People are just going to not bother getting tested

[MNnicknameforCVthreads]

If they can’t get a test, surely people will think sod it and not bother.

I’m so angry with the government for not sorting their act out. It’s about time they were held accountable. In any other profession they’d have been sacked a long time ago for utter incompetence.

This is before you take into account all the people who can’t afford to self isolate.

If government want people to do this they need to pay them full pay.

AIBU?

I also don't think people realise the situation many people live in. All those that are saying people should be prosecuted for putting people at risk you are basically asking people to sacrifice their family for yours. If they lose their job they can't feed their family, they can't pay their rent they can't heat their house. The majority of people do care about strangers but they care about their family more. The fact people are trying to get a test shows that people want to do the right thing, it's our government that has failed us.

And loads of people on here have said that they absolutely will not be answering their phone to the test and trace service. So not really a bollocks assumption.

Of course it is. The person who said this to the poster has no idea why the call isn't being answered.

I agree op, it's a complete farce!!

@Testingisajoke

Exactly that

@roadsurvey - I have a family member who is a tier 2 clinical contact tracer. Most people do not answer their phone. The protocol is you ring ten times, and then if no response it gets referred to tier one. This is why you need boots on the ground knocking doors.

@RedToothBrush

"There is no testing centre in the borough my parents live in. For a population of 100,000. In the north west. Despite it being one of all 14 places where footfall has returned to pre covid levels."

Where is this? There are quite a few testing centres listed in the north west on google maps

People aren't going to self isolate at the risk of being sacked or lose their home. If testing cannot be obtained go blame the crap government we have got, people with what could be a simple cold and cough might not have any choice but to work!!

It's disgraceful. The government want herd immunity and are encouraging it with lack of testing, lack of actuate information (see below), opening everything up with minimal restrictions and putting the blame on the public.

Latest research from the Zoe App:
The top five symptoms in school aged children who test positive for COVID are; fatigue (55%) headache (53%), fever (49%), sore throat (38%) and loss of appetite (35%). This was different compared to the App’s data on adults; fatigue (87%), headache (72%), loss of smell (60%), persistent cough (54%) and sore throat (49%).

@everythingthelighttouches

If the government were straight with everyone about the situation then people without the three main symptoms would stop turning up at the test centres ( I would hope) and free up tests for people like Shamrock.

Don't be fooled into thinking this is the reason for the lack of available tests. Sure there are a some people requesting a test unnecessarily but not on the scale that would cause shortages, despite what our government tries to nudge us to believe. The fact is the testing system is not adequate.

@Shamrocksunshine whist I appreciate the lack of tests is a nightmare. You say you’ve been ill for days with all the symptoms. You need to self isolate. If you’ve got it and spread it you could be the reason someone vulnerable dies. I hope your or your work will see sense.

mrshoho

Yes, I suspect you’re probably right.

The system is a shambles.
Nobody knows what proportion of people going do the tests right now don’t actually have the three listed symptoms but I suspect that it would still help if people without them didn’t go for a test.

I think everyone is being over cautious at the moment because winter colds are arriving and because the kids are back, all of a sudden a lot of people are trying to make those judgment calls.

@DianaT1969

You sound very angry OP. Do you need a test? Maybe wait until you do and then post your experience. There are test shortages now, but there was also spare capacity for months previously. It's a pandemic. Best not to assume that everything is going to go swimmingly all the time.

@DianaT1969

Yes I am fairly angry, not for myself, I don’t need a test and we are financially fine and dandy but this is not the case for many.

Even people like us - who can easily afford a week or two unpaid, why should we have this time increase because the government can’t organise a piss up in a brewery?!

MrsStefani

I guess the problem with fatigue and headache is they are so variable, subjective and hard to distinguish.

At least cough is demonstrable (although I really wish they’d clearly define “persistent”)
A fever is measureable too.

Can you imagine the state of the system if everyone who thought they felt fatigued went for a test!

@everythingthelighttouches

MrsStefani

I guess the problem with fatigue and headache is they are so variable, subjective and hard to distinguish.

At least cough is demonstrable (although I really wish they’d clearly define “persistent”)
A fever is measureable too.

Can you imagine the state of the system if everyone who thought they felt fatigued went for a test!

