Does Test and Trace put you off going for a PCR test?

[flashbac]

I find the calls from Test and Trace very annoying, unnecessarily lengthy and inefficient and intrusive. I regret sending DD for a PCR and will think twice before doing another if it means no one else is put at risk. Anyone else?
I mean, it's just going through the motions isn't it? Seen as the government don't give a shit anyway.

Now someone has driven up outside our house clearly to check up on us. They didn't announce themselves but were peering in from outside and writing things down on a clip board. Very invasive

@DancingQueen85 go out and cough all over them.

I have all this to look forward to. DD2 has been feeling a bit ropey, sent home from school yesterday with sore throat and nausea. She's coughed a couple of times today. She didn't want to go somewhere and said 'I could have Covid for all you know!' I said 'your LFT was negative on Thursday, but do another one if you want to...' Dark purple line within 2 minutes! We've just been for PCRs, but presumably she'll be positive.

@DancingQueen85

Now someone has driven up outside our house clearly to check up on us. They didn't announce themselves but were peering in from outside and writing things down on a clip board. Very invasive

This is outrageous.

Didn’t you just fill out the online form and be done with it?

I tested positive on Monday. Was text a link to the online test and trace form. Filled it all in, ticked the box to say I would be responsible for informing household contacts so they didn’t need to phone.

I’ve had one text message for each of my children informing them of contact.
One 2 minute phone call on Wednesday to check I was ok. One text message on Thursday reminding me to isolate.

I’ve found it all quite efficient really.

@BlackInk

I've yet to experience T&T – DS tested positive today and they've already tried to call twice when I was picking up DD from school. They haven't called back again yet...

I would do a PCR though, however annoying the calls are. If you don't get a positive PCR result it won't go on your medical record that you've had Covid which could cause problems if you have any ongoing effects that you need to seek medical help for.

Have you filled out the online contact tracing form? That will save you a lengthy conversation with them.

3 of us in the house tested positive within 7 days, I started to feel harassed - we received endless phone calls, emails and texts. The people on the phone were lovely but it all got a bit much!

I didn't receive any emails for an online form until I was on the phone to test and trace, so it's not always possible to avoid the calls.

@Tigerwhocameforsupper

Didn’t you just fill out the online form and be done with it?

I tested positive on Monday. Was text a link to the online test and trace form. Filled it all in, ticked the box to say I would be responsible for informing household contacts so they didn’t need to phone.

I’ve had one text message for each of my children informing them of contact.
One 2 minute phone call on Wednesday to check I was ok. One text message on Thursday reminding me to isolate.

I’ve found it all quite efficient really.

They don’t allow you do it online for under 18s. They also want you to tell them who they were near at school and what their mobile numbers are so they can be anonymously identified. Hmmm, I see no floors in that system.

@DancingQueen85 I am having the same…the call handler clicked on to the next page for dc before collecting all the information and now she will have to isolate for an extra day. Yes it’s only 1 day but I pointed out the error in the next breath…no there’s no way to change it.

119 gave me an email address but they just replied saying no we don’t change dates any more.

Their mistake / rubbish system and apparently there is no one at all who can do anything.

Utterly infuriating.

@Tigerwhocameforsupper

Didn’t you just fill out the online form and be done with it?

I tested positive on Monday. Was text a link to the online test and trace form. Filled it all in, ticked the box to say I would be responsible for informing household contacts so they didn’t need to phone.

I’ve had one text message for each of my children informing them of contact.
One 2 minute phone call on Wednesday to check I was ok. One text message on Thursday reminding me to isolate.

I’ve found it all quite efficient really.

Well you've been lucky then, or maybe they have learned from some of the complaints? I got a T&T call on the dot of 8am whilst I was still asleep and hadn't chance to even read the text that had come in at 2am telling me my DS's PCR was positive, never mind fill in anything online. My DH got multiple phone calls despite having done the online form and I got sent a link asking me to fill in the online form about 5 days after my positive test, by which time I'd had 3 calls.

@Tigerwhocameforsupper unfortunately online form is only for adults.

For a child, you need them to call you to…complete the exact same form. But 500 times slower because the connections are dodgy and you can’t hear them / they can’t hear you.

@Maryann1975 "The whole thing is ridiculous now. Shopping/sitting on a bench outside with a milkshake for an hour = close contact. Sitting at a school table for several hours = not a close contact"

Couldn't agree more!

