Lateral flow test advice changed in England

[Imfedupwithallofthis]

The advice for some time in England has been to test twice weekly with lateral flow test.

On BBC news yesterday it was quietly announced that the advice in England was now to test before going to indoor crowded places. The webpage has been updated.

www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests

In England, you should take a rapid lateral flow test:
if you will be in a high risk situation that day
before you visit people who are at higher risk of severe illness if they get COVID-19
You are at higher risk of catching or passing on COVID-19 when:
in crowded and enclosed spaces
there is limited fresh air

In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, you should take a lateral flow test twice a week.

Gosh, I thought it was over in the UK and we didn't have to worry any more thanks to our policy of killing more people in autumn so there would be fewer deaths in winter

The problem with 'quietly' changing advice is people need to hear it. I guess there is worry about pre-Christmas events and in Scotland they are also talking about shopping, whereas in the UK that is not mentioned.

hm,
i do twice weekly
but i was going to theatre last week and took a lateral flow
crossing my fingers it wouldnt be positive!

Sorry 'whereas in England' I should have said!

The guidance changed in Scotland today to doing LFD's pretty much every time you leave the house or have someone visit!

Is this just the calm before the storm and changed quietly so if it kicks off they can say we told you to test twice a week
I'm still testing anyway because as far as I'm aware we've not had it so thinking it's more a case of when for us.

@Imfedupwithallofthis

The advice for some time in England has been to test twice weekly with lateral flow test.

On BBC news yesterday it was quietly announced that the advice in England was now to test before going to indoor crowded places. The webpage has been updated.

www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests

In England, you should take a rapid lateral flow test:
if you will be in a high risk situation that day
before you visit people who are at higher risk of severe illness if they get COVID-19
You are at higher risk of catching or passing on COVID-19 when:
in crowded and enclosed spaces
there is limited fresh air

In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, you should take a lateral flow test twice a week.

The advice was changed in Scotland yesterday too.

The advice here (Scotland) is to test if going anywhere with a crowd - shopping etc.

I thought the Beeb said England and Scotland yesterday. But it was just a single sentence, at the end of the coronavirus updated figures, I think.

When I went online it refers to England only, with Scotland still twice a week.

Mixed messages are never helpful.

Was it changed that quietly? I heard it on the radio yesterday and I'm in wales so it's not even relevant 🤷‍♀️

@SpamIAm

Was it changed that quietly? I heard it on the radio yesterday and I'm in wales so it's not even relevant 🤷‍♀️

Thing is even if they shouted it from the roof tops there'd still be plenty of muppets who wouldn't or would choose not to hear it like the countless numbers who have symptoms and still only LFT 🤷🏼‍♀️

@SpamIAm

Was it changed that quietly? I heard it on the radio yesterday and I'm in wales so it's not even relevant 🤷‍♀️

Yes, very quietly. Which means that practically nobody will have heard about it.

Unless it is mentioned again, it will not be done by many people in England - perhaps more people in Scotland (was it better announced?).

And you say you heard it on the radio - was that more loudly proclaimed, or still fairly low key?

It’s hardly a secret.
I also don’t live in England but it was announced on the radio news yesterday.

So does that mean everday before school now? (Crowded and not always ventilated- although some are very ventilated)

I would have thought most sensible people would have done that anyway, especially when visiting vulnerable people

I've always timed my twice weekly lfts to before my sports clubs as those are the times I'm breathing heavily around others. DH tests before church (vulnerable people and big group). I assumed most people were doing this...

I heard no announcement and am in Scotland but then I've been avoiding the doom and gloom of the news anyway and have music on instead of the radio in the car.

We still have a mask mandate in shops too. I have a stockpile of LFTs now from school and had picked up some from the sports centre I go to as they were the nose only ones. It's remembering to do them that's the issue and then making sure you haven't eaten recently beforehand

@MeetMeAtOurSpot

It’s hardly a secret. I also don’t live in England but it was announced on the radio news yesterday.

It isn't a secret. It was announced on BBC TV news yesterday, and apparently on the radio (unspecified which one).

Many people will not have heard it yesterday, so alerting people here is not a bad thing.
(Or is it? Perhaps I'd better check MN talk guidelines).

You heard it, others heard it. There will be many, many others who haven't heard it. There will also be many who heard it and will disregard it.

"SpamIAm
Was it changed that quietly? I heard it on the radio yesterday and I'm in wales so it's not even relevant 🤷‍♀️"

Even those in Wales and NI might be advised by their leaders to do so soon. I would say it is relevant.

Have LFTs become easier, you don't need to be tickling your brain and actually you don't need to stick them any further up your nostril than your thumb could fit? That's how it seemed from the NHS video linked to from the webpage. I'm not a parent and have only once taken a test and really became phobic of taking one after watching videos showing swabs going 10cm deep!!

I’ve been testing every Wednesday and Sunday for the last year because of work.

I finally tested positive on Sunday ( I say finally because I knew it would be my turn eventually)

I’m 29, double jabbed. Was due my booster last week (due to my job i had it early)

And I’m pretty sick with it. Surprised to say the least. But it’s knocked me off my feet.

@manolantern

Have LFTs become easier, you don't need to be tickling your brain and actually you don't need to stick them any further up your nostril than your thumb could fit? That's how it seemed from the NHS video linked to from the webpage. I'm not a parent and have only once taken a test and really became phobic of taking one after watching videos showing swabs going 10cm deep!!

Think instructions say 2.5cm. You're swirling them around the lining of your nostrils not trying to poke your brains out

You are at higher risk of catching or passing on COVID-19 when:
in crowded and enclosed spaces
there is limited fresh air

At school then?

@AttaGirrrrl

You are at higher risk of catching or passing on COVID-19 when: in crowded and enclosed spaces there is limited fresh air

At school then?

That's how I would read it.

@manolantern yes they have! If you order a new box of LFTs from the government website, the instructions have changed. It is much easier now.

Although check instructions as all my different brands have different instructions on how to use them

In one of them you leve the swab sitting in the liquid for 1 minute and check at between 15 and 20 minutes. The other one you squeeze out the swab and check at 15-30 minutes. Some use 2 drops and some use 4 drops. Not very consistent

Yep advice changed in Scotland and was announced yesterday so this is probably going to be UK wide.

Thanks dementedpixie and Newchallenge, that's good to hear.
I've ordered a pack of 7 from the website.