Self-isolation scrapped in favour of daily testing

[raysofhope]

I don’t understand the proposed switch from self-isolation for close contacts of a Covid case, to no need for it in favour of daily testing, as floated in the BBC article below. I thought that so far we had been told that isolation was the only way as tests won’t show up positive for pre-symptomatic potential spreaders. So the idea is you do 14-day isolation as symptoms could show up at any time in that window. Does anyone know if i have misunderstood this?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55040992

I think it’s because you can get the virus any time in the isolation window but the majority will get it in the first 5 days. The current system, you could have a test at day 3 and it be negative, but then get it at day 5 and not know. But if you test daily you will have it flagged up when it develops on that day 5. So it’s not as good as isolation but much better than no isolation at all. Seeing as isolation compliance is right down the daily testing will catch so much more than the current system.

It’s to stop mainly workers taking two weeks off every time they or kids have a contact. Not sure how will work as surely rely on you having a car and a local testing centre near by. That will exclude loads of families.

@Racoonworld I see what you mean that it’s preferable than people not isolating at all, if compliance is low.

@Akire I agree, the logistics of this sound almost impossible for many! Even if you do have a car having to drive 30 mins or so to testing centre every morning, aargh!

Personally I think it is a recipe for disaster. What about those people who incubate for longer than 7 days? And people will be going about their usual business whilst testing every day? So if they test positive, then presumably the people they have had contact with will also need to isolate/test daily? Surely it's just increasing the problem?

But if self isolation compliance is low - find out why. And then address it. Not getting people to isolate at all is ridiculous. What if they don't turn up for testing one day? Then what happens?

Would they have the testing capacity to do this?

If so, maybe they should be encouraging people to get tested for other symptoms than the three, as other countries do.

@testingtesting321

But if self isolation compliance is low - find out why. And then address it. Not getting people to isolate at all is ridiculous. What if they don't turn up for testing one day? Then what happens?

There’s so many reasons why compliance is low, and also that it’s very damaging to low risk people. People not getting paid, people losing jobs, kids missing so much school, mental health. There needs to be a balance going forwards, people cannot isolate for 14 days long term. If this works it could be a good balance and something we can all work with next year.

Mixing healthy uninfected people with infected symptomatic people in a queue and inside a testing facility just to get a test certificate - what could go wrong?!

I think at this stage when several vaccines are approaching the licensing stages, including one with 90%+ efficacy, focusing on a testing system that is already failing and in many cases will expose uninfected people to infected people is the wrong path to be going down.
Buy more vaccine not more test kits at this stage.

How much more practical is testing every day for 7 days though? Indie sage recommend a support package for people needing to self isolate so if they do have to take time off from jobs etc they get financially supported to do so.

Are any other countries doing this?

I take the tests will be the fast ones so much quicker response than rhe current ones. And also cheaper hence why this can be done

I don't understand how the practicalities of it would work? I thought if you're asked to self-isolate as a close contact, you're not meant to leave the house at all? So now you're expected to queue up in a testing centre every day... the walk-in centre in my area is on the local highstreet and no doubt people would be so tempted to pop into the shops while they're there every day.

They are the rapid response lateral flow tests not like a home pregnancy test (but not urine!). They cost about £5 each and give a rest in 15 minutes.

@viccat

I don't understand how the practicalities of it would work? I thought if you're asked to self-isolate as a close contact, you're not meant to leave the house at all? So now you're expected to queue up in a testing centre every day... the walk-in centre in my area is on the local highstreet and no doubt people would be so tempted to pop into the shops while they're there every day.

I expect that will be an added bonus to those sectors who want mass testing to facilitate mass spending.

You do it at home not at a test centre. Workers will be given a supply of them.

As a compromise - I would go along with this if I could do the test safely - not queuing and using same test facility as the symptomatic infected people. So a home test or a test via an app on phone - who knows what might be possible in the future?
Just not driving, parking, queuing with coughing people, going into the same tent/building as them, then starting to feel a bit under the weather a couple of days later...

@LegoPandemic

You do it at home not at a test centre. Workers will be given a supply of them.

Ok, this I would do. But that is not what is currently happening in the UK. I have seen the footage from Liverpool - just a lot of mass queuing with healthy people mixed with those needing testing for their symptoms

What is the sensitivity and specificity of the lateral flow tests?

www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/11/C0873_ii_Lateral-flow-antigen-test-FAQ_16-Nov.pdf

This link explains how the tests will be used for regular testing of NHS workers. Has their use for quarantine been agreed yet? Once it has I’m sure all these questions will be answered. I can’t find the article but I read one over the weekend that the plan was to do this with NHS staff to start off with as so many are absent from work due to self isolation that it is affecting patient care. A roll out to the general population would have to be carefully managed.

issuu.com/henryscheinuk/docs/1110032811v5_covid-19_antigen_rapid_test_device?fr=sYzE2NTIxODA1NTk