Warning to anyone going for a test

[ohfucketty]

So, I took my ds on Wed for a Covid test as he had a sore throat and a weird rash.

Went to a walk-in site - was a marquee set up in a car park with a long queue. Everyone wearing masks, queue moving v slowly. When got inside the marquee, there were cubicles made with plastic curtains and everyone was given the equipment and sent off to a cubicle to do the tests ourselves. I got one too as they offered, although I'd had no symptoms.

Took ds over 10 goes to do the test, as he kept gagging on the throat one and touching it on other bits of his mouth, so we were in there about 15 mins at least, obviously not wearing masks while doing the tests.

We got negative results within 24 hours, BUT, this morning, 5 days after going for the test, I have now woken up with aching lungs, like nothing I've ever had. :(

Am now worried I caught Covid AT THE TEST CENTRE, despite using copious hand sanitiser and wearing a mask outside, as once inside the marquee, I was then standing in a small enclosed space where presumably hundreds of other potential Covid sufferers had also been standing recently, quite possibly coughing away without their masks on (as you can't do a test and keep your mask on).

As it was a marquee, it didn't feel like being in an enclosed space, but of course it was. Feel such an idiot, if I've actually caught Covid by going for a test.

So my warning is, if you do go for a test, I'd try to go for a drive through test, where I guess you do it in your own car (?) as this might be safer.

And if you do do a walk-in test, only take your mask off for the absolute minimum time, and change clothes/shower when you get back. :(

I can't face going for another test to find out if this is actually Covid - apart from anything else, don't feel up to standing in the cold for another hour. :( And would have to share a car with my dh, as I don't drive, and wouldn't want to risk giving it to him.

Oh, and just to add, to add to the shitness, I am 99% sure I had Covid back in March, as dh had all the classic symptoms and still has the long-tail form, with some shortness of breath/lung pain 6 months on, while I got way then with just losing my sense of smell/taste for a few weeks. (Neither of us got tested then, as at that point, you could only get tested if you turned blue.) I therefore assumed, that if I did get it again, I'd be OK. Bugger.

So don't assume that if you've had it before, you'll be fine. Obviously this may not be Covid. But buggered if I know what else it is, just random lung pain.

In children coronavirus symptoms are different and can include a rash and sore throat.

covid.joinzoe.com/post/back-to-school

Hope you feel better soon soon @ohfucketty .

Oops too many soons

OPs some had symptoms that are seen in children. Why wouldn't she test? Not least because nurseries/schools exclude for 14 days unless you get s negative test.
The problem is with government fucking up the testing system, not with people using it!

@Bernardstolemywatch A rash and sore throat are not symptoms in children according to the nhs website. and your point is what exactly that the nhs knows better than WHO or the statistical evidence collated by the ZOE app?

The OP may have been asked to test after reporting on the Zoe app, their GP might have advised testing....

@AldiAisleofCrap

Is it? Is that on the NHS list of symptoms that require a test? the Zoe app is asking people to test if they have a rash.

The Zoe app is sending people for tests for research purposes.

The normal booking procedure asks you if you have any of the three listed symptoms. The OP must have lied in order to get a test.

@AldiAisleofCrap

Is it? Is that on the NHS list of symptoms that require a test? the Zoe app is asking people to test if they have a rash.

Yes the OPs DC had a rash as well as a sore throat, both those symptoms are move prevalent in children with COVID. Its not the OPS fault she was offered a test.

[quote AldiAisleofCrap]**@Bernardstolemywatch* A rash and sore throat are not symptoms in children according to the nhs website.* and your point is what exactly that the nhs knows better than WHO or the statistical evidence collated by the ZOE app?[/quote]
I actually agree that they are probably symptoms. It doesn’t change the fact that currently having those symptoms doesn’t qualify you for a test.

It doesn’t change the fact that currently having those symptoms doesn’t qualify you for a test.**@EllaEsMujer they do if you use the ZOE app .

It doesn’t matter that a sore throat and a rash are symptoms in children. You are only allowed an NHS test if you have a temperature, a new continuous cough or a loss of taste or smell. If your child only have other symptoms, they shouldn’t be getting tested.

That may well be a fault with our testing system. But they are the rules at the moment as otherwise people with temperatures, coughs, loss of taste or smell who are therefore more likely to have Covid cannot get tests.

@McFarts

The OP may have been asked to test after reporting on the Zoe app, their GP might have advised testing....

GPs can't advise patients to book a test if they don't have any of the symptoms eligible for testing.

@EllaEsMujer the ZOE app requests people take tests for research purposes. There is a box to tick on the test booking site for this.

@Char2015 GPs can't advise patients to book a test if they don't have any of the symptoms eligible for testing. they don’t need to the ZOE app does.

I saw pictures of the queues and thought that people are going to catch Covid by going for a test. Crazy situation.

My DP took our DS to a walk in testing site and he said there was a huge air purifier thing in there? Not sure if that's consistent across the country.
However rMy DPs work place is setting up their own private testing site in the car park to try and relieve the amount of time staff are off. My first question was how was infection control going to be managed.

Here : I reported symptoms that were not a cough, temp or loss of taste smell.

"GPs can't advise patients to book a test if they don't have any of the symptoms eligible for testing."

A GP advised us to get a test for a bad viral rash my son had, but this was months ago when there was an abundance of tests

The ZOE app sounds like it might be causing the current testing crisis.

I think maybe they should stop telling everyone who has any symptoms to get a test or should send and process their own postal tests for research.

Although it would be much better if we had got the capacity to test everyone for anything that worries them, and it is complete failure that we don’t, at the moment people should only get NHS test for the three main symptoms.

@Jrobhatch29

"GPs can't advise patients to book a test if they don't have any of the symptoms eligible for testing."

A GP advised us to get a test for a bad viral rash my son had, but this was months ago when there was an abundance of tests

I'm sure there are GPs advising patients, but they are going against the criteria laid out by their employer and by the Government in doing so.

So are you and your entire household isolating now?

As you say you have symptoms but are refusing to get a test

Bear in mind that there are some circumstances where you need to get a Covid test even if you don’t have symptoms. I am going into hospital very soon for an op, & I need to have a Covid swab test before I can be admitted. Be very ironic if I caught Covid at the test centre, so my much needed op was cancelled!!

and your point is what exactly that the nhs knows better than WHO or the statistical evidence collated by the ZOE app?

Where did I say the nhs knows better? It’s purely a source I generally use for trusted health information. Rather than any old google result. That’s all!

If you do have it I'd say it's more likely that you had a false negative.

The self-testing sites are. We took our son to a drive through last week (high fever) and there were no instructions in the pack at all. How are people supposed to do the test properly when there are no instructions. We were told to put our hazards on if we needed help, which everyone was having to do because obviously everyone wants to do the test right, a bloke trundled over and spoke to me as if I'm totally thick, just said 'back of throat, both nostrils, put the stick in the tube'. When I asked how a stick double the length of a tube fits in he just shrugged, eye rolled and said 'break it in half'

I was sure my son was starting with a cold so was expecting a negative (but had to get one to be sure and so he could go back to school) but honestly, if I was genuinely worried he had covid I'm not sure I would have trusted the test results at all.

Factor in the 2 hour, 90 mile round trip and all in all, well, shitshow!!

The self-testing sites are SHIT, it should say.

I should know with my fat fingers to proof-read before posting!