Are you testing regularly?

[Marianne1234]

My understanding is that we are meant to be testing twice weekly with lateral flows. We haven’t been doing this. In real life I don’t know anyone who is doing this.

I tested my youngest a few weeks ago when she had a temperature and it was positive. But I only tested her because she had symptoms. We tested in the couple of weeks following that (following negative PCRs) and we never did get it (somehow!) but now we are not testing any more.

I just don’t really want to go looking for it, in all honesty. From where I am it looks like a lot of people are doing the same.

I've only ever done 3, the chances of me catching covid are very very very slim! Nobody visits me without a negative test though

Once or twice a week cos of work and also visiting a relative in a care home

@Toadsinholes agree!
People at work are very quiet about it and the nurse who gives out the LFT has just sent an email round saying that people need to be picking up tests because nobody seems to be.
I think there are a lot of people too scared to admit they’re not!

I do, once a week. Though only because I'm unvaccinated. If I was double jabbed I wouldn't.
There are several reasons I'm not vaccinated, including veganism and crippling medical anxiety. I even tried recently, and went to a walk-in centre, but ended up having a panic attack, and almost threw up. I just don't think I can get the vaccine. But, I feel extremely guilty about it. So, I test once a week, among other additional precautions, to salve my troubled conscience. But, I don't expect others to do the same. I've no judgement of anyone else's approach to Covid, having felt so heavily judged (re the vax) by others myself. To each their own

No, I'm disabled & housebound, my mum is as well, the only person who goes out is ds.

But I also feel guilty about testing, because of all the single use plastic. I try to offset that by doing much of my shopping at the local refill shop, thus avoiding more plastic packaging that way. Life eh, it's an endless moral minefield!

I’m excited to hear that LFTs now don’t require the throat swab as I found that very, very upsetting and difficult to do, almost every time I’ve ended up in tears and vomiting trying to do it on myself. So no I haven’t done it regularly but strategically to protect others - ahead of attending events or visiting elderly relatives. I wear masks in all public places, at work all day every day (we never stopped) and have had all vaccinations I’m entitled to.

I had to do a PCR recently for symptoms and got the drive through staff to take the sample for me - I found the experience absolutely horrific - but it showed me with even all my best efforts to overcome my difficulty in doing the throat swabs on myself I wasn’t taking a proper sample anyway, so it all felt futile. So nose only option sounds great!!!

I've been in the middle of 3 outbreaks (so close contact) in the last few weeks and lft have been exceptionally good at picking up cases. In several cases it's been the lft that picked it up before symptoms came on. (It wasn't me )

As a result I've been doing the blimming things daily and had pcrs.

I teach sen primary and have preschool and primary age kids. So I'm completely in the thick of it.

Genuinely wondering if I'm immune as I've been literally face to face within a foot distance, talking with children who the next day tested positive and in a room with an adult for over two hours whose lft then tested positive a couple of hours later.

I am v concerned about plastic but the impact on my pupils and their families with a Covid infection could be worse.

The new packs have less than previous ones.

I've only tested once so far after returning to the UK from abroad. I don't go to large events, have no kids, work mainly from home/a quiet office and haven't even had a sniffle for 2 years. I probably should have done when visiting my grandmother but because we don't do it regularly never really got into the habit of thinking about it. I did order some tests this week so we can test for Christmas events though, starting with a pub lunch tomorrow.

Yes twice a week for work but the latest tests work have given me are sharp and keep giving me nosebleeds. They are more like bottle brushes than Cotten buds.

The current LFTs don't require you to swab your throat . And if they hurt your nose you are pushing it too hard up

You can also do both nostrils instead of your throat with the old style ones.

I'm honestly worried about the long term consequences of shoving things up your nose multiple times a week for years...

Doesn’t seem to affect the average toddler….

I do them sporadically, generally just before I go out to mix with vulnerable people in a close contact situation. I don’t think the LFTs are perfect by any means but they do pick up cases, so I’m surprised to hear that people who have been more severely impacted by the pandemic than me think they’re an imposition.

Yeo. Twice a week. It's the responsible thing to do.

I'm doing them before gatherings and when there's covid in my children's classes but not otherwise. Not really mixing.

We have been testing twice a week as the DC have to do it for school. Now we all have covid but I have none of the 3 symptoms so I wouldn't have known if I hadn't done a lateral flow test.

Youngest 2 do them twice a week school and will do more if going to an event. Oldest does them if going to something and I do them.if going to the office or an event. (We did more last week as we had been on a flight and used train/underground and at a number of shows.) Dh to my knowledge as never done one 🙄 - he does spend most of the day on his own in a lorry and any contact he has tends to be outside).

We don't test regularly but both wfh and generally don't mix with people much. I don't test my kids regularly either.
I have been wondering if it's the only way out of this as well, by picking up asymptomatic people.
I work for test and trace and there are sooo many people who test positive without symptoms, who have only tested as part of their job or because they've had contact with a positive case. We wouldn't have known about them otherwise! I know it means cases would go up a lot but I don't see another way out really

Yes, because of elderly family members.

Yeah 3x per week at a minimum. I work PT in a retail environment where I am unable to distance myself from staff or customers so test before leaving for each shift. I also test if going to visit anyone remotely vulnerable on my days off just to be safer.
DH is an essential offshore worker and he is PCR tested before going to work then every week while at work. Does LFTs each day he’s not getting PCR at work. Then LFT on the same days I do when he’s home.

FT health care worker, also was enrolled in a trial I have done over 160 tests, lateral flow, PCR and blood. All negative.

I'm testing daily (teacher).

DDs (7 and 10) are testing three times a week.

DH is testing twice a week.

Does anyone know how long after covid it takes a lft to return to negative?