Has any one tried to book a test lately? Website wants me to drive 100 miles for a test?

[Theyweretheworstoftimes]

Has anyone tried to get a Covid 19 test?

Gov website is asking me to drive 100 miles for a test.

I know there is a testing facility 9 miles away.

Reason for test is essential worker.

Is this mad? Or AIBU?

I've just booked a test for me and DD this morning - when I first went to book there were slots available 7 miles away, then I went back to change time and there were no slots. Came off the page to complete the form again and third time lucky 🤷‍♀️ very strange.

At one point they wanted me to drive 140 miles!

I did that for me. Tried an hour later and a different centre closer to home came up. think they just all list at different times

I've been asked to get tested by the Zoe app today - nearest test centre is 42 miles so 84 mile round trip. It's crazy. I've managed to book postal tests but they are estimating it taking 48hours to be delivered and then you can't return it Sunday, it has to wait until Monday and then the wait for the result. This is going to be so disruptive for people over the coming weeks.

Yes testing capacity is stretched,particularly in London. But the people in charge know exactly what they're doing and there's nothing to worry about. Just drive 200 miles with covid synptons, you won't need to stop for the loo will you?.

@stealthpolarbear it was exactly the potential toilet stop that stopped me booking.

Madness! You'd spend half a day and a fortune in petrol

I had this problem the other day, but then read a post on MN saying new slots are released periodically. From being told to drive 140 miles on Wednesday at 4pm, I got a same-day appointment 8 miles away on Thursday at 11am! I think the trick is to try every few hours.

They promised that by today no one would have to travel more than 75 miles, which is still ridiculous.

Another epic fail.

I booked home tests in between struggling to get a slot at a testing centre too, have had an email confirmation for it but don't seem to be able to cancel it now?

Seems such a waste it still coming.

I've also read about lots of people just driving down to their nearest test centre (if it's quite close) and asking if they can be fitted in - they were! This was after they'd gone to book and been told to travel 100 miles for a test.

What are people who don't drive expected to do? Just book home tests?

@StealthPolarBear

What are people who don't drive expected to do? Just book home tests?

I’ve wondered this. Most people I know don’t have a car.

@StealthPolarBear and @daisypond

There are walk in centres but how you get there without spreading is beyond me

@StealthPolarBear

What are people who don't drive expected to do? Just book home tests?

I believe so! There appears to be walk through testing centres too? Which I assume many will have to get public transport to get close enough to walk through it....

Yes surely if you have symptoms you should stay home! Getting in your car alone, for a short journey, just to stick your head out of the window for someone in full PPE to swab you is probably a low risk option for testing (assuming that is how it works) but someone getting a bus is madness.
Actually if you do have symptoms should you even be driving Eg a 20 mile round trip? Unless of course you need to test your eyesight.

Home tests haven’t been available in London either. I tried to book tests last week for borderline cold symptoms and got absolutely nowhere, either for drive through or home tests so I just ignored them in the hope that they’d go away (they did, fortunately).

@StealthPolarBear I think we have to swab ourselves! The site advised me to take someone else with us to drive so I can sit in the back and do DCs swab.

Another problem with the setup is that you need a mobile phone number, and for a home test you need an email address. There are plenty of people, particularly older or more vulnerable, who won’t have these.

I tried today and nothing at our nearest city. If it’s too inconvenient people just won’t bother unless they’ve been told to do it by school, work etc.

I tried yesterday and was being offered really far away tests. Someone suggested new slots were released at 6pm, and sure enough at 6pm I was able to get a next day appointment at a local centre.

This is all really worrying. Once we are in the cold and flu season the whole setup sounds like it's going to fall apart unless they get alot more testing capacity.
One option would be to allow people to get home test kits in stock. Then you would just need to book a slot to return them which would cut several days off the wait for tests to arrive.

I think it could lead to people talking themselves out of needing a test if they have mild symptoms. “Oh the fever is gone, it was probably just a fluke. Am I really coughing that much? Maybe it isn’t A continuous cough after all? Perhaps I’ll just see how it goes.“

Testing needs to be fast and easy to encourage people to get tested and stop those with mild symptoms deciding to see how it pans out and potentially infecting others.

Yes excellent points. If I had to drive 200 miles (or worse get buses and trains) I'd stick my head in the sand

@JS87
It's not realistic to obtain millions of swab kits to sit around in people's homes.
One of the biggest mistakes in the testing process was the offer of home test kits with no reason necessary as this fundamentally increases the level of resources needed to run the system. It'll always be logistically easier to get those who can to visit a central site and realistically asking people with access to vehicles to travel up to 50 or so miles one way, at a time they should be otherwise self isolating (and therefore not exactly having to fit a test in between a packed social calendar) will significantly boost the levels of capacity.

I ordered a postal test this morning, as DS came down with a high fever last night. It took several tries to actually get there rather than the message that there no tests available and as we won't be able to do the tests until Monday, the DC will have to miss the first few days of term and I'll miss a week of work :(

I really hope this won't be a regular thing this autumn and winter, because I can't afford to take a week or more off work every time someone in my house gets a cough or fever.