AIBU to tell you how shambolic my experience has been trying to get a covid test...

[Shiningstar84]

I'm a teacher and have been back in work around 3 weeks. I've come down with a heavy cold and a cough. Been off since Wednesday
Timeline is as follows:
Tuesday night- Tried to get a test- none available
Wednesday - Got a test local to me- just 6 miles according to the booking. Went to the test site, the main and only road to it completely closed off with signs and cones not letting me past. Tried calling the 'help'line- hour on the phone and missed my appointment.
Thursday- Nearest test site 100 miles away but miraculously got a home test kit booked at 8am- horray
Friday- Home test kit showed at 5pm- after the last post of the day near me
Saturday- Got up early to register the test, take the test and get it to the post office. Registration kept coming up as an error online- lots of people reporting the same, the site is completely down and not working. I missed the last post of the day
Sunday- can't do home test as no post, and it would be null and void as over 4 days since symptoms started. Managed to get a test 40 miles away at 7.30pm

Now I wait for results which could be 48hours. I've already lost precious teaching time with my a-level students and although I've been teaching remotely it just isn't the same. I also have my toddler son at home with me as I obviously can't send him back to nursery- making teaching very difficult.
It's September FFS and these are the issues I and many others are having.

Mintychoc1, we got our private test done through a private GP but a lot of private hospitals are offering them too. It was £180 which we can barely afford, but my husband and I are both self employed and stand to lose far more by staying off work for days and days.

This has made me so terribly anxious. Our businesses were both hit hard by lockdown and we are just getting back on the straight and narrow. I'd put money on DS just having a nasty cold, but the problem is he had a temperature and a cough and even if I was inclined to ignore the rules, which I'm not, he's still coughing and the childminder quite rightly wont have him. We, and I'm sure most others, can't afford to shell out on a private test when one of us gets a temp/cough or just stay off work waiting for this shambolic system. I'm honestly worried this will be the final nail in the coffin for our financial security

* I think what a lot of people are describing are cold symptoms, and panicking and thinking they have coronavirus."*

Do you think we are all trying to get tested for shits and giggles? We aren't fucking stupid, patronising poster.

I meant to say, I'm so sorry for everyone going through this. It's really unfair to say that people are overreacting because of a cold- I know my DS almost certainly has a cold but lots of people get the coughing/temp with a cold! Who in their right mind would go through this palaver for no reason?!?!

Yep- I think vast majority of people know they very likely have a cold. I'm as sure as I can be, but unfortunately there are similarities with the symptoms- this is why the winter is going to be so chaotic and exactly why we need an adequate testing system to know the difference.
PP who are self-employed and on zero hour contracts absolutely need tests results back quickly and accurately- it's simply not good enough!
Has anyone else noticed that the questions when trying to apply for a test changed? When I looked on Tuesday/Wednesday the website asked 'do you have coronavirus symptoms- yes or no' but the last few days this question has been removed and has been replaced with a load of other questions. It's obvious that some were doing tests without symptoms, BUT many would have if they had come in to contact with someone with it.
As myself and a PP has said, the government should have predicted this with schools/unis going back- it really isn't a shock that a load of people have come down with colds. It happens and it will continue to happen until next spring. In the mean time we are isolating at home urgently trying to get tests.
It just isn't good enough!!
I've just taught my 2nd remote lesson of the day- I feel like my studentd are still learning BUT it isn't the same and I have so much I need to do in work which I can't do at home.

It is not people with a cold that are causing this fiasco! I have just been to a testing site on the off chance they were taking drop ins, like they have been doing. (We have high temp and persistent coughing).

They were all sitting around doing nothing - I mean nothing! THEIR CAPACITY HAS BEEN REDUCED FROM 1000 PER DAY TO 150 PER DAY!!!That is the problem, they had to sit around waiting for someone to have an appt but none are available!

I thought if it’s starts as a cold and then get associated cough it was fine. That’s what my school policy says. Personally I would go back to work with that.

A new continuous cough yes isolate but that’s not what it is.

@Carycy I think your school Policy is a little bit wrong there then. If someone has a cold but also has a cough then they need to get tested. The guidelines from the government stipulate that a cough needs to get tested- my cough has been continuous, but then it always is when I get a cold. If I went back to work last week I would have been told to go home straight away. I did check with my Principal and I had to get tested.

@Herewefall That doesn't surprise me, the labs are apparantly overwhelmed so they're obviously putting the brakes on people getting tested.

It seems to be region specific. We booked a test last Mon morning for that afternoon, and had the result back in less than 24 hours. The testing site was almost deserted.