Indeed. We had a query this week as to whether a (clinical) staff member needed to test/self isolate as he was really tired and had a headache. He has just come back from paternity leave and is now the proud owner of a newborn.

People won't bother getting tested because the test is so unpleasant and because they can't afford to stay home with no pay for a fortnight. Duh.

@Testingisajoke

I also don't think people realise the situation many people live in. All those that are saying people should be prosecuted for putting people at risk you are basically asking people to sacrifice their family for yours. If they lose their job they can't feed their family, they can't pay their rent they can't heat their house. The majority of people do care about strangers but they care about their family more. The fact people are trying to get a test shows that people want to do the right thing, it's our government that has failed us.

THIS. So many people on this thread don't seem to realise that there are huge chunks of the population who CANNOT afford to be off work. They don't have backup savings 'just in case' which they can use to tide them through. @Shamrocksunshine has said MANY times, if she doesn't go to work, her children will not be fed. I guarantee if any of the posters slating her, saying they would encore criminal proceedings etc were in the same position, they would do the same. There is no alternative until the government provide one.

"has said MANY times, if she doesn't go to work, her children will not be fed."

Has she? Where? I can't see one time never mind MANY

I am a teacher, so luckily we get access to tests for our whole household. If we didn’t, I can absolutely see DP refusing to self isolate and lose 14 days’ earnings/annoy clients (self employed).

I’m not saying this attitude is right, just that there will be a choice for many between paying the mortgage and self isolating.

[quote Shamrocksunshine]@MyPersona

I do not work directly in a school.

I’m on a temp contract, so if I don’t go in, my children will not be fed. I do however know that’s an alien concept on mumsnet.

If I had the ability to test and it came back positive, I would be paid.

It’s not too difficult to work out that feeding my own children is my biggest priority right now.[/quote]
@dollypartonscoat there you go. And it had been said earlier in the thread as well.

@uglyface

I am a teacher, so luckily we get access to tests for our whole household. If we didn’t, I can absolutely see DP refusing to self isolate and lose 14 days’ earnings/annoy clients (self employed).

I’m not saying this attitude is right, just that there will be a choice for many between paying the mortgage and self isolating.

School staff and other key workers have reported trying to use priority access for key workers system in other threads, it doesn't appear to have helped them get tests any more easily!

YANBU. I'll be one of them.

If I or DS develop symptoms and can't get a test quickly then we won't be isolating for who knows how long until we can get tested. I'm a single parent and can't do my job from home. It's not that I don't care about other people, it's that I care about keeping my home and feeding my DS more. I'm not going to put the well being of strangers over the well being of DS, simple as that.

@HelloDulling

Also if those results come back positive it's 4 days where their contacts haven't been isolating but carrying on as normal.

Their contacts should start isolating as soon as the person showed symptoms, not wait for the results to come back.

But track and trace can’t kick into action until someone has a positive test. So potentially other people in a pub, restaurants, gym, etc will be unaware.

Exactly what @CaptainBrickbeard said earlier today. The Govt doesn't give a shit about the average joe/Jane public's health or income. They just want to be able to say "it was them, not us".

Dd is a waitress. She doesn’t get paid if off sick, isolating or waiting for a test. So she won’t bother and will go into work if she thinks she can get away with it, ie not coughing. As will the majority of people in her situation.

We tried for three days to get tested. We failed. I’m feeling really annoyed that we are more than likely to go through this over and over again. Ds is rarely without a snotty nose and cough in winter. We are Probably going to leave the house for a day or two before he picks something else up and we all need to isolate again.

DD started showing symptoms of a bad cold yesterday:

High fever (39)
Runny nose
Fatigue

I tried yesterday to get a test but no luck, this morning I spent a few hours refreshing the page and eventually gave up and booked a private test (£250!). It’s my sons first day of school on Tuesday and he’s going to miss it, he struggles with social situations enough that I really don’t want him to miss the first 2 weeks of school...

One last refresh of the govt page and a test came up 15 min drive away. Booked it and we went earlier today. I then cancelled the private test. I hope the test results don’t take too long.

If the test is negative and my son gets a cold in the next day or so (with fever) I probably won’t bother getting him tested, I will try but unless capacity increases I don’t fancy my chances. He’s not been anywhere at all other than to pick up his sister from school, and then straight back in the car so if she doesn’t have it then he won’t.