Can’t get a test for 6 days - how is this system practical?

[QueenofmyPrinces]

Yesterday my eldest son (aged 6) went for a test, we booked it at 7.00am and whisked him straight off. Our local centre had no appointments for 5 days so instead my DH has to drive him to a centre over an hour away.

Last night my youngest son (aged 3) started showing symptoms and still has them this morning. Tried to book him a test and again, all local centres don’t have any appointments for 6 days and the next nearest available appointment is at a centre 150 miles away - and I haven’t even checked if that place has appointments available!!

I tried to order a home testing kit but was told there was none available?

So what now? My husband works and I’m at Uni so we need to know whether he has it or not, or are we just expected to stay at home for 6 days because there is no testing available?

It just seems ridiculous.

I can imagine that it is reasons like this that people won’t isolate because they will feel they can’t just put their lives on hold ‘just in case’ when it might not even be Covid but they can’t get tested.

I don’t know what the answer is but if the Government are so reliant on T&T surely this system needs to be better? Who knows how many cases may be missed because the individual can’t get a test, or his the numbers may be skewed because by the time someone actually gets a tests they’re symptoms have abated that it shows up negative.

I just saw on the Governmrnt website that tests needs to be done within 5 days of symptoms starting to get an accurate result, but how is this possible when the appointments just aren’t there.

I know we are going to have to drive really, really far to get him tested and it just seems madness.

Same position - 1 year old with high temp, nursery won't take her back for 14 days without a negative test. Tried to book last night and although nearest centre (30 miles away) said tests available, actually when you click through, there aren't any.

So going to have to try and work with her at home as we haven't got any other childcare.

We've had to get tested 3 times before (all negative) and been able to book later that day for a centre 10 miles away. Not sure what's happening.

Test become available at 8am and 8pm daily. Try then? We went to the walk in one in the park the first time, no appointment needed and the drive through was dead the second time - they tested me even though only dp applied for a test, you could just go and try if it's local.

As the older has symptoms, I would suggest the younger has the same so take whatever result he has at least for today

We’ve found an appointment for this afternoon but it’s just over a 4 hour drive away.

But could we even take our youngest son seeing as we are supposed to be isolating until my older son’s results come back?

I have let my youngest son’s childminder know and I feel so guilty about it because what impact will they have?

The wide spread impact of needing testing with any symptoms and parents not going to be able to go to work is going to be hard.

My husband is a teacher and only went back to work last Friday and now he’s going to have to tell his boss he can’t go in potentially all week.

And then when our children get another cough, as they all do in winter, it will have to happen again.

I think there are going to be a large number of very unhappy employers over the next 6 months....

Can I suggest you all complain to your MPs with the precise details. It’s an awful situation . T and T doesn’t work at all now testing isn’t working.

And what about those who don’t have cars? I have no idea what I am meant to do.

And what about those who don’t have cars? I have no idea what I am meant to do.

I thought about that too.

My guess is that once Boris realised how many tests are needed but can’t be done and how many children are missing school because of it and employees not being able to go to work, he will back track on his guidelines.

Mind you, he’d have to actually care in the first place.

My local test centre is showing no appointments for 5 days, however, I know someone who works there & he said to just turn up as they are very quite & will not turn you away.
It’s seems the testing is available but it’s the booking system that is at fault.

Wow this is ridiculous.... and is it in the news today at all? Nothing on the bbc news app. Why are they hiding this?! I strongly recommend complaining about the lack of information on what is happening with rising coronavirus cases and a lack of testing. Also the advice to complain to MPs is a good one too. It is u believable what is happening at the moment.

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

Bit of a stretch but could your dh's school give you a test for your son?

I would wait for the test results from your first dc. Then assume both had the same illness. I wouldn't test the 3yo

Yeah our area has had problems and I was offered a test 300 miles away. Just turn up.

