I have covid 19 symptoms but find it impossible to get or book a test.

[Italianmoma1983]

I’m in London and I have been told that my nearest testing Center is Brighton. Is it supposed to be difficult to get a test ? Thank you

This is completely unacceptable! They've had six months to prepare for schools going back and as some said up thread, it was said that they would only go back then a successful track and trace system was set up. Can our government literally not do anything right? Why have the papers not picked up on this? This is the one thread they need to be reporting on! It's scandalous!

It's hard to know what to do. My daughter has a snotty nose nothing else so happy that's just cold. I developed a sore throat yesterday and had a few coughs but the cough today seems a wet flemy cough and is quite infrequent so really not sure whether I should be isolating everyone or not! I'm 99% it's not but would be good to get a test to be sure but again I'm 80 mile round trip.

This is what happens when you have a Tory government - and particularly a Boris Johnson government - in charge of public health. He does not give a shit.

@Quietlifewanted

www.bbc.co.uk/contact/complaints/make-a-complaint/#/Complaint

I agree - I don't understand why the media is sweeping this under the carpet.

@Bollocksitshappenedagain

It's hard to know what to do. My daughter has a snotty nose nothing else so happy that's just cold. I developed a sore throat yesterday and had a few coughs but the cough today seems a wet flemy cough and is quite infrequent so really not sure whether I should be isolating everyone or not! I'm 99% it's not but would be good to get a test to be sure but again I'm 80 mile round trip.

You and your daughter don't need a test and this will be why they're so booked up, people booking one "just in case" when they don't actually meet any of the criteria.

Here in Northern Ireland last week some people were being offered appointments in Scotland or the Isle of Man!

@Racheyg

Sorry don't know where the rest of my post went.

My nil tested positive on Monday. Went had a "socially distance" lunch with him the Sunday before.

I work with the general public and get the tube into work. Thought I'd get rested even though no symptoms. Have been trying for 4 days but no avail. I live east London. It's good to know I can try at 8/9am

Isn't this the cause of the problem, testing when you have symptoms is denying someone who does the ability to have one.

What if you have a negative test today and get symptoms in 2 days time and need to test again?

That seems really selfish to me right when schools go back

Once again this Government has failed to deliver it's own promise.

After 6 months they should have testing up running all over the country, the is no excuse for anyone who needs a test to not be able to get one and with in a certain distance.

I can't see how they can say they are meeting their testing target when so many people are unable to get tested.

A load of appointments have just been released online - we're booked in for our local centre (10 miles away) at 11am

I think we need to contact our local MPs when this happens (whichever political party they’re from) and update them daily on the struggle to get tested. This is literally what they get paid for. Elected representatives need to modify the system for which they are responsible.

@FinnyStory

I'm not booking one. Having tried to talk to my daughter this morning I have lost my voice as well so as confident as I can be it is something else. However there is that issue that if I have 2 daughters due to go to school tomorrow and feels like you shouldn't be sending them if someone has a cough because what if! I think it's a fine line between being cautious or assuming it's something else and sending them in anyway! If I didn't have them it would not even have crossed my mind to do a test as I am wfh and could just keep out of peoples way until I saw what developed.

We got sent further, they just aren’t available in some areas.
Try the walk ins as well, that’s what we found and was really good. Still in a car park but you walk through instead.

I'm now getting slots 30 miles away (or I could just walk down the road, but it isn't telling me that).

Some people won't bother to keep trying if they don't feel too bad, or indeed if they feel really ill they may feel too poorly for all this.

Personally I wouldn't drive more than 30 miles. And if people can't get tested will they really isolate for 14 days. I'd isolate myself but I live with a teenager who wouldn't isolate if I hadn't had a positive result.

"coughs but the cough today seems a wet flemy cough and is quite infrequent"

The daughter might not need a test but if I went to work with a similar cough I'd be sent home until I had a test. Then I'd start to think if I turned out positive the daughter might be too...

Under those circumstances i',probably get a test for both people because I'd start worrying if I let her go to school and later I tested positive

The alternative is to wait to see if I was positive myself rather then arranging another test for her a day or two later. How many people would do that especially if you think there's a long drive involved...

@Racheyg it would be completely pointless for you to get a test if you have no symptoms - if you observed social distancing with your fil then under the guidelines you’re not considered a ‘contact’ and you don’t need to isolate/test unless
you develop symptoms. Even you got a test now and it was negative, you could still develop covid in the next few days due to the incubation period - that’s why you’re supposed to isolate for 2 weeks if you’ve been in close contact with a positive case.

I think this is half the problem, people not understanding the rules...

How can people ill with "flu like symptoms" drive anywhere for a test anyway? Surely driving with flu isn't usually recommended?

I'm currently being offered one which they say is 15miles away but there's a huge great river in the way, so it's actually about 50 miles by road

Thanks whoever said I was selfish. I have been asked by my boss to get a test.
I am just trying to do the right thing.

I now know why I avoid Mumsnet over lockdown.

@Racheyg it’s not fair of your boss to ask you to get a test when you’ve not even been in actual contact with your fil and you don’t have any symptoms.

Fair enough if you had a hacking cough or other symptoms but it seems really over the top. Employers have a big part to play in this and so many of them don’t seem to have a clue

"I have been asked by my boss to get a test."

This definitely comes into it. Who is going to argue with their boss and risk getting on their shit list with jobs so scarce and redundancies in the pipeline.

My boss said last week that 2m is gone we are sticking to 1m and so all staff meeting etc are packed again 25 staff in a normal classroom etc. I thought all staff are meant to stick at 2m from each other and the kids when we can but if they are of the type that think well only 1000 cases a day means no real risk really so all attempts at any 2m distancing is out the window....

Yes, my boss is starting to get it now but has been encouraging people who don't meet the criteria to get tested, ever since it became possible. I wonder how many of these booked tests are for people who really don't need one.

These walk in centres, how do you find out where they are? I've googled centres in our area and there are several much closer than those the system is suggesting but they all say appointment required.

I've just tried agin this morning - last night it was telling me my nearest test appointment was 73 miles away, this morning it says there's walk in available 1 mile away and drive through 6 miles away- much better!!

How can people ill with "flu like symptoms" drive anywhere for a test anyway? Surely driving with flu isn't usually recommended?

Perhaps it comes under the driving plus miles to check eyesight .

If any of us get it we are only able to have a home test posted so if there aren’t any we will have to go without as dont drive so can’t get to anywhere and have a child who was shielding so can’t get public transport tbh how do they expect things to have any chance of going well this winter if by early September there’s an issue with the tests ?