Why is the UK not testing?

[BaileysforBreakfast]

I would have thought that gathering basic data on numbers of cases etc was pretty fundamental. Other countries are regularly updating their statistics and monitoring spread etc.

I just do not understand our government's stance on this.

Because the nhs is stretched to the limit as it is and testing everyone just wouldn’t be practical

Because they still want people to catch it. The original following the science plan was thwarted because too many questioned it but they don't seem to be taking serious action to halt the spread.
I am concerned that they are going to use self isolation data from schools and workplaces to say its ok now, most have had it go back to normal.
In reality many self isolating will have just had a regular cough/cold and will think they are safe when they are not.

Sirzy I'm not suggesting testing everyone. But testing people with symptoms would make sense I think and monitoring disease spread would seem to be a basic and sensible precaution.
Every health service around the world is stretched to its limit, but we are still behaving like we're different. WHO says 'test, test, test.' Our government seems to think it knows better.

Testing everyone with a cough or temperature would still be a pointless use of resources as long as they self isolate

they don't seem to be taking serious action to halt the spread.
You can say that again...

UK is currently testing 3,000 - 4,000 people a day which is higher than what most other countries do. There are plans to increase capabilities to 10,000 tests a day.

The current focus is on hospital admissions simply because one undiagnosed CV patient in the hospital environment can infect a lot of other vulnerable people and contribute to the exponential spread of the virus. Arguably this is exactly what might have happened in Italy.

I would expect community testing to broaden again once we go up to 10,000+ tests a day.

How are people like Idris Elba getting the test ?
I wonder if they paid privately for one ?

Hope he is ok I am rather fond of Idris

Why are so many so blindly trusting of the government?
The original plan was for 60% to get it and hundreds of thousands to die!
They though if they kept bleating about following the science, everyone would just go away and do as they were told.
Thank God for those who spoke out.
The government backtracked under demands that they publish 'the science' and have supposedly changed tack, but have they?
There are some awful reports coming out of British hospitals from medics. Give it a week and our hospitals will be struggling like Italy's.
This could have been avoided with swift action.

@WhentheRabbitsWentWild Idris Elba got tested because he was in college tact with the Canadian prime ministers wife who publicly came out with being tested positive. He has no symptoms but got tested anyway because of that and was tested proactive.

Positive not proactive.

Because people don't give a shit and are just moving around without masks and not social distancing when they are tested positive.

I have seen people purposefully coughing on handles on the trains and in shops, that people are going to touch, it's like they have human rabies or something and are acting horribly and instinctively without and reason or logic.

The UK people are degenerate, postering idiots that deserve everything they get.

Stay indoors and give the NHS a chance you tools!

Tests (different to NHS ones) can be bought privately now (piece in The Guardian/Mail).

The Derby Mp told HoC they can make them in Derby for £5. One week ago Matt Hancock said he would look into it.

No rush....

As the pp said, they're still 'hoping' for 'herd immunity', so they do want people to catch it. I laughed when the proudly stated 'we have currently tested 44,000, 1500 have tested positive' like it was a good thing..?

We have 66 million people in this country- the WHO have pleaded with countries to 'Test, test, test' as this is the only way we can truly get a grip on understanding the spread- we don't know if we have it, have had it...it can be asymptomatic?

Develop a home testing kit, make it mandatory!

Yes, the WHO couldn't be any clearer.

Develop a home testing kit, make it mandatory!

This, people need to know if they’ve had it.

My concern is that people will self isolate, a lot of these cases won’t be CV but they’ll assume it is, so when they go out and get a cough again they’ll assume they’re clear and not self isolate again. People need to know if they’ve had it fgs

@MigginsMrs absolutely, we're in isolation because DD had a temp & cough but it sounds wet rather than dry so who knows if she's had it!

I guess the only positive is we should be on lock down so people don't be out & about

Totally agree @MigginsMrs. As a family we are self isolating at the moment as we've had various minor symptoms. I work on A self employed basis with young children and I have no work currently lined up because a few of my clients are self isolating for similar. But, we will have no way of knowing if ANY of us have actually had it so once we go back to work could end up passing it around. I'm so anxious about it. If my kids go back to nursery next week (if they are open) they could catch it for real (if we haven't currently got it). Or one of them could cough and be sent home and we all then have to self isolate again for 2 weeks as there is no way of knowing that we have already had it. Which would mean another 2 weeks of no work. My clients could then get a temperature and have to self isolate again... and on it goes. It's MADNESS. How can the country function like this??!

And neither of us have symptoms either so either we've both had it & been v lucky or not got it and still can/will

Apparently the U.K. is testing more people than European countries are.

They should be testing more of course but logistically it's collecting and processing tests which we don't have the capacity for yet.

It is crazy though. I am isolating 14 days because DS has a fever, vomiting and a slight cough. I am an icu nurse who could return if we had a clear test from DS. No other member of the family sick yet (day 3) and it looked more like a winter vomiting bug.

South Korea had a vast testing strategy and have the virus under control relatively quickly.

wintertravel UK is currently testing 3,000 - 4,000 people a day which is higher than what most other countries do. There are plans to increase capabilities to 10,000 tests a day.
Are they? So, as they're only testing in hospitals apparently, is that the number of people being admitted for testing? I'm interested in where these figures have come from.

Nanslayer Because people don't give a shit and are just moving around without masks and not social distancing when they are tested positive.
Evidence? How are these people getting tested? Again, if only hospitals are testing, are you suggesting people are being tested in hospitals and are then going into public places to deliberately cough all over them? Surely, if they're ill enough to qualify for hospital testing, they aren't walking around everywhere. Sorry, but this sounds made up.

Scotland has had over 4000 tests and 180 (ish) positives. So who is getting the tests now and why? At the beginning I guess it was people who had been in contact with confirmed cases but who now? People in hospital maybe for other reasons?

UK is currently testing 3,000 - 4,000 people a day which is higher than what most other countries do.

No, other countries are testing way larger numbers of people! Please check your figures before posting such 'facts'.

Herd immunity is rubbish it has been shown in the studies and data that we don't build immunity to this virus, just hope and dreams.

Herd immunity is the biggest blunder ever.

Herd immunity is rubbish it has been shown in the studies and data that we don't build immunity to this virus, just hope and dreams.

If we don’t build immunity then what’s the point of a vaccine then? I know a lot of things are unknown but if we build immunity to other viruses including coronaviruses why not this one? Going for the herd immunity plan may have been rubbish but it doesn’t mean people won’t be immune to it.

Please check your figures before posting such 'facts'.

www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/covid-19-testing/

There are a few countries (e.g. Italy, South Korea) that test more. There are many others (e.g. most of the EU, US, Australia) that test less or much less.