No PCR tests available in the whole of England.

[EndoplasmicReticulum]

That's useful.

Priority post boxes are collecting on a Saturday/Suday schedule. I posted one yesterday 26th to be collected at 3pm. Test result was texted through at 1pm today.

@Underhisi and others saying that they don’t have Sunday collections, your local post box may not but Priority Postboxes do.

This link will help you find where your nearest ones are.

I appreciate if you don’t have a car it might be difficult to get to one, though.

Anyone in York? At my test site this morning they said 3-4 days. Seems long

Priority post boxes are collecting on the priority postbox schedule, not the regular Sunday schedule (which may be none). I’ve just posted one off, last collection was 3pm not 5pm as on a regular day but still pretty useful. The schedules are all on the Royal Mail site.

Sister ordered PCR yesterday and it arrived today

Just keep checking. There will be appointments.

Husband tested 10 am Xmas Day, SWLondon- got result 1pm today, Monday. Plenty of slots here atm.

I started feeling really unwell yesterday tea time and had 2 instant positive tests. I booked a PCR for this morning at 10, I’m in Merseyside and before I got to choose my area it said “available” at every option in the list.

I’m not sure how they can say there are none?
When I went for mine this morning it was heaving. Never seen it like that before.

Nonsense.

Try online booking again after 5pm, you may well find slots have opened up

I booked a drive through PCR test for my daughter this morning and took her half an hour later.

@EndoplasmicReticulum

Family member has "just a cold and a cough, it's fine because lateral flow is negative". FFS. I manage to persuade him to have a PCR test but there are none. Can order a postal one but that's likely to take bloody ages this time of year, isn't it.

I have a cold and a cough. I have been ill over Christmas and in bed the last couple of days. I have done 11 LF tests over the last 5 days. All negative. Are they all faulty OP?

Just to add, I spoke to the GP on Friday who told me to rest, keep doing LF tests, take paracetamol and she has booked me in for a chest XRAy.

There tend to release slots during the day

I'm confused

Royal Mail are not delivering today (Monday) or yesterday (Sunday) OR tomorrow (Tuesday)

So you can't get postal Pcrs

@Malteser71

I had dinner yesterday with somebody pretty senior in the NHS, told me the turnaround for results is five days.

Don’t know where he gets that information from, especially on Boxing Day, but he’s reliable.

I was tested at 10.30am on Christmas Day and got the result through at 7am on Boxing Day

@LaurieFairyCake

I'm confused

Royal Mail are not delivering today (Monday) or yesterday (Sunday) OR tomorrow (Tuesday)

So you can't get postal Pcrs

Not true.

I had my postal PCR delivered today at about 1200.

Tests done and put into local priority postal box before 1400 for collection around 1500.

@NinaDefoe

Just to add, I spoke to the GP on Friday who told me to rest, keep doing LF tests, take paracetamol and she has booked me in for a chest XRAy.

Your gp should be telling you to go for a pcr. Symptoms are for pcr tests, not lfts, Quite shocking that your go isn’t.

@LaurieFairyCake they are delivering PCR tests though, just not normal post

Is that Royal Mail doing it or a courier service ?

@LaurieFairyCake

Is that Royal Mail doing it or a courier service ?

It's Royal Mail

As you can see above, plenty of people seemingly still don't know you need a PCR for symptoms. Including a GP!

Memyselfandfood

The advice is in line with current GV advice:
New cough? No, I’ve had it on and off since September.
High temperature? No
Loss of taste or smell? No

The PCR booking site hasn’t changed its rules for booking (see pic).

@EndoplasmicReticulum

As you can see above, plenty of people seemingly still don't know you need a PCR for symptoms. Including a GP!

The booking site hasn’t changed their symptom list for booking. Why is that?

I ended up in another county yesterday following a positive LFT with a scratchy throat. The people behind me were from another county again.

Results were back just under 24 hours.

I've only got one tracable contact, and she's now LFTing away. (Although I think the exposure was later that day)
It's not that testing creates cases, but my throat is easily dismissed and once people know they're contacts, the very minor cases get exposed.
When school sends a generic "case in your class" email, there doesn't tend to be a flurry of cases. If a parent declares it on Whatsapp, it seems to go testing mad and a couple of others show up that would have passed under the radar without direct consequence. Then the official local rate goes up.