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Original poster

So they are openly saying they are counting tests twice?

59 replies

Coldwinds · 22/10/2020 09:10

This is why people question. Not because of disbelief of a virus but they don’t trust the data.

If you test positive it should only be ever counted as one test in one set period.

WTF are they playing at? How much money have these guys had?

OP posts:
Original poster
Coldwinds · 22/10/2020 09:13

Should probably add this

So they are openly saying they are counting tests twice?
OP posts:
OpheliasCrayon · 22/10/2020 09:15

Maybe it's because it's the end of the half term (I work part time I'm not currently at school and on MH!) And I'm exhausted but...I think my brains just exploded. What on earth does all that mean? Tuesday and Friday are in the same week and they seem to be saying they're not ?!

Anotherpointofview1 · 22/10/2020 09:18

It's a testademic OP. Shouldn't be saying "cases have risen" but "positive tests have risen". Cases suggests that there is a 'patient' at the end of it who is experiencing symptoms but most of the time that's not the case (or only very minimally the case, in the same way you wouldn't last winter have a 'case' of the cold). Have you seen that they are demanding that elderly patients testing positive are sent back to nursing homes, to release beds for the "second wave"? Its obscene. They will know the consequences - huge numbers of elderly deaths, which again allows feeding into narrative and continuation of lockdowns etc as numbers of deaths go up.

Dustballs · 22/10/2020 09:19

It's not just you Ophelia.

It reads as gobbledy gook to me.

Is this purposeful - to confuse us even more? It's not even confusing. It's just horrendous English.

OpheliasCrayon · 22/10/2020 09:20

@Dustballs

It's not just you Ophelia.

It reads as gobbledy gook to me.

Is this purposeful - to confuse us even more? It's not even confusing. It's just horrendous English.

Thursday and Friday are in the same week. But Tuesday and Friday aren't in the same week.

I mean I was pretty sure that a week goes from Monday to Sunday but it seems that covid has a different week to the whole world.

I really REALLY don't understand.

Northernsoullover · 22/10/2020 09:23

How many people test twice though? Care workers and HCPs do test frequently and inpatients would get tested frequently but that would still be a very small percentage.

FatGirlShrinking · 22/10/2020 09:25

It's because people are having to test repeatedly, for example some NHS staff are testing every week, their tests should be represented in every weeks data not cleansed because they've tested before.

Hardbackwriter · 22/10/2020 09:29

I don't understand why people are either against this or find it so confusing? It says quite clearly that the weekly testing report period is Thursday to Wednesday, which is why Tuesday and Friday fall in different weeks of reporting. And of course you need to count it twice if people have two different tests in two different weeks, otherwise we'll only be counting the tests of people who have never had one before, which is an ever decreasing number of people.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 22/10/2020 09:36

It's a bit garbled but there are 2 distonct weeks being referred to

The week - Sun - Sat or Mon - Sun, I'd assume

The Reporting Week - Thurs - Weds

So in The Week the person who tested on Thurs and Fri get counted once, with a poitive test being taken over a negative one. If you get tested every day of the week only one will be measured, again a postive test over a negative one

In the Reporting Week they get counted twice, once in each Reporting Week

There will be different stats derived from the different data streams, just as there will be from the reporting Pillars also mentioned in there!

There comes a time when we all* have to realise that our understanding of epidemiology, data collection and statistical analysis just isn't up to the same standard as that of those who are trained and experienced in such stuff. If we spit an anomaly it is more likely to be our misunderstanding than their error.

*Even those of us with some education and experience. Unless of course you happen to do this as your full time job! Then you can have an informed opinion Smile

Hardbackwriter · 22/10/2020 09:39

Maybe it's because I read this sort of stuff for work a lot, but I honestly don't find it garbled or unclear?

CuriousaboutSamphire · 22/10/2020 09:41

@FatGirlShrinking

It's because people are having to test repeatedly, for example some NHS staff are testing every week, their tests should be represented in every weeks data not cleansed because they've tested before.
It is represented in every week's data, every reporting week too! They 'cleanse' the repeated, no different answer tests in each reporting period. So a member of staff that tests negative over any measured period = 1 negative test in each of those periods. A positive test will mean that there is a negative test in whichever time period that is appropriate and a postive one in the equally apropriate period. But EACH TIME PERIOD will have ONE TEST recorded!

Not so long ago people here were up in arms that the government were inflating the number of tests by counting NHS workers more than once each week! They weren't, but that didn't stop the disinformation!