@MeridaTheBold Most likely. I live about 10 miles from a lockdown County-it's not helping things!

Reading this appalled.

I'm in Ireland and got tested this morning at my local place. Rang my Out of Hours GP yesterday, was phoned back by a testing co-ordinator within 10 minutes and got a text with my testing appointment 10 minutes after that.

I will likely get the results tomorrow. I didnt have to show ID or give them a code or anything, they just asked for my name and date of birth and ticked me off the list.

I'm shocked by the UK. How is this happening??

yy I think they seem to be having technical issues with the website appointment system too. There was a thread on here where English MNers were being offered appointments in Scotland as their closest availability whilst Scottish MNers were being offered tests in England. People had to keep refreshing until they finally got offered tests beside them.

@MeridaTheBold

It seems to be region specific. We booked a test last Mon morning for that afternoon, and had the result back in less than 24 hours. The testing site was almost deserted.

That was last week - something significant has changed - I have searched all around the country - nothing is available for days on end!

@elspethFlashman

I'm shocked by the UK. How is this happening??

The OP's is understandably frustrated, but the experience outlined is NOT representative of the situation across the UK.

[quote NurseButtercup]@elspethFlashman

I'm shocked by the UK. How is this happening??

The OP's is understandably frustrated, but the experience outlined is NOT representative of the situation across the UK.[/quote]
Are you sure? - try booking a test today - you might find it a little challenging - move your postcode around the country - see how you get on. It's an absolute shit show!

I dont understand, why do you have to book it yourself?

Do you have do go online like you're booking a Tesco delivery or something? Here it's all just done by your GP. You dont have to do anything.

Totally agree. This is completely Fucked up.

We have 6 staff producing a food most of you buy every week and a lot of it at that. We have to have 3 people in every single day come what may. Last week we had 2 members of staff of for 4 days each for a kid with a cold that developed a cough. Our business cannot sustain this. We can cope if it genuinely is corona and it's a one off. We will collapse (both mentally and possibly food chains) if this goes on for much longer.

Dh moved into our caravan last week so that when the inevitable kids cold appeared followed by cough he wouldn't have to isolate. Lo and behold by the end of the week kids had a cold and a cough come Saturday. We've been lucky at got a test. However I'm desperately hoping we don't have to wait 5 days. Not only because the kids will be off school but also because I'm supposed to be doing autumn cultivation's and the last thing we need is to get behind.

The thing is in DS's class two kids have already had the cold and had negative tests. Surely a bit of common sense should kick in and we say I'll keep them off with symptoms but I'm sure they'll be right as rain tomorrow and they could be back.

@Herewefall Definitely- some areas are not having issues. An area not too far from me was given just 40 (yep!) tests for an area which has seen a spike in cases. The local authority then intervened to create pop-up testing facilities. There just aren't enough tests in some areas. I'm unfortunate that I live a few miles from a locked-down county. However, many places will be affected by this in the coming weeks and months.

@ElspethFlashman Yes- we have an online booking form we have to fill out which then gives us available slots. There's also a phone number but they won't give any more slots that the online form doesn't show.

@flowerycurtain What a nightmare for you!! You bring up really valid points- it's unsustainable especially in the situation you're describing.
I wonder whether the government will do another U-turn and say that those with a cold (even with a cough) should stay in school/work?

My sibling went back to uni today. No masks are to be worn in class rooms, that’s the uni policy.

So yes, whilst you’re walking around the open spaces/ campus you HAVE to wear them but 15 people in one room (no open windows as broken) that’s FINE!

I’m fuming as we have an 89 year old and a cancer patient in the same house, just waiting for sibling to traipse it back from uni.

Had the same problems, its a complete shambles. Even the school said its a dire situation.

@Pumpertrumper that is terrifying. I'm guessing from your post that she lives with you and not in halls?

My college policy is masks can be worn in the classroom but at teacher discretion.

Its absolutely ludicrous. Its putting the responsibility for the test on the sick patent, not the government.

Imagine if you were in hospital and the doctor said "well you need a CT scan, would you mind booking it?"

It’s just an absolute shambles. I know of 2 people who’ve had to do a test recently and both had 180 mile round trip to get tested. One of them is only 16 months old. It’s bloody ridiculous. Not everyone has the ability or money to travel distances like this. Plus if you’re feeling poorly the last this you want to do is drive this type of distance. People just won’t bother getting tested and then track and trace will fall apart.

But there aren't even any postal tests available - so if it was area specific why are the postal tests affected?

This is as far as you get now with test booking, forget about postcodes...it's broken!