Twice weekly lateral flow tests for households of school pupils

[SingANewSongChickenTikka]

This seems a brilliant step forward, twice weekly lateral flow tests for households and bubbles of school staff and school pupils. Posted or ‘click and collect’. Yes the lateral flow tests have their limitations, but it still should help I think.

www.gov.uk/guidance/rapid-lateral-flow-testing-for-households-and-bubbles-of-school-pupils-and-staff

@MarshaBradyo no, they're not better at picking up asymptomatic infections.

They pick up infectious people- with symptoms or without. PCR tests are too sensitive and can pick up people who aren't infectious.

I expect the gov will gradually move away from PCRs in the future. I fully expect this.

[quote Frazzled2207]@MrsHerculePoirot
i get that all teachers and secondary school kids are sorted. And now households of primary kids. But if you look at the below wording it suggests that households of secondary kids are not included. Second sentence.

Members of households, childcare or support bubbles of school staff and pupils
This section does NOT apply to secondary school pupils, and primary and secondary school staff, who should take twice-weekly tests using home test kits provided by their school.
From 1 March 2021, if you’re a member of a household, childcare bubble or support bubble of staff or a pupil you can get a twice-weekly test:

through your employer if they offer testing to employees
at a local test site
by collecting a home test kit from a test site
by ordering a home test kit online[/quote]
That means exactly the opposite of how you are interpreting it. It means that that section applies to the households, and not to the actual staff or pupils.

I'll post my tests back I think, and buy some so I can have some in the cupboard just in case.

Thanks everyone for their input.

It is ambiguous language. But I understand that to mean that 'members of households' test do NOT apply to
secondary school PUPILS and primary and secondary school STAFF who should take twice-weekly tests using home test kits provided by their school.

@ILookAtTheFloor

Why would you post the tests back? Seriously just do them. It’s very very rarely that I get angry on here but for goodness sake it’s people like you that are causing all the fear and worry for school staff. It’s a 30 second test with a testing stick which is half the size of a PCR test. I honestly don’t get what all the drama is.

@Frazzled2207

It is ambiguous language. But I understand that to mean that 'members of households' test do NOT apply to secondary school PUPILS and primary and secondary school STAFF who should take twice-weekly tests using home test kits provided by their school.

Sorry, I quoted the wrong person, I see now you were making the same point as me!

@ILookAtTheFloor

I'll post my tests back I think, and buy some so I can have some in the cupboard just in case.

Thanks everyone for their input.

fairly sure you can't post them back. Why would you? just use them as you were asked to! Or give them to someone else who will.

@juliainthedeepwater they aren't supposed to be used on young children! Of course a reception age child wouldn't be able to deal with this kind of frequent testing.

The tests are for secondary pupils, and the adults who have close contact with either primary or secondary pupils (parents, teachers, other school staff and child care providers)

I'll give them away then.

I don't want to test twice a week.

ILookAtTheFloor has previously posted their support for being anti-test and lockdown sceptical/anti-lockdown. I suggest their comments on this thread have an agenda.

"I'll post my tests back I think, and buy some so I can have some in the cupboard just in case."

There's really no need for such drama

Sorry I see other people already said this.

@Donatella
pleased you agree with me. It's not clearly worded though.

Primary school kids - tests for households ( i think 'parents' would be a clearer term)
Secondary school kids and staff in both - tests
no tests for HOUSEHOLDS of secondary school kids or staff.

@KihoBebiluPute

Seriously it’s a 30 second swab up the nose, not open heart surgery. Most NT children would be able to cope with it just fine. You’d be amazed at what they accept if parents don’t make a huge thing of it. In my class I can probably think of 1 or 2 children that would find it difficult. The LFTs can just be used in the nose, they really aren’t a big deal.

I'm now worried we're going to have people using LFTs if they have symptoms and getting a negative, assuming it's fine and then going about their lives as usual!

Particularly if they're in schools, potentially passing on whatever they have to goodness knows how many people each day!

@ILookAtTheFloor

Then I’m sure you won’t mind having repeated isolations when there are lots of positive cases then? My DS1 is in Y11, I’d quite like him to be able to attend school over the next couple of months without having to constantly isolate because of selfish people like you.

Does anyone know what the tests involve. DD is happy to do this but is anxious as she has a strong gag reflex and is worried she'll throw up doing it in school.

@KatherineOfGaunt

I'm now worried we're going to have people using LFTs if they have symptoms and getting a negative, assuming it's fine and then going about their lives as usual!

Particularly if they're in schools, potentially passing on whatever they have to goodness knows how many people each day!

That is a concern. Although with symptoms school will send them home to do PCR. Outside this is concerning.

@MrsArchchancellorRidcully

Does anyone know what the tests involve. DD is happy to do this but is anxious as she has a strong gag reflex and is worried she'll throw up doing it in school.

You use a long cotton bud to swab the tonsils for about 10 seconds and then up one nostril for about 10. Dip the swab in liquid and swish it around. Close the lid of the liquid capsule and squeeze two drops onto a test strip. Watch it develop for 30 mins.

For god sake.

Something is better than nothing in terms of deciding how you'll conduct your life in a pandemic.

Teachers have had to crack on relying on LF tests.

That is a concern. Although with symptoms school will send them home to do PCR.

I wonder if they’ll be sent home if they say “it’s alright, I’ve done a test and it was negative”. Some schools/teachers are pretty clueless about the difference between LFT and PCR tests.

@Frazzled2207
@Donatella

You are completely incorrect - IMO it isn't that ambiguous at all.

"The following people in England will have access to regular rapid lateral flow testing made available to them as schools reopen:

-secondary school pupils
-primary and secondary school staff
-households, childcare and support bubbles of primary and secondary-age pupils
-households, childcare and support bubbles of primary and secondary staff"

The last two bullet points very clearly state households of secondary-age pupils and secondary staff. I'm really not sure what you are not seeing here?

[quote KihoBebiluPute]@juliainthedeepwater they aren't supposed to be used on young children! Of course a reception age child wouldn't be able to deal with this kind of frequent testing.

The tests are for secondary pupils, and the adults who have close contact with either primary or secondary pupils (parents, teachers, other school staff and child care providers)[/quote]
Aha, thanks and phew! The dangers of reading in haste! Much happier knowing it would just be for me and my husband .

[quote MrsHerculePoirot]@Frazzled2207
@Donatella

You are completely incorrect - IMO it isn't that ambiguous at all.

"The following people in England will have access to regular rapid lateral flow testing made available to them as schools reopen:

-secondary school pupils
-primary and secondary school staff
-households, childcare and support bubbles of primary and secondary-age pupils
-households, childcare and support bubbles of primary and secondary staff"

The last two bullet points very clearly state households of secondary-age pupils and secondary staff. I'm really not sure what you are not seeing here?[/quote]
I had quoted the wrong poster. I agree, it isn't ambiguous and applies to all those groups

Sorry @Donatella, I got confused with who was saying what!!!