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Original poster

Just back to school. Now home. Not tests available

334 replies

Whatdowehaveherethen · 08/09/2020 00:40

My boys went back to school last week. DS1 developed a persistent cough Friday evening. DS2 picked it up on Saturday.

There are no home tests available. I've looked every hour from 7am through to 2am since.

They can't go to school unless a negative result is given. I very much doubt I can get tests through the post. Many people on my area have the same issue.

I know I'm being unreasonable. I know!

Are people ordering tests 'just in case'?

I'm working from home and it's been horrendous. My boys were so happy to be back at school. Now I have to keep them off for a week. I'm pretty sure last Autumn term they developed the same cold/cough symptoms once they were back with their viral loaded friends. It was normal then.

I know keeping them off school is for the greater good but I have no idea how this is going to work in the long term. They constantly pick up viral infections. That's their job!

Actually, I'm not sorry, I'm just completely fucked off. Why haven't the gov made more tests available knowing our kids would be going back to school? What about the teachers?

The school have told me to 'continue to use' the online learning. This involves going out and finding leaves of difference colours etc. Fuck that.

I know the school are using a generalised online learning system but it's not practical at all.

I'm not going to complain by the way. I couldn't respect my boys teachers anymore. They're wonderful.

I'm just ranting.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
Morfin · 08/09/2020 07:46

@Polly2345

We're on the UK. We got a walk in test within a few hours of someone in our house developing symptoms. Get the results the next day. It was a weekend too. Test centre was less than a mile from our house and people were driving there too.

I guess it depends where you live.

When was this? It appears to be more than a week ago when there were no shortages.
BalanceGreen · 08/09/2020 07:48

I thought they were using Amazon to distribute the tests? Would explain the issue if some distribution hubs have run out

Ah, when a booked a drive-through a few weeks ago I saw mention of first class delivery for postal so maybe I got that wrong.

I naively assumed the postal tests would always be there to back up local capacity (short of the country running out of tests entirely).

Faraway20 · 08/09/2020 07:50

Have you phoned 119 too? I was booking tests online but when I phoned they seemed to have a bigger range of options available.

I don't know what has changed in 3 weeks? My area is on the news as having no tests available, but there were absolutely loads of slots at the end of August.

FartingNora · 08/09/2020 07:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

drspouse · 08/09/2020 08:00

It sounds like the OP has not tried to get a home test kit.

CasperGutman · 08/09/2020 08:01

No, you don't have to isolate if the test is negative

Unless you're a close contact of someone else with a confirmed case. Then you still have to isolate for the 14 days' even if you've developed symptoms and had a negative test! This is because the symptoms could have been caused by something else, and you could still be incubating COVID-19.

CasperGutman · 08/09/2020 08:03

Both our children have persistent coughs this morninh. The testing phone line just drops the call (no queue system, it just cuts us off). The web site says "this service is not available at the moment"

My wife is a doctor, so can't work until further notice.

World beating Indeed. FFS.

ItWasTheBestOfTimes · 08/09/2020 08:03

I’m in the same situation OP, although I managed to get DD tested on Sunday morning at a drive through test centre we still haven’t had the results back. She is well enough to attend school but has to miss out because she has a cough and cold. If this is going to work there needs to be much more testing capacity and tests need to be turned around quicker.

Vix20678 · 08/09/2020 08:09

If you are close to a walk in centre it's worth taking a drive over. I did last night after being told no tests were available. We were welcomed as non-bookers and were in and out within 10 mins. No queue. They said the issue is with the website more than the actual availability. Hmm

Hmmph · 08/09/2020 08:11

How do you find out where your nearest test centre is to just turn up without booking? I have no idea where my nearest one (or any!) is...

JeanMichelBisquiat · 08/09/2020 08:14

Having been told no postal kits available earlier this am, we re-applied at 8 and they're now available - am guessing 8 is the release time. Hope that may be of help for other posters.

But it's all just fucking useless - if you're self-employed and need to get out to work, you're unlikely to sit around for two bloody hours refreshing and reapplying when there's nothing available - you'd just be tempted to crack on. I am SO ANGRY right now.

