How often are you lateral flow testing?

[Starch1e]

With the change in guidance to test before 'mixing with people in crowded indoor places' do you interpret that as meaning potentially every day if going to shops/using public transport? Or not those situations because we're all meant to be masked again?

Previously I thought we had been told there's no advantage to testing more frequently than 2x per week as takes a few days for Covid to develop. I also really dislike all the waste associated with tests.

So how often are you testing? Have your employers changed guidance if you work in a shop or theatre/cinema/similar?

I'm really interested to know if I should be testing more than 2x per week.

Once a week before I go to choir practise. We have quite a few vulnerable snd older members.

Have to report ours for work, so they know.

I can report all 3 in ours I just a couple of minutes.
It’s not time consuming.

@Muchtoomuchtodo

I can report all 3 in ours I just a couple of minutes. It’s not time consuming.

It is when you're in a rush to go somewhere. It's like please stop asking me the same questions over and over.

Daily at the moment as DH has covid!! Usually Monday and Wednesday as recommended by my employer (primary school)

Before I spend time in close contact with people, especially if I've been doing anything involving close contact with people. Since I WFH and have an intermittent social life, this can mean I spend weeks without testing, or it can mean I test 2-3 times a week. So, I'm going to a big outside market tomorrow, and I'll test beforehand, but also a couple of days later as that's when I'm seeing two friends for supper. And then I'll test after I've seen them, because I'll have been on a train to get to where they're meeting. I don't always log the tests, but I know I should.

CloudyStorms yes it is annoying having to go through all the screens again despite saving account.

If anyone from gov.uk is reading this please could we go straight to the screen with all answers listed after logging in and change from there if necessary?

frist time ever this morning I reported our negatuve results. The screens and questions irritated me immensely. If things are inconvenient, people will not bother. Any budding survey designer knows that.

I don't know why they care where you work etc if it's negative anyway

I didn't fill out the screens about where I work when I had a PCR test, I won't be doing it for a negative LFT!

Never, for me or the dc.

Never done it.

Done dc once each. Me never.

@Whattochoosenow

I would urge all who are testing to report the negative as well as the positive tests. Otherwise it artificially pushes up the percentage of tested people who are positive.

Does it though? Surely the reporting is done on pcr tests not lateral flow tests?

I stopped reporting results months ago. Life is too short to spend ages trying to log three results. Didn't report the one positive one either as we did pcr which was positive. Was more concerned to get an appointment to get a pcr (son was at home with the test and I was at work) than reporting a positive pcr. It's not like you need that result to book a test.

@didireallysaythat

Every week day as requested by my employer. We also wear masks when inside the building and work stations have 1-2m spacing.

I'm puzzled as to all the PP who aren't testing 1-2 times a week. Maybe most people WFH??

I'm not wfh and my employer doesn't ask for a test.

I do try to do lateral flow tests 2 x a week but I don't always remember.

Not really planning to increase a lot more than that in the run up to Christmas

I've been doing them daily these past few weeks as a lot of kids in my class have tested positive. I do feel unwell but have tested negative even through multiple PCR's.

I’m actually surprised that people with symptoms go straight to PCR.

I’ve never had symptoms and neither has any of my family.

I know several people who developed covid. They ALL told me they’d taken an LFT because they had symptoms. Positive LFT then off for a PCR.

Obviously they are for picking up asymptomatic cases. I didn’t miss that memo.

But are you honestly saying nobody uses them to check symptoms prior to PCR? Not my experience at all.

@Malteser71

I’m actually surprised that people with symptoms go straight to PCR.

I’ve never had symptoms and neither has any of my family.

I know several people who developed covid. They ALL told me they’d taken an LFT because they had symptoms. Positive LFT then off for a PCR.

Obviously they are for picking up asymptomatic cases. I didn’t miss that memo.

But are you honestly saying nobody uses them to check symptoms prior to PCR? Not my experience at all.

I think you are a bit confused still.

LFT tests are for if you don't have symptoms. They are to pick up if you possibly have Covid but are asymptomatic and could possobly be spreading it around without knowing it. If the LFT is positive then you go for a PCR.

If you have symptoms you go directly for a PCR you don't do a LFT, so that shouldn't be a surprise. LFT tests are not used to check symptoms, no.

@DillDanding

I have never taken one.

Snap. Nor a PCR

Daily before school, as do my children.

I test before meeting parents. Work are crap and have zero guidance. They haven’t even sorted my risk assessment

I’m following the Government guidance

The dc are testing twice a week (although we did it daily even there was an outbreak in their classes). I am testing before I meet up with people inside

I don’t do them for shopping or buses as I wear a mask and everyone else does too (Scotland). I do one if I meet anyone for work (mostly wfh with some in person meetings) if I go out to eat with anyone other than dh. So in reality 1-2 times a week.

Never had a PCR and only ever done 4 LFT. All within the past 6 months as a work requirement when I was in a close proximity situation.