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Original poster

Why isn't it headline news that no tests are available?

220 replies

Froginaboginasmock · 13/09/2020 16:08

Surely this is incredibly important - Govt said over and over we couldn't return to school/work without Test and Trace - and it's already broken down.

No tests whatsoever available now in my area, scores of others on MN reporting the same. Checked the Guardian live, BBC - nothing. Why isn't this being reported? It doesn't seem to be restricted tests, having no travel etc anymore: it's no tests.

OP posts:
littledrummergirl · 14/09/2020 11:18

I've just had an interesting conversation with them.
If you haven't got a qr code then you don't have a test booked. Apparently the system isn't working properly and is sending people through this loop. They said that they have passed the details on to another department who are keeping a spreadsheet. Keep trying.

I now have an option of a 36 mile drive. I think I'll keep trying although I'm seriously tempted to turn up anyway in the hope that it worked.

PuppyMonkey · 14/09/2020 11:22

Thanks @littledrummergirl I suspected it hadn't worked. What a pathetic shambles.

Bubbletrouble43 · 14/09/2020 11:27

@porcupineinwaiting
Don't worry I definitely am. But with a tinge of guilt that my almost certainly negative test could be better used elsewhere.

littledrummergirl · 14/09/2020 11:29

I tried to book the one on offer. When it clicks into the one 36 miles away it says no appointments today. We've clicked the next day button and gone through to Monday with no slots available! Hmm If I genuinely thought she had covid I wouldn't mind so much but she has a sodding cold.

PuppyMonkey · 14/09/2020 11:30

Trying again and they now have slots available at a site 40 miles away. Hmm

Which is nice.

Dreamingofcreamcakes20 · 14/09/2020 11:33

The site seems to have completely crashed now Angry

VioletCharlotte · 14/09/2020 11:33

19 year old DS2 woke up with symptoms. I've managed to get a test, although it's 40 miles away 🙄 Went through the loop of no tests available and refreshing, then thinking is booked and not getting a code. We have one now for 6.30. Who knows how long it will take to get results though.

littledrummergirl · 14/09/2020 11:36

We've also tried a different postcode for another part of the country. That also brought up a site with spaces only none available between now and Monday. What are they playing at?

unmarkedbythat · 14/09/2020 11:39

According to our esteemed Prime Minister, mentioning it offends all the testing, track and trace and NHS workers who just bally well want people to be pleased with them and say nice things, what.

(PMQs last week. Honestly. If you didn't watch, it's worth a look).

SingingInTheShithouse · 14/09/2020 11:44

According to our esteemed Prime Minister, mentioning it offends all the testing, track and trace and NHS workers who just bally well want people to be pleased with them and say nice things, what.

Well I'm sure we all know that is bollox, but I can say with the certainty of knowing people working in that system, that they are drowning due to government cuts & then the additional workload of Covid & they want awareness raised of the real reason why testing is falling apart

PuppyMonkey · 14/09/2020 12:10

Jeremy Vine just said he’d be doing something on this on today’s Radio 2 show.

cloudyautumnday · 14/09/2020 12:31

No where on line does it seem to say what you do if you can't book a test - isolate for 14 days after the symptoms are gone? The country will grind to a halt!!

I've got 3 other kids off school for one coughing child for whom I can't book a test:-(. Luckily me and Dh are working from home but WOH parents can't just be off indefinitely waiting to be able to book a test...

What a bloody foreseeable mess:-(. I hate living in a country with such a useless, incompetent government:-(.

Phoenix21 · 14/09/2020 12:39

FYI I’ve managed to get a home test.

Any tips on testing a feisty toddler?

Illdealwithitinaminute · 14/09/2020 12:46

There is a problem with the QR codes definitely, my relative went to a testing centre on Sun and about half the people there didn't have one, she was told to take a photo of it on her phone- she doesn't have a camera on her phone! Tempers were fraying.

So, I think there's issues at the site itself, with the computer software, with the labs processing times (as they are overwhelmed). Utterly rubbish (but completely predictable).

unmarkedbythat · 14/09/2020 12:50

@SingingInTheShithouse

According to our esteemed Prime Minister, mentioning it offends all the testing, track and trace and NHS workers who just bally well want people to be pleased with them and say nice things, what.

Well I'm sure we all know that is bollox, but I can say with the certainty of knowing people working in that system, that they are drowning due to government cuts & then the additional workload of Covid & they want awareness raised of the real reason why testing is falling apart

No, no, Singing, you've got it all wrong- what workers want is clapping and praise, resourcing and honesty about the problems would just be wrong Hmm
VioletCharlotte · 14/09/2020 13:08

@cloudyautumnday

No where on line does it seem to say what you do if you can't book a test - isolate for 14 days after the symptoms are gone? The country will grind to a halt!!

I've got 3 other kids off school for one coughing child for whom I can't book a test:-(. Luckily me and Dh are working from home but WOH parents can't just be off indefinitely waiting to be able to book a test...

What a bloody foreseeable mess:-(. I hate living in a country with such a useless, incompetent government:-(.

If you can't get a test, you and all the members of your household have to isolate. Which has the potential to cause chaos of essential workers can't go in 🙄
littledrummergirl · 14/09/2020 13:09

Somehow - not sure how- we have secured a home test. Thank goodness I'm not working today.

diplodocusinermine · 14/09/2020 13:11

Lead story on World at One on R4.

Ponchy · 14/09/2020 13:12

They had 6 months to sort this out and didn't. They don't want to. If they don't have an accurate count they don't have to action it. Parents will give up trying to get tests done and just send kids in. It's shocking.

Ohyeahs · 14/09/2020 13:19

People need to stop getting tested when they have no symptoms. This isn’t the governments fault

StealthPolarBear · 14/09/2020 13:48

I think asymptomatic people getting tested is a myth peddled by the government to point the finger elsewhere for the complete failure of test & trace. It's their usual gameplan, find a group of people to blame and spread the hate through the population.

Baaaahhhhh · 14/09/2020 14:09

They had 6 months to sort this out and didn't

They have increased tests and capacity. We have one of the highest test rates per capita in the world.

The pinch point for us (and everyone else), is not tests, or people to administer them (you can do them yourself), not even machines to process them (they are being upgraded and manufactured in quantity), but the actual clinical pathologists to run the tests through the system. They just don't exist in the numbers you would need to test everyone.

Porcupineinwaiting · 14/09/2020 14:14

I dont think this is down to people with no symptoms being tested @Ohyeahs. It's down to the fact that two out of three common symptoms of cv being very common symptoms of other, more minor illnesses. Oh and the fact that our government is useless.

The80sweregreat · 14/09/2020 14:16

They have been talking about it on the radio today. It's appalling.
We've had a good experience here as we have two test sites within a ten mile radius to us which a few people I know have used and it's not too bad. We must be so lucky as the stories on radio two were awful.

User27aw · 14/09/2020 14:17

@littledrummergirl

We've also tried a different postcode for another part of the country. That also brought up a site with spaces only none available between now and Monday. What are they playing at?
Ive had this - it brought up 2 test centres both about 50 miles from me, said there were a lot of spaces left but when you click onto one of them it says there are no spaces available on monday, click on tuesday no spaces etc. Though the spaces available total on the front page is gradually going down!
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