[quote Bellaphin]Wow this is ridiculous.... and is it in the news today at all? Nothing on the bbc news app. Why are they hiding this?! I strongly recommend complaining about the lack of information on what is happening with rising coronavirus cases and a lack of testing. Also the advice to complain to MPs is a good one too. It is u believable what is happening at the moment.

www.bbc.co.uk/contact/complaints/make-a-complaint/#/Complaint[/quote]
It's been in our local news, that's how we knew to go down there.

Keep checking as sometimes it’s a glitch and there are tests there.

I would wait for the test results from your first dc. Then assume both had the same illness. I wouldn't test the 3yo.

My youngest is far worse than my eldest. Plus, I wouldn’t feel right sending him to his
Childminders house, where there are up to 6 children, without knowing he was clear.

My husband is now trying as a key worker to get some tests delivered. Ok, my 3 year old isn’t the keyworker, but me and DH are, and we can’t go to work until we know our son’s results. That’s how we’ve justified it to ourselves anyway.

I will definitely be writing to the MP - thanks for the suggestion.

This is shocking.

Not only do some people not drive or have a car, but how can you drive so far when poorly (and without a toilet stop) especially for small children or when you have work?

I wonder if this fiasco is happening in other cpuntries?

I’m in Leicestershire and the only test available is in Wales.

@QueenofmyPrinces

I would wait for the test results from your first dc. Then assume both had the same illness. I wouldn't test the 3yo.

My youngest is far worse than my eldest. Plus, I wouldn’t feel right sending him to his
Childminders house, where there are up to 6 children, without knowing he was clear.

My husband is now trying as a key worker to get some tests delivered. Ok, my 3 year old isn’t the keyworker, but me and DH are, and we can’t go to work until we know our son’s results. That’s how we’ve justified it to ourselves anyway.

I will definitely be writing to the MP - thanks for the suggestion.

Key worker tests are for householder members too for exactly this reason. So no need to justify, he qualifies under key worker rules - so that you can get back to work as quickly as possible.

This is ridiculous and very worrying. The whole country/hot spots will grind to a holt in a matter of weeks if testing is limited.

To enable people to continue to attend school/office/work etc we need testing capacity with a quick turnround of results.

I'm bloody furious

@QueenofmyPrinces if you can get to the jubilee square testing station in Leicester city centre I'd just go and try your luck. I was at the blood donation centre round the corner yesterday and the CV testing station was dead, staff were all standing about chatting.

Every time the government is failing on a target, they ramp up the rhetoric and promise even more ambitious goals. That's their deflection mechanism. Failing testing in April? Distract by promising 100,000 tests a day. Failing testing now? Distract by promising 20 minute saliva tests and mass UK testing.

The Scottish government sent out more guidance to all parents and carers after the demand for tests swamped the system a week or so after schools returned. This was the government's way of dealing with the issue, rather than increasing testing capacity when many schools were requesting parents keep kids at home if they are unwell at all, not just with Covid symptoms, and would not let them return until they had a negative test. During that week 17500 school children were tested, with only only 49 positive tests resulting. So that is mildly reassuring at least.

The problem is the general public, schools, employers etc are rightly worried and it the testing system cannot cope with the inevitable spike in demand that schools returning is causing. That needs to be addressed if we are going to get the country up and running again, because the only alternative is to ignore the request to isolate if you have symptoms, and then we'll be back to square one.

if you can get to the jubilee square testing station in Leicester city centre I'd just go and try your luck. I was at the blood donation centre round the corner yesterday and the CV testing station was dead, staff were all standing about chatting.

Thanks for the tip!

My husband has phoned his boss who thankfully was really understanding so thankfully we haven’t got to worry about that aspect of it.

This was obviously going to happen with all back no mitigation!

No other country has done this. Even if it's not covid spreading ? Everything else it and it's stressful disruptive
Few people can afford both parents ssp for 14+ days.

They are obviously restricting testing like they did in mar

I just hope there an outbreak coming as there’s certainly no SD in my eldest son’s classroom or at my son’s childminder’s house.

How there isnt an outbreak coming!!
Awful typos there!!