Startling Excess Capacity at Testing Site

[Baaaahhhhh]

DD has had a "funny" taste in her mouth for a few days, although we think she already had Covid, she needs to attend a funeral next week, so thought it might be prudent to have a test.

She has just logged on and got a slot for this evening. There were over 1,000 slots available in the next three days. She could have had one in the next half hour, I was just amazed.

Surely it’s not a bad thing, it means anyone who needs a test can get one quickly.

It's part of the weird dichotomy of testing, I think.

Media and public outcry demand more, better, more etc. Now ther is more, and it is better, we aren't using it and the echoes of the outcry linger.

At this point I just want a time machine, so I can go 5 years into the future and see what the real causes were of the real mortality numbers across the world (and were the UK really is in that ranking). And to see if the incumbent government is endemic ready!

Hopefully the SAGE numbers are right. R is below one and incidence is low. So beach gatherings, BLM marches etc, won't cause a massive spike, will probably slow things down by a week or so just in case, but the lack of spike will give SAGE more information to use in the next round of changes.

If the numbers started to rise with release of lockdown, our ability to avert another wave without disruption to the entire country could depend on our ability to test a lot of people very quickly, so it’s good to know the capacity is there.

Surely that’s a good thing?

JudithGrimes Absolutely, I suppose I was just surprised it was so easy.

CuriousaboutSamphire Yes, to the dichotomy of testing. It does illustrate quite well how the 200,000 test capacity oft quoted, probably does exist, but just isn't being utilised at the moment. Perhaps we are just in a lull, or low infection area.

theonlywayisapple Definitely a good thing.

Their just isn't 200,000 people a day that need testing. Should the government test people for no reason and waste the tests?

Why are you amazed?
We're on our 11th week of lockdown now, there should be very few cases in the community by now.

Results back just now, less than 12 hours. Negative. I am still impressed by the system working so well .

Wow, that was quick @Baaaahhhhh ! I assume you mean 24 hours though?! 😄 but still, that’s fab! I had one today, I hope it’s as quick 🙏🏼 The staff at the centre looked bored out their brains, there were two cars..

Could have weekly tests for all care home staff,
as part of ramping up protection for the residents, while the UK relaxes lockdown

Agree. I had a test this morning after the Zoe app told me last night that I should. I booked my test at the Glasgow airport testing centre - the biggest in the west of Scotland. When I logged on about 10 last night there were 1383 slots available for today. Turned up about 8.45am and I was hte only person there, along with about 50 staff. Results came through on a text just before 6pm.

I don't think they'll shut testing centres but there is definitely scope for scaling them back a lot. Use a leisure centre car park rather than a huge airport carpark, 1 portakabin with testing staff rather than 4 etc.

0.9% only of tests in Scotland were positive yesterday.

I don't think it is that startling. Case numbers are very low at the moment did I read 1 in 1700 people?
It stands to reason as cases drop less people will experience symptoms that warrant testing.

I don't see it as a good sign. We needed this testing capacity earlier in the pandemic. We have good capacity now but a little late as fewer people are becoming infected.

We couldn't have tested reliably earlier. The tests were not available, nor reliable, valid tests that could be returned quickly, en masse. Remember the early tests that simply did not work, those that couldn't be masse produced or tested (those were used in the NHS). People forget the non governmental barriers.

Other countries that did early mass testing had a completely different starting point to us, and many other countries.

It will be unpicked, blame correctly laid etc later. But currently it is what it is.

Experts quoted in today's telegraph say it was an obsession with centralising the testing capacity that slowed down it build up.

Same as the obsession with the home grown T+T then!

I don’t understand why the test centres are drive through. If you are that ill you shouldn’t be driving. Also death rate yesterday was 36. Deaths from RTAs every day is 5. When will the government ban cars?

We have empty testing sites yet the infected numbers remain steady? Am I missing something

Logically, there has to be spare capacity in the testing system, as the infection rate varies geographically. No point there being tests available in Bristol, for example, if people need them in Manchester or Southend. But another day, there might be needed in Birmingham, but not in Derby.

There's capacity for 200,000 tests daily, around 1000 positive tests daily, and reckoned to be a a few thousand asymptomatic or not bothering with tests.

We have empty testing sites yet the infected numbers remain steady? Am I missing something

Most of the infection rate is now in hospitals and care homes. Very little transmission in the community. Government aren't explicity letting us know that for some reason. When asked directly at the daily briefings Valance and Whitty have confirmed that to be the case, but no graph or numbers are provided.

This is being dicussed over on the "numbers/facts" page. Pillar 1 testing, versus Pillar 2 etc etc...... it's all a bit frustrating.

It's very empty at the test centre here, I can see bored staff each time I pass and have never seen a customer yet.