Just as I assume this misunderstanding will also continue.. be another stick with which to beat!

frumpety · 22/10/2020 09:41

A relative was tested three times during a 5 day stay in hospital recently, do they class that as three tests or one as they were all done on the same person ?

CuriousaboutSamphire · 22/10/2020 09:43

@Hardbackwriter

Maybe it's because I read this sort of stuff for work a lot, but I honestly don't find it garbled or unclear?
It's been a while since I read such stuff for work, but I didn't find it garbled either. It's just different, appropriate for its intended audience but not for a wider one. It cannot be for both as important points will get lost/obfuscated.
CuriousaboutSamphire · 22/10/2020 09:46

@frumpety

A relative was tested three times during a 5 day stay in hospital recently, do they class that as three tests or one as they were all done on the same person ?
That depends on the time period/s the tests were done within.

What days of the week were they tested on? What were the results? It will be easy enough to answer! Depending on what days of the week they were tested you might get 2 different answers:

One for tests in a week

One for tests within a reporting week.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 22/10/2020 09:47

@frumpety I'm off ut now so here's one answer for you

Tested Mon - Fri all negative will be

1 test in the week

1 test in reporting week one and 1 test in reporting week two

LemonTT · 22/10/2020 09:55

Got to say it’s fairly straight forward. It’s Definitely not saying counted twice. It explains that people who get weekly tests will only be counted once.

frumpety · 22/10/2020 17:06

@CuriousaboutSamphire the tests were friday to thursday , all negative.

Original poster
Coldwinds · 22/10/2020 18:37

So if I test positive in week one

Then I test again a week later and it’s still positive

That’s being counted as two separate positive Covid tests?

So two positive tests to the same person?

OP posts:
PatriciaHolm · 22/10/2020 18:44

@Coldwinds

So if I test positive in week one

Then I test again a week later and it’s still positive

That’s being counted as two separate positive Covid tests?

So two positive tests to the same person?

Yes.

I would assume, though, that this scenario is pretty unlikely.

StatisticalSense · 22/10/2020 18:49

No test is being counted twice and the numbers of tests being processed figure is accurate. What is happening to an extent is that those who are tested multiple times may (depending on the timing of the tests) be counted as positive cases on more than one occasion meaning the number of new cases will be lower than the figure reported for positive tests.

Lougle · 22/10/2020 18:57

I don't think it's confused. In a nutshell, it's just saying that if someone is tested several times in a week, they'll only report one test and if there is a positive and a negative test, it will be the positive one that is counted.

Original poster
Coldwinds · 22/10/2020 19:03

@StatisticalSense

No test is being counted twice and the numbers of tests being processed figure is accurate. What is happening to an extent is that those who are tested multiple times may (depending on the timing of the tests) be counted as positive cases on more than one occasion meaning the number of new cases will be lower than the figure reported for positive tests.
No test is counted twic But the same person testing over the same period of illness could be accruing multiple positive tests trying to get back to work. There is the case of the young man in Italy ( I think) where he has tested positive for six ( or more) weeks running.

I remember looking on the NHS gov stats and at one point 15,000 staff were off due to Covid related absence. I’d imagine they were doing multiple tests to get get back to work. How many of those were multiple positives for the same person!

The stats don’t mean anything. Track and trace is a very expensive farce

OP posts:
ThousandsAreSailing · 22/10/2020 19:07

I don't know it its still the case, who can believe this lying government, but originally they were counting each swab
The test I had, I understand the home test is different, was 2 swabs so that was 2 tests. Tests sent out and not returned were still recorded. If a person needed several attempts they were all counted
That's what you get when a know liar is voted in as PM.

Bessica1970 · 22/10/2020 19:23

I doubt anyone is having multiple positive tests to get back to work!

If you test positive you have to isolate for 10 days from when the symptoms started - that’s it. You don’t have to test negative before you can go back to work because ‘the experts’ have said after 14 days from infection it’s safe to do so!

Torvean32 · 22/10/2020 19:56

@Hardbackwriter

I don't understand why people are either against this or find it so confusing? It says quite clearly that the weekly testing report period is Thursday to Wednesday, which is why Tuesday and Friday fall in different weeks of reporting. And of course you need to count it twice if people have two different tests in two different weeks, otherwise we'll only be counting the tests of people who have never had one before, which is an ever decreasing number of people.
This.