Think I may have coronavirus but 111 won't test

[Bolsover]

I have been ill the last few days with high temperature and dry cough - nothing too serious and getting better now. However I thought it was possible that this could be a v mild form of coronavirus?
I rang 111 and they won't test as I haven't travelled recently or been in contact with someone confirmed to have it. However I work in London and travel on tubes/bus everyday? It's entirely possible that I've picked it up randomly?

It probably isn't coronavirus but I'm really surprised about lack of testing? My dh and dc will go off to work/school tomorrow when maybe they should be self-isolating? It seems inevitable that it will spread rapidly if they don't test people with symptoms regardless of whether they've been travelling etc?.

I see they are using tests manufactured in the U.K.

Let’s hope they’re reliable.

The test 'kits' being dropped are simply things like the right kinds of swabs to take samples, and to package them for transport to the lab properly.

I don't see why NHS labs should be unreliable on processing these tests, when they seem pretty damned good at what they do

There is q thread on here by a doctor who says if we all stayed home for 2 weeks from today we would be better off than having the next 3-6 months gradually all getting it. Makes you wonder how long 111s carry on as normal approach will be the advice.

Get well soon OP. I guess unless we get tested we wont know who we ultimately give it too or which of our colleagues or loved ones should have been advised to stay home before giving it to us.

NHS, public health England and 111 are being absolutely stupid.

There is a confirmed case, she had dinner with another person. That person instead of self isolating has gone to France skiiing in her second week of quaratine.

Today a friend has shortness of breath and a temperature, in a town with a known case. 111 told her she couldn’t have it as not a contact and not been abroad and told her to go to fuckign A&E or her GP. She is now having a visit by her GP. Not told to go to a testing pod, her GP is seeing her. How do these people not know that if the infected person was in Tesco then everyone has it that touched her trolley/door handle and the NHS are today going to infect that GP, that practice and everyone that they see today and the next few days until this woman’s swab comes back positive.

As for telling the first one to go on holiday.

I had Swine Flu when that was doing the rounds, they had a helpline at the time and if your symptoms matched you were sent a self testing kit and Tamiflu. TBH by the time the results came back I was better and back at work but I would have thought it was useful to have even patchy records on who actually had it.

Public health England are still saying if person A has a confirmed case and works with person B, then person B self isolates. But that B’s partner and children can still go to school until symptomatic. By which time it’s too fucking late and the school is all exposed.

Shown by the fact that known cases are being tested positive before the person is symptomatic. Just like The Australian GP who was lucky enough to get it mildly.

Our government are being stupid compared to the rest of the world and I don’t know why.

Seems like they are basing it on more like a flu whereas this seems to move quickly I think average was 6 days incubation
So by the end of the school week the child would have it and have already supposedly for all that time.
Clearly isolation in a family home won't work.
By the end of week you could have 4 with it. Plus spread to school.. Unless a test comes back but actually they wouldn't be testing as you are isolating to only know when you have symptoms.

Case in my town, I have dry cough, sore throat, no runny nose and a fever. I am immune suppressed and have been told they will only test people who have returned from the usual countries. Don't think I have it, but given there is obviously community transmission going on it does mean some will slip through the cracks.

Like others have said I don't understand how the 'have you been to an affected area or in contact with a confirmed case' scenario is foolproof.
We have several condemned cases and possible cases in our town and although I haven't knowingly been in contact with these people, who's to say someone who doesn't know they have it hasn't been to ASDA and coughed over me? And what if the confirmed cases went to soft play the day before they fell ill? They can't trace everyone who is in a supermarket or been to a soft play?!

• Confirmed

The system isn't foolproof but the NHS will be bankrupt if it has to test everyone with symptoms, most of whom will be the worried well

They absolutely need to move away from just testing people with recent travel. Italy is up to 9000’cases. Clearly not all travel related and spreading like wild wife or they wouldn’t lock a country down. People with shortness of breath and flu like and a temp should surely be tested or them and their partner out into isolation. But scary for those that are unwell at this time as well.