JeanMichelBisquiat · 08/09/2020 08:15

@Hmmph just Google Covid test centre and it should bring up a map. Ironically, I get three - fat lot of use that is 🤣

PleasantVille · 08/09/2020 08:17

@Xenia

I htikn the demand has gone up. Just 2 weeks ago my won and his 2 friends who needed a negative result for a short holiday abroad were able to book test centre ones (SE including outer London where we live) and he could drive in for one and the results came back to his mobile within less than 24 hours (not charge even thought it was discretionary in a sense - for a holiday and they had no symptoms as there is a box on the form under reason for test "Other" which was the one applying to them). Now everyone is back at school it sounds like some areas have much higher demand. Even in our case he had to drive for about 20 to 25 minutes to the test centre.
I very much hope that any kind of discretionary holiday testing has been stopped now that schools are back

Please tell me that there aren't hoards of holidaymakers taking up slots that should go to people who actually have symptoms

drspouse · 08/09/2020 08:18

@Hmmph

How do you find out where your nearest test centre is to just turn up without booking? I have no idea where my nearest one (or any!) is...
They move around/open as needed. There is one near us that is on a council car park but it's only open when needed. Unhelpful I know but we'd have to first check if it was open as it's not there all the time (we know it's open as there is tape across the entrance to the canal path when it is!)
Faraway20 · 08/09/2020 08:23

It does sound like a website glitch or too much traffic rather than lack of availability.. not that that helps anyone right now!

FuzzyPuffling · 08/09/2020 08:23

Last week I had to have some minor surgery in hospital. Three days before, two nurses came round to my house, administered the test on my doorstep and I got the results by text 24 hrs later. Amazingly efficient.

herethereandeverywhere · 08/09/2020 08:27

The UK government is failing when it comes to testing capacity. They have had since March to sort this. In Germany they are giving out free tests to anyone who wants them and mandatory tests for all holiday returners and those arriving at airports from 'red list' countries. Results available in 24-48 hours. It enables less time in quarantine, less incentive to cheat quarantine and less impact on the economy and schooling (in one region they are testing every school child before they start school).
We are being failed.

fatgirlslimmer · 08/09/2020 08:28

Has anyone done a home test? I wonder how reliable they are. I have had a test in hospital and not sure I could be as thorough on myself or children, it was invasive.

TinySleepThief · 08/09/2020 08:30

@natnev

Tried to order a test yesterday also, none available in the post and the only drive through appointment they could offer was over 50 miles away Confused
Exactly the same situation here. Been trying since lunchtime yesterday. Out of curiosity i clicked to book an appointment at the site 55 miles away and they dont have any slots for 6 days... It's going to bw quicker to just isolate at this rate. Angry
drspouse · 08/09/2020 08:31

@fatgirlslimmer I did one on DS. It was negative i.e. I did it properly and he didn't have the virus. He's 8 but has SEN and it was a struggle. So it's not THAT hard.
If you go to a drive in centre you do it yourself too.

Hopeful201 · 08/09/2020 08:33

@timeforanew

No tests here either (surrey). Next test centre is in brighton, about 1.5 hours drive away... Together with the 30-40 min for the test, that’s about 4 hours, so would need some toilet breaks etc....
Woking has a test centre set up-if that helps?
wegetthejobdone · 08/09/2020 08:36

I was just able to book a home test kit although the system didn't seem to understand I was booking for a child.

ilikeitwhenshegoesbabababababa · 08/09/2020 08:37

Hi OP
Go back to your school, all schools have had a supply of 10 tests sent to them for people in the same situation as you - they should give you one. The 10 tests can be replenished as often as the school wants so please go and ask them for one.
I opened our box last week, and the letter in there is very clear that you must give them to families who are struggling getting a test, and you can get replacements as a school as often as you need.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 08/09/2020 08:38

It is failing and at a critical time. If kids can't get tests, then early outbreaks won't be picked up in schools until it's too late and lots go off sick.

LolaSmiles · 08/09/2020 08:40

There's nothing in my area at all. People are rightly complaining that there's schools with position cases and the only option is to drive 30-50 miles away because there's no home tests available.

As term goes on this is going to get worse.

Schools have got a limited number of tests but I would imagine they'll use them for staff who need to be tested to get back to work. They can't have substantial numbers of their staff off for a fortnight isolating due to the government's crap planning otherwise there'll be more school closures.

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