Anti test brigade

[gingerbread88]

I have seen recently a growing number of anti test people on local pages.
Not sure if it's just my area but every time someone posts something relating to a positive Covid test result, there's a bombardment of people posting that they're a fool for getting tested and the government have said only 7% of positive test results are accurate.
Latest is the local senior school where there's been a high rise in positive test results and the school haven't communicated the true number so students aren't taking it seriously and isolating (but that's a whole other thread!) and people are constantly jumping on these posts to say that the testing system is giving out a huge number of false positives and parents should be taking it with a pinch of salt.
Maybe I'm a bit invested as I am currently sat at home with confirmed Covid and feeling ill and sorry for myself but it's shocked me the amount of people who seem to think we shouldn't be getting tests and unless you have a high temperature and a cough (I had neither but lots of other symptoms) then you don't have Covid and these teenagers are being given false positives. I think it's a scary spread of misinformation and is this a widely held view now or a growing view?
People are claiming that others booked a test and never took it but got a text to say they are positive

I've seen a growing number of videos on social media. The last one was a guy claiming he just ordered the test. Then he posted the swab off without it touching anything, and he got a positive result. He also said other ppl have been swabbing puppies and puddles and getting positive results.

I dont believe a word of it. It also annoys me that they are wasting tests , plus the time taken to analyse them

It’s attention seeking in the most part, and I’d bet that if the majority started feeling unwell with symptoms they’d soon enough get a test themselves.
The false positive ‘fact’ is really frustrating, it has gained so much traction from people who really don’t understand it and doesn’t seem to be going away. This article has one of the better explanations of it I think m.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/false-positives-coronavirus_uk_5f686da4c5b6de79b677e909

If you're talking about local Facebook it seems to generally be dominated by the loud people with unusual opinions. Not convinced it's a reliable sample of wider populace.

I hope.

I mean a nurse doing a swab for me yesterday told me that they're hideously unreliable and they have had positive tests for blank swabs. But then I'm just someone on mumsnet so no more reliable than facebook hey!

I don't believe much I see on Facebook though!

There are definitely disincentives to test.

Long forced isolation, fines etc.

Contributing to the panic around cases, leading to more lockdown etc.

Would I get a test? Probably, because I wouldn't want to spread it. But there's nothing else to get out of it. So I can sympathise with those that don't want to.

I’m confused. Why are people getting tests if they don’t have the symptoms required for one ?

@OpheliasCrayon

I mean a nurse doing a swab for me yesterday told me that they're hideously unreliable and they have had positive tests for blank swabs. But then I'm just someone on mumsnet so no more reliable than facebook hey!

I don't believe much I see on Facebook though!

How have they been a been able get blank swabs tested? Was it something arranged with the lab where the lab agreed to test a swab with no patient details? Normal procedure is that tests must have patient details with them, the lab won't accept a swab without them.

Basically there is a metric fuckton of gullible idiots on SM

Once people have fallen prey to inaccurate conspiracy theories there is very little you can do. The disinformation about test accuracy being the latest thing to sweep round the ignorant/gullible/easily manipulated.

The 'blank swabs' is easily shown to be a taradiddle

People want to believe this stuff, which is why it spreads. But that doesn't make any of it even passingly accurate

@OpheliasCrayon

I mean a nurse doing a swab for me yesterday told me that they're hideously unreliable and they have had positive tests for blank swabs. But then I'm just someone on mumsnet so no more reliable than facebook hey!

I don't believe much I see on Facebook though!

Really? Or did a friend you trust tell you this and you're passing it on?

Because a separate poster put exactly the same story in a different thread earlier this morning

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/a4063731-the-covid-test-shows-positive-even-though-it-s-another-coronavirus-altogether?msgid=101264550#101264550

Basically there is a metric fuckton of gullible idiots on SM

^^ this with bells on!

I've been asked to test twice by the Zoë app and they've both come back negative (as I expected). How does this feed into the false positive narrative?

Anyway as @SexTrainGlue basically said - you can't argue with stupid!

I believe the 7% figure came from that being the % of positive cases testing at the airport would catch? People have heard the 7% and just ran with it. I’ve heard the 7% thing on loads of Facebook groups. It’s quite worrying how quickly the fake news spreads.

@MadameBlobby

I’m confused. Why are people getting tests if they don’t have the symptoms required for one ?

Because according to MN any symptom of anything means you need a test.

I sometimes wonder if the conspiracy nuts and their ilk have always existed, or whether they were spawned by social media. I suspect the former - social media just gives them a wider platform.

Really? Or did a friend you trust tell you this and you're passing it on?
Because a separate poster put exactly the same story in a different thread earlier this morning
@scaevola
It's really odd because I saw almost exactly the same thing on Facebook this morning, and then saw these 2 posts on here. Either the nurse doing this is getting about a bit, or it is rife to be sending off unused swabs!

@MadameBlobby

I’m confused. Why are people getting tests if they don’t have the symptoms required for one ?

Aren't lots of people tested for their jobs?

Of course they are @HazeyJaneII. Hadn’t woken up properly clearly!!

I'm amazed at the amount of people getting tested with usual winter virus's.

No a nurse really did tell me that yesterday.

I was too concerned about finding out whether I'd get my actually completed test back as a negative so I can have a procedure tomorrow so I didn't really ask other questions!

I'm afraid I have no idea of where she got her info. Who knows; might have been facebook!

I work in a big lab running some of the tests and we use blank swabs as negative controls. Weirdly none of these have ever been positive 🤔😅

There is evidence that a lot of these sorts of rumours originate from Russian state-sponsored disinformation bureaux.

It just takes the usual fucktards on social media to do their job for them. These are people who imagine that they are loyal patriotic Brits.

Thanks for reassuring me the majority are the voice of reason as my local FB pages (yes that's where I have seen most of it) seem to be bombarding every post possible relating to any Covid warnings that we are all gullible idiots and need to open our eyes as the tests are giving us false positive results.
As I say, I have it at the moment and feel very grotty and I'm a fit, youngish person, it has brought it home to me how dangerous this virus could be to someone not as strong. These anti test people are probably the ones who will walk around Sainsbury's infecting little old women.
We've had parents on a local FB page warning the community how many year 11's have tested positive from one school only to be bombarded with people posting replies and claiming all these figures are false cos apparently everyone should know these tests are wholly inaccurate and suggesting they get a 2nd test. I commented I was poorly at the moment with Covid and was glad I got tested as I only had one of the main symptoms (loss of taste and smell) only for the anti test brigade to comment with their laughing emoji's and say 'hmmm funny how you are convinced you have Covid yet only have one symptom'. Of course I have other bloody symptoms and feel really unwell (not that I have to justify myself and discuss my health with nutters on FB) but they were so mean, it really hit a nerve.
I've seen it more and more this week so seems to be the latest thing gaining traction.
I'm not sure if it's the Covid deniers, people getting weary of restrictions or whatever but I find it quite frightening and reckless as they are the ones likely to put others in danger with their spread of false information they are linking to 'facts' and they claim they definitely 'wouldn't get tested'.
Alas I am too poorly to argue with such stupidity.

Daily Mail comment sections are often a sign of simmering social discontent (and unsavoury opinions too). Right now, the most upvoted comments are those saying “stop getting tested ffs”...

If you report as anything other that feeling completely fine the Zoe app wants to send you for a test

@Essexgirlupnorth

If you report as anything other that feeling completely fine the Zoe app wants to send you for a test

That's why I deleted it. I have a constant cough, often have headaches and upset stomachs and I have a rash. I know the reason for all of them and I've had them long before covid!