One infected person going around a town for 6 days before diagnosis to the supermarket, gym, bank, school will have possibly infected hundreds of potentials that they aren’t in first name terms with. Why the fuck do the rest of the world know this and the NHS are sticking their fingers in their ears going la La la and telling people to go to A&E to help the spread further

Difference between worried well and people with all 4 of the key symptoms.

Or telling someone it’s ok to go skiing in France in your second week of quarantine as a known first degree contact/infected person.

I got all the symptoms a month ago and was very ill. 111 would not test me as I had not come back from China. The advice at the time was to carry on. My child has been going in to school. Now I'm ill again and I've asked the Headmaster what he wants me to do - 111 still won't test as I've not come back from Italy. I told them I knew heaps of people that had come back from Italy but because they also are not confirmed with the corona virus 111 still will not test.

Basically the numbers that are out there are WRONG. Loads of us have this I think but to be honest how can you know you have it if you can't be tested and I think that is obviously the Government's intention.

Keep those numbers down so we look good on the world tally. Meanwhile I am so cross as we have been sending our kids into school, letting flights in and out....

Oh and by the the lady at 111 advised me to get a taxi to A & E a month ago. I asked her if she was joking and she could not answer. I had the sense to stay at home but seriously......

Another case today. She has shortness of breath, a high temp and generally unwell. No asthma. 111 told her to go to A&E again, then sent a GP to see her and as not been abroad again, refused to test her and send her husband is ok to work in a school!!

Why are they not testing people who clearly have it? When charities are putting information out saying that people are spreading it when asymptomatic.

For once I want the daily mail to pick up on these threads where they’re are not testing people with barn door symptoms and then letting their parents work with the public and school.

As for the case in Tetbury who’s gone skiing in her second week in quarantine to France!!!! At least the large company she works for in a neighbouring village don’t have her at work.....

The secondary school in England that sent their kids to Italy a few days ago on a ski trip..... bet NHS England is telling them it’s fine to go back to school

They are not testing people so the numbers in the UK are absolute bollocks. It wouldn’t surprise me if we had 5000 positive cases.

They are testing people, but as yet they can't just test everyone who may r may not have symptoms, especially if symptoms are fairly mild.

They have tested over 27000 people. So far 460 people are confirmed as positive.

I’m. It sure there’s any benefit to testing now and that perhaps that’s the plan

Loads of us are going to get it

Most will recover fine

There’s no cure anyway

So no real benefit to testing IF it’s been proven that it has to run its cause

This prioritising those who are very ill

Most complaining of being ill for week or two are likely those not needing help so no benefit to testing everyone

As for the case in Tetbury who’s gone skiing in her second week in quarantine to France!!!!

Does anyone have a link for this please, I can't find it online

I’m in the same boat. London commuter on the Gatwick trainline. Had a few days of fever and splitting headache, then a week of full heavy chest and breathlessness with fatigue, now accompanied by dry cough and chest pain. No runny nose at all. Feel like I’m fighting something viral, run down etc. No other symptoms. Never had a cold or flu like this. Not quite bad enough to call in sick though - my job is fairly high pressured (law).

111 won’t test. Still commuting, still expected to go into office. Being super careful re spreading/transmission in case it is cv. Many ppl in my office appear to be coughing.

Not sure UK is handling this very well at all.

The trouble is it's winter in rainy England, of course there are going to be heaps of horrible lurgies going round besides this coronavirus, and how are people supposed to know which they have unless they're ill enough to be hospitalised? I have a dry cough today. I haven't been anywhere but I did see a friend who'd just come back from Spain on Monday. The incubation period is 5 days though isn't it?

Ds came back from Italy 2 weeks ago last Saturday, started with flu like symptoms within 5 days, 111 refused to test for coronavirus as he had been to southern Italy. They are only testing anyone who has been in known direct contact of someone with confirmed Coronavirus at the moment. Who knows they may start mass testing in the future if things get any worse, but as things stand they aren't.

Whyever they aren't doing the same as they did with swine flu I will never know, I caught it, rang the helpline, got told which pharmacy to go to at what time, had throat swab & given Tamiflu but told not to start taking until results were back. Got text message 48 hours later to take Tamiflu.