Stop overusing lateral flow tests!

[musicalfrog]

How many posts on this forum say "ooh I tested twice yesterday", or "ooh I'm waiting for a pcr result but still taking a lateral flow every day"...

Have some fucking thought for the expense to the taxpayer of all these tests, and the poor folk who are struggling to get a supply of tests to keep their loved ones safe while you fritter them away without a second thought.

You DON'T need to take more than one test a day, you DON'T need to keep testing while waiting a pcr result (you should be isolating) and you DON'T need to be testing every day unless you're a close contact.

Over consumption is killing this planet, these are prime examples.

Just seen that the guidance has changed for close contacts. It’s no longer PCR but 7 days of lateral flows. Considering there were 100,000+ a day this week that probably explains the lack of lateral flow tests.
Not Gillian at No.5 taking them hourly for shits and giggles.

@BellaChagall

I'm aghast that anyone thinks they need to do a lateral flow test to go on public transport.

Be aghast at Nicola Sturgeon then. Flow before you go. That's before you go ANYWHERE. Even if you're just going two stops on the bus or popping into Tesco for milk.

Pile of nonsense that it is.

Hang on a minute there - we are told to do daily lateral if we are contacts and fully vaccinated and I guess that most people are now contacts so that is why the lateral flow tests are getting used up. People cannot do right sometimes - try to keep your family safe and get accused of wasting resources! I use around 300 tests a week at work to keep a vital industry running. People are trying to reduce illness, death and disability by reducing the spread and protecting their work colleagues, friends and family. The NHS website is still saying PCR for fever, cough or loss of sense of taste or smell - most people with omicron start with cold like symptoms not these 3 so should they get a PCR (and lie about their symptoms) or just do unreliable laterals...

I really think there is a lot of uncertainty and most of us are trying to do our best - if you are concerned about tax payers money then you could start with the billions of pounds given to Serco and other private companies to run a useless Test and Trace service which cost lives and lined the pockets of friends of politicians like Matt Hancock......

@errorcode maybe read my other posts

Yes, they are free and people are stupid. Who is going to do LFT twice a day? Only a moron.

Scottish government advice is to test pretty much every time you go somewhere, so some folk are following this strictly. That said, I am also concerned about the amount of single use plastic and the apparent obsession with LFT's - yes they are useful, but becoming obsessed with them is not useful!

these are the people that stock piled baby milk and toilet rolls

Exactly, and with mentalities like that there's no reasoning with them

I've only ever had one box from the pharmacy (collected before going on holiday) and now I can't even give the other 6 away

Hang on a minute there - we are told to do daily lateral if we are contacts and fully vaccinated and I guess that most people are now contacts so that is