Why not test instead of quarantine?

[TheClitterati]

Why can't people returning to uk from France etc, chose to be tested for CV instead of quarantine for 14 days?

They could be tested on entry and again 3 days or so later.

Perhaps the reason is you don't test positive for cv in the incubation period? Does anyone know?

because the incubation can be up to 14 days (exact length is open for debate but this length of time is what is currently accepted. ) Therefor e you could continue to test negative for 14 days even if you had been infected.

So when we get negative test results it doesn't mean we don't have cv. You could test negative and still have it.

You think they'd tell us that.

You can test negative on the day you take the test coming back into the country then a few days later test positive if you’re incubating it. I thought they did explain this is why...

I would have thought testing on day 5 and having to quarantine until results would work quite well as people would be more likely to quarantine for this length of time than the 2 weeks, if quarantine was enforced the 2 weeks would be better but it isn't

‘You think they'd tell us that.’

They have, quite often actually.

It’s because the viral load may not have built up to enough of a level to get a positive.

Say they pick it up on the last day of their holiday. TheY will be incubating it but may not become unwell/have an active asymtomatic case for 10-14 days and so test negative. So a negative result means nothing at that point.
When it comes to testing when you have symptoms that’s less of an issue. If you get a negative result then you know that those symptoms are not caused by Covid. Yes, it’s possible you’ve picked it up more recently and are yet to show signs but in the absence of weekly testing for all that’s just what it is.Y perception is that this has been quite clear, but the question keeps coming up so I guess not .

You think they'd tell us that.
It's been stated many times by UK government, by taken officials, in scientific reports, in media and on mumsnet threads. It's just that you missed it.

*health officials, not "taken"

They really have told us that testing in the incubation period can be negative even though you’re infected. This is not new information.

They didn't take the opportunity to tell us when we took tests recently. So while it may be "widely known" they really should be expressly telling people who get tested.

I have also started hearing of people who have immediately had a test, despite having no symptoms, when they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive. They think a negative result gives them the all-clear.

The info about testing and self-isolation on the NHS website is very clear, it somehow the message isn’t getting through.

It -> but

@TheClitterati totally agree, what’s the point of testing? That means every test you take is questionable, whether going abroad or to your local shop, schools go back in September, how are we going to know who has the virus, also makes the number of total infections completely questionable. Why do Germany think it’s a good idea to test at airports but we don’t?

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/27/bavaria-rolls-out-coronavirus-mass-testing-for-returning-holidaymakers

This is really frustrating me how people think they can just get tested willy nilly

I should say every negative test is questionable. Say you have symptoms, you have a test, it’s negative, you have a cold but you could’ve picked up coronvirus in the last couple of days and it doesn’t show. That means every negative test is questionable, what’s the point of testing?

If you test, and it positive, you isolate.
If it's a false negative, you go out and potentially infect other people. But the more people we can stop spreading the virus, the faster this becomes controllable.
It would be better if we had a test or sampling system with less false negatives, but something is better than nothing.

So every nurse and doctor who test negative is questionable? Surely the virus would still be spreading in hospital then?

Alex yes.
My understanding is the test is giving false negatives in about 20% of cases. So if 200,000 people are tested, around 100 should be positive. But actually, about 80 will be told its positive.
That is still a massive reduction in people out and about spreading covid tho.

@TheClitterati

So when we get negative test results it doesn't mean we don't have cv. You could test negative and still have it.

You think they'd tell us that.

Not quite sure where in the world you can have been for the past 5 months to not know that, but I hope it was nice.

In part it is because the UK has been woefully late to testing, in comparison with other countries who have used testing to support identifying clusters.
No test is 100% accurate but that doesn’t mean that testing has no use. It’s how the UK has chosen to use it (or failed to) that’s the problem.

@dameofdilemmaso can you explain how testing will work when my daughter goes back to school in a bubble of 280? Will we have to self isolate every 5 mins? Why do Germany think testing at airports work but we don’t?

@ Alex50 When we’re back at school anyone who has any coronavirus symptoms should be sent home and get a test. Nothing happens to the rest of the bubble at school until the result is back, if it’s negative everyone carries on and It makes no difference. If it’s positive then the school will follow Public Heath England (or local equivalent) advice. The guidance indicates that just the bubble (of whatever size) should isolate but I suspect there is scope for smaller or larger groupings to be told to isolate.

This is why it’s important to test when you have symptoms, but no need to test when you don’t.

@Alex50

Nobody knows yet how disrupted the term will be. Children tend to be asymptomatic, so are unlikely to be tested. It is believed that they are unlikely to pass it on either, if they are under about 11.

But if a child or teacher has symptoms and tests positive, either the whole bubble or a subset of it is going to have to isolate at home for 14 days. Possible several times over the term.

It makes no sense, my daughter say has no symptoms, she’s been a class with someone who has tested positive but has been nowhere near them, she now has to isolate at home for 14 days and miss valuable education!

There's currently a lot more false positives than negatives. Currently, the infection rate is estimated as around 1 in 2000.

So, in 10,000 people there will be on average 5 people with Covid of whom 4 will test positive and one will get a false negative.

False positives are approximately 1 in a 1,000 which sounds great until you realised that in the above sample of 10,000 there will be 10 false positives for every 4 true positives and 1 false negative.