138,183 tests yesterday and the number that were positive...

[FiveFootTwoEyesOfBlue]

Out of 138,183 tests yesterday, the number that were positive was...

guess, if you haven't seen the figures...


...






1,205

Obviously, there must be asymptomatic people not getting tested, but even despite this, that's a pretty low percentage. Especially as most of those tests were of people who thought they had symptoms.

Does the figure for tests now include antibody tests? I think I heard that.

[Nquartz]

@dreamingofstars as @PigletJohn said it's a mix of tests sent out & received, which presumably means the tests sent out yesterday/today will be counted on the way out and on their return.

Basically the numbers are nonsense and pointless

[rc22]

I was tested yesterday they swabbed my throat then put the same swab up my nose. Was just relieved they didn't do it the other way round!!

[PigletJohn]

Unfortunately, the government destroyed trust in its figures when they started faking the figures at the end of April.

You'll remember that had promised to perform 1000,000 tests a day by the end of April.

They failed, so changed the figures from "tests performed" to "tests available" including those that had been put in the post (some of them without a return label) and those that had been despatched to the stores of remote centres.

On 31st April they actually performed about 82,000 tests but claimed 122,000 "tests"

Obviously if they inflate the test figures by 50%, the ratio of positive tests will be incorrectly stated and will be falsely low.

since government figures are not to be trusted, we don't know the true ratio.

it's very sad that we have a government that is untrustworthy and lies without shame.

[whatnametopick]

Having taken a home test its probably that they are not being done correctly. Dh could not do the throat swab and having since seen a picture of how far the nose swab should go neither of us done that correctly.

[Derbygerbil]

It’s good that positive tests are so much lower than negative ones! But given there seem to be so many random tests now that’s probably not surprising.

It’s also not comparing like with like. The total tests are those done or sent out on that day i believe and include antibody tests. The total positive tests would relate to the results of tests carried out over the past week or so.

[TooOwls]

Inpatients in our hospital are tested every 5 days, even with no symptoms/previous negative results

[EvilPea]

According to a doctor on radio 4, 30% of the tests (unless they are from the lungs) are giving incorrect negatives.

[ShootsFruitAndLeaves]

Not sure what your point is. The latest study estimates are 0.1% positive.

www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19infectionsurveypilot/5june2020#number-of-new-covid-19-cases-in-england

[dreamingofstars]

Are these tests which have been sent out to people or tests that have been received? The way it was worded in today’s briefing made it sound like those were tests sent out (as in some may not have been sent back yet).

My grandmother was sent a test in the post; didn’t request one and I assume it was just to provide data to see percentage of those who have it at one time. Anyhow, she called me up in a state saying she had been attempting to call the courier service who collect to arrange as she was aware she had only a limited window to do it in. She never could get through and seeing as her and my grandfather have been isolating themselves since this began they hopefully have their risk as low as it can be for their age (90s).

[Hearhoovesthinkzebras]

@onalongsabbatical

Wonder if that includes ours? Followed instructions scrupulously, phoned to chase results twice to be told that 'maybe they'd lost them' and even 'maybe they were dropped on the floor' - wtf? And did we want another lot?
Over a week now still fuck all.
If me and DH are in that number let me tell you there's a lot of shit going on. Well, you knew that.

My husband works with a man who had to be tested. This was probably April time so maybe the system has improved - he waited three weeks for the results, chasing constantly. In the end they declared them lost and asked if he wanted a new one - by then he was better and figured there was no point.

[onalongsabbatical]

Wonder if that includes ours? Followed instructions scrupulously, phoned to chase results twice to be told that 'maybe they'd lost them' and even 'maybe they were dropped on the floor' - wtf? And did we want another lot?
Over a week now still fuck all.
If me and DH are in that number let me tell you there's a lot of shit going on. Well, you knew that.

[SockYarn]

1.1% of tests in Scotland positive.

[1forsorrow]

Relatives care home phoned me to ask for permission to do the tests. I said no at nearly 90 I didn't want her distressed. Manager said they had pressure to get everyone tested. I said I knew someone who'd had the test and said the nose one was horrible, she replied not to worry, she'd be doing the test and it wouldn't be a problem. I pushed and she again said she was doing it and it wouldn't cause any distress.

I took this as a nudge nudge wink wink the nose swab wouldn't be horrible as it wouldn't be done the way my friends was done by a nurse. So is it a surprise they come back negative?

[Hearhoovesthinkzebras]

so if home tests are being included then I’m not surprised either.

I said this from the outset.

I was a nurse. I know how to do these tests properly and there's no way I could do it to myself. I really doubt that many people will be able to do it to themselves.

[opentheblinds]

The tests are terribly unreliable -
I think it’s about 70% (not the antibody ones which are very good now). Add to that the fact that the testing process itself is horrible (so it’s fairly if not entirely difficult to self test effectively) so if home tests are being included then I’m not surprised either.

[JosephineDeBeauharnais]

I was tested yesterday. One swab for throat and nose. I'm asymptomatic, tested negative.

[palacegirl77]

Id be happier to know the results of positive per people tested really, but Im just happy to see graphs moving down!

[GameSetMatch]

Some of those tests will have been inconclusive so we don’t know for sure how many, I know of four people who’s tests have come back inconclusive.

[FiveFootTwoEyesOfBlue]

Hearhooves - interesting, thanks.

[Hearhoovesthinkzebras]

@TheDrsDocMartens

Aren’t they counting nose& throat as 2 tests? And posting/ lab results as 2?
Or have they sorted that now?

They were counting two swabs on one patient as two separate tests, although I think they now use one swab for both the throat and nose don't they?

I had also heard that when patients are in hospital they have repeated tests, again all counted individually which makes sense on the one hand because they are still tests that the lab has to process but it misrepresents the number of individuals tested.

Then there's the problem of a high number of false negatives and the general agreement that the number of new cases each day is about 5000 even though it's not reflected in the tests.

[1forsorrow]

Weeks after a covid outbreak cleared up at my relatives care home they all had to get tested. Surprise, surprise they were all negative so I suppose if you hang about long enough waiting for tests you get a negative result.

Oh I hope it is going down, I'm not trying to be negative but I really can't bring myself to trust a word they say. I wasn't very confident but the protective ring round care homes was just a lie too far.

[FiveFootTwoEyesOfBlue]

TheDrs I don't know, I didn't hear about those specific issues. I did hear that they counted tests that had only been posted out and not tested in labs yet.

[TheDrsDocMartens]

Even then it’ll be a small %

[FiveFootTwoEyesOfBlue]

Some of them, I think, people being re-tested after recovering.

[TheDrsDocMartens]

Aren’t they counting nose& throat as 2 tests? And posting/ lab results as 2?
Or have they sorted that now?