How many people are getting a lateral flow test twice a week?

[Lucaslucas1612]

Just that really. Was talking to a school mum this morning and was wondering how many people are doing this?

DD was doing them diligently twice weekly for school but it's now lapsed. She did one yesterday but that was the first in a couple of weeks.

@SavingsQuestions

No. Did when they were first introduced for a week or 2 but not now.

As for keeping you safe/feeling safe. That only works if others are doing it. Testing wontmake you any safer just tell you if you have the virus (or a false positivd and associated problems - this is the fear for us, so we will only test if symptoms.)

False negatives are far more common on LFTs than false positives.

Positives should always be followed up with a PCR test

Yes....although we are spreading out the tests a little more as cases have dropped. Me and my 13 yo do them. I have other kids in school too so want to pick up any covid in the house to stop it spreading in the schools.

There is no issue with false negative as you can go for a per and if negative then back to normal. And since we started doing these I haven't heard of one person who has had a false negative.

Twice a week here

That's a nope for me, at least while prevalence is this low plus I'm first dose vaccinated and most people I interact with are second dose vaccinated. If the data shows dangers increasing then I might do them, but at the moment it seems a bit of a waste of resources.

As to the longer term, I think vaccine and natural immunity combined will effectively make it like a common cold. So you have to draw the line somewhere when it comes to taking a test and having to isolate and lose pay over an asymptomatic (thus hard to spread, especially if vaccinated) case of something that might if you're unlucky spread to someone else and cause them a bit of a headache or whatever the reaction is when you already have immunity.

Yes twice a week for me and I'm also fully vaccinated and had a PCR test this week too!

DH and I are as parents of primary age. It takes five minutes.

No because I haven't been going anywhere. I took one before I went to visit my parents a few weeks ago and one earlier this week because my asthma and allergy symptoms were really bad and I thought it was worth double checking. Now that i'll be spending more time indoors with other people I'll probably do one once a week.

Secondary age son is doing his twice a week - the adults in the house at wfh or mostly at home so haven’t bothered

No. Someone in the house got a box and I did one out of curiosity as I'd never had a covid test, but I won't be doing it regularly. I don't like the idea of having to report the results (including negatives) along with all your personal details, either.

Seems most people aren't. We haven't been routinely but obviously would if necessary. Both DH are working from home and have primary aged children. The other mum was very shocked we weren't and worded it like we "should be". Made me feel dreadful.

I've never done one, neither has anyone in my house (five people).

Only one child is at primary school, the others are at nursery, DH and I both wfh.

I worry she's going to tell others and I will look bad. Looks like I put my foot in my mouth anyway. She looked at me like I had two heads and said "goodness" several times.

She explained that Her DD has had a chesty cough which comes up every few days where she coughs once/twice only for the entire day, 100% not a consistent cough and no other symptoms. She asked school if they had heard her cough at all and they said no but would call her if she was coughing. No phone call. But she decided to keep her off school 4 days a do the full test. Would you have done the same for a chesty cough 1/2 times every few days.

I do. No kids, but going out to work everyday so why wouldn’t I. It’s free.

DD is supposed to take them twice a week for school.

She has Tourette’s and just can’t do them so with agreement from school DH and I do them instead.

So do you agree with her use of the word "should" and being shocked we weren't and making me feel dreadful?

We do. Twice a week.

I do them twice a week for work. I’m a HCP. I test the boys once a week usually, when there was a case in DS1’s year, I tested daily.

"DD is supposed to take them twice a week for school.

She has Tourette’s and just can’t do them so with agreement from school DH and I do them instead."

If your daughter can't do them then she can't - but irrespective of this all parents of all school children have been asked to test at home twice a week. This, for most of us with secondary age kids, is in addition to our teenagers testing.

"So do you agree with her use of the word "should" and being shocked we weren't and making me feel dreadful?" - yes you should be doing them. How you feel about that is down to you though.....

We are doing them twice a week.

@eurochick due to them being less sensitive than PCR tests and more likely to miss positive cases, doing them twice a week rather than just before meeting people helps to increase their efficiency as there is more chance of testing on a day where you have a high enough viral load for the test to pick it up, if that makes sense. Just thought I’d pass it on as I only became aware of this a little while ago and it sounds like you’re using them to help protect more vulnerable family. Of course once a week is still worth doing.

My dd and I both do twice a week - dd because she was to (she works in a school) and I do because my employer encouraged us to, even though we are still working from home.
DS goes to college one day a week so he tests once before going there.

I am. I'm back in the office now so do one Sunday morning and on Wednesday I am in my ds school to support him with swimming so do another one Wednesday morning. It's quick abs easy, I do them while my morning cuppa is brewing.

I'm bubbled with school age children. I do one once a week. I know shop workers and taxi drivers who are also doing them once a week. We've all been vaccinated. I do think 'the giving in of personal details' as an objection is ridiculous. Unless you are a technophobe and don't shop online, have a smartphone etc. We are being monitored in every aspect of our lives, at least this one benefits the people who surround us.

@Brokensharted

No, and I won’t be. I have had two vaccine doses but it has become clear in the last week that the authoritarian government has no desire to loosen restrictions. We now live in a police state.

Do you actually live in a police state?

If you're trying to make some kind of political point you're just making yourself look a bit daft.

No one has to take LFTs, you're hardly some kind of rebel.

@Mumdiva99

- but irrespective of this all parents of all school children have been asked to test at home twice a week.

In England?