Why aren't people entitled to know if they've had it? Can we demand testing?

[UnderReview]

Surely, in order to get onboard with the rhetoric that is herd immunity, people should be entitled to tests to know whether their cough, fever, asymptomatic selves have had the virus, and therefore now have this magically immunity that no one in the medical community is is verifying?

Should we start a petition demanding home testing for all? Bill Gates was willing to send home test kits to American citizens, I'm sure someone from the UK would finance this... (Ooh, maybe the government?)

Also wouldn't tracking which strain of the virus and how virulent it is be USEFUL data and help with a vaccine??

Well, I'd want to know!

The current test is only effective during the infection itself, because it’s a PCR-based test which detects fragments of viral RNA.

In time, serological tests which detect antibodies will become widely available. These will detect past exposure.

Whilst only limited PCR based testing is available, your desire to know your status is not a priority.

I would far rather resources were being used to save lives, than to check if my mild cough or fever was definitely cv or something else.

As the PP has said, they can't tell you if you've had it, just if you've currently got it.

I get it's annoying and worrying not to know but it's far more important to deal with and treat those who need medical care than roll out widespread testing.

There is currently no test other than for the active disease.

Samples from those who potentially have the disease require protective handling because they pose an infection hazard.

The labs are pretty overwhelmed keeping up with even the priority cases.

Where are you going to magic up the PPE qualified lab techs? Not to mention enough containment labs for them to work in?

As the medic said yesterday, if there was a test to show whether you had previously had the disease, they'd leap at it. But until it's developed, you may as well ask for a unicorn

The WHO says we should be testing.
Boris said eventually they will ask entire households to self isolate for two weeks where one person has symptoms. So if an ICU doctor’s kid has a cough that doctor has to stay off work for two weeks because they don’t want to test the kid?

What @Dissimilitude said. Sorry OP!

On channel 4 just now they've said the antibodies test will be available to buy in pharmacies hopefully in 3 weeks time

@LaurieFairyCake really? 'Buy'? The are intending to profit from this? Bastards

That is a very self-centred attitude you have there. Nice.

They will prioritise testing for healthcare workers and for people who are in hospital.

Testing people with mild illness is not the best use of resource.

Because it’s a waste of resources? Especially as worst case scenario 80% of the population will catch it - wouldn’t you rather the NHS spends time dealing with vulnerable and critical patients instead of testing 80% of the population?

OP, who do you propose works entirely for free to provide you with this test?

Also, I damn well want some commercial incentive in place for the innovative and extremely clever people who have developed it in such a short space of time!

I’m sure the government will be throwing money at them and buying a ton of them if they are successful.

I have all the symptoms, manageable ones at the moment but all I want to know if it's coronovirus or not. Not because I'm necessarily worried about being seriously ill but apart from every other consequence of not knowing (like my dd or my gran who's stage 4) It's going to feel like being in limbo for months instead of just finding out either way. It's only been a day and the not knowing is stressing and me out.

*stressing me out.. Sorry

Sorry but I'd want to know

It's just all this panic and hand gel shortage and self isolation for something that's so mild we can't really tell if we have it.
At least knowing might make you feel like staying in rather than assuming it can't be.

I agree.

MPs, footballers and celebrities seem to be getting tested. Why can’t the rest of us?

I'd rather they spent money on equipment and hospital beds.

So they are banning large gatherings as of the weekend, a new born baby has it but for most of us it's just a bit of a cough?

How can we take it seriously without testing? And how can we trust the reported number of cases?

Trump just announced drive-through testing for everyone in the US.

The WHO says we should continue detection.

It’s clearly just a scam to keep the numbers down here for the sake of the economy.

Trump just announced drive-through testing for everyone in the US.

Does that mean it's actually doable though?

www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-13/drive-through-virus-testing-so-popular-they-had-to-shut-it-down

FFS, you really want the NHS to spend millions on pointless testing rather than on treating the sick?

As a general rule, if Trump announces something, then it's scientifically impossible.

I can't believe some people here call your attitude selfish, OP. People in hospitals are a priority, however at least anyone with symptomps should be tested. How else will we ever know if we're building up resistance to it and whether we continue to be a risk to others? (that's assuming herd immunity is achievable, I note there are question marks around that anyway).