[quote onthinice]@Maryann1975 "The whole thing is ridiculous now. Shopping/sitting on a bench outside with a milkshake for an hour = close contact. Sitting at a school table for several hours = not a close contact"

Couldn't agree more![/quote]
The track and trace lady who called me considered it to be close contact and wanted me to tell her the contact details of all pupils and teachers my DS had been in contact with. So why aren’t schools doing their own tracing and asking contacts to do PCRs? Would I be a cynic to say PHSEs plan is for covid to rip through schools to create herd immunity?

Yes sorry I took that to be kind of what @Maryann1975 meant, in that it's deemed important to test and trace to get the details of those they've socialised with, but when they ask us for the mobile numbers of teachers and 1000 school children and we can't give it to them, they just shrug their shoulders.

I agree with you that schools should still be doing it. I know how much extra work this was for schools (head teachers being phoned on Sunday lunch times and then calling emergency meetings to get all the required info for PHE. I worked in a school until very recently). But I don't think the current system is right either. Instead of paying all these t and t staff to make these often pointless phonecalls, the gov should provide funding for schools to employ a t & t coordinator.

Absolutely but I think politically the money has been allocated to track and trace and that is that. If someone with a brain were in charge things would be different.

[quote TreeLawney]@Tigerwhocameforsupper unfortunately online form is only for adults.

For a child, you need them to call you to…complete the exact same form. But 500 times slower because the connections are dodgy and you can’t hear them / they can’t hear you.[/quote]
I did the form online today but I made loads of mistakes on it and wasn't able to change it. It asks where I think DD got it from but would not let me put in that she got it from school. She is under 18.
I wasn't sent a link, I found the site online and used the ID I was texted. I had no password so I asked for password reset.

[quote TreeLawney]@Tigerwhocameforsupper unfortunately online form is only for adults.

For a child, you need them to call you to…complete the exact same form. But 500 times slower because the connections are dodgy and you can’t hear them / they can’t hear you.[/quote]
Oh gosh that’s a right pain!

@onthinice

Yes sorry I took that to be kind of what *@Maryann1975* meant, in that it's deemed important to test and trace to get the details of those they've socialised with, but when they ask us for the mobile numbers of teachers and 1000 school children and we can't give it to them, they just shrug their shoulders.

I agree with you that schools should still be doing it. I know how much extra work this was for schools (head teachers being phoned on Sunday lunch times and then calling emergency meetings to get all the required info for PHE. I worked in a school until very recently). But I don't think the current system is right either. Instead of paying all these t and t staff to make these often pointless phonecalls, the gov should provide funding for schools to employ a t & t coordinator.

But what’s the point? Children under 18 don’t isolate as a close contact anyway so there isn’t much point in schools contact tracing just so they can take loads of details to pass to T&T for them to simple advise someone to do a PCR. Waste of everyones time.

@Tigerwhocameforsupper if they are going to track and trace it makes sense to track those most likely to be have covid without knowing it. Then they can test and isolate.
If we think we don’t need to isolate if not feeling unwell then stop tracking and tracing.

It was when they asked if COVID positive DD had been in contact with anyone with coronavirus that finished me off. Obviously or she wouldn’t have COVID would she.

I wouldn't be able to afford to self isolate - I'm self employed, so I don't get sick pay. I can't even get SSP. I wasn't eligible for SEISS. I also wouldn't be eligible for the £500 payment - and even if I was eligible it wouldn't cover all my costs.

If I don't leave the house I don't earn any money. If I don't earn any money then I can't pay the rent or put food on the table.

I also need to walk the dog - I can't afford to splash £150 on professional dog walkers for 10 days, and he has behaviour problems so I can't just hand him over to a volunteer.

So I am put off a PCR by T&T, but it's more the lack of financial support that puts me off than the incessant phone calls (though that's a secondary reason).

I had two calls with awful signal when my DD was positive. Then a third where I could actually hear them properly. I did forget something so went online to update. That was useful.

I don’t understand why the classmates weren’t contacted, or we’ve not been contacted now half the class is out? Are they not classing classmates as close contacts?

Just reading up, I understand more now.

Yes, it does. I had 4 calls a day some days last week, including one early in the morning that woke me up. One set of calls for DD (too little to have her own phone) and one set for me. I was feeling really rotten and just wanted to be left in peace.