early stage then there is a chance she received it on the basis of being coded to have the disease at her GP, regardless of her stage of illness.

There has been much debate about this for example with people with Huntington's where people got sent shielding letters just for having the diagnosis but only those at advanced stages were at increased risk. There is a very clear summary of this on the HDA website:

www.hda.org.uk/getting-help/covid-19-information-and-advice-hub/shielding

www.hda.org.uk/news/clarification-of-covid-19-high-risk-huntington-s-textsletters

If your wife is very well, you might want to get individual advice from her GP or consultant about whether she has to shield as a some of the letters in the very beginning were a bit random. I spent ages where I work figuring out who did and didn't have to shield but I suspect most places didn't have time for this and just sent out letters to as many people as possible.

On the other hand, if she works in a care home, she might be happy to shield for as long as possible so she knows it's safe for her to go back to work.

She has a shielding letter which means that she’s highly vulnerable to Covid19. Going out to rake a test for work and going back to work would both be against medical advice and carry a high risk especially as she works in a high risk area.

It’s obviously her choice to go against advise and take the risk but I’m surprised you want her to go for the test & possibly go to work.

My mum was tested s couple of weeks ago (random selection no symptoms), she stayed in her car and a man in a hazmat type suit dropped a test through her window (open 2 inches), she did it then dropped it in a box all from the car so low risk there, the going back to work she needs to discuss with get manager why she is being asked to be tested. You've also not been clear if she is on the vulnerable list or the shielding list there's a difference

Since she appears to be shielding I see little benefit in her having the test. Tbh, people could test negative on the day, but inbetween the results she could catch it. In care homes it is impossible to follow the social distance rules, I know as I am an activity coordinator. She needs to ring work to clarify.

Is this not the antibody test that has just came out? I know NHS staff and care staff are being offered it to see if they have had corona virus without symptoms. I know a couple of people who have had positive antibody tests with no symptoms what do ever. If so I would take the test. She shouldn't be going to work if she's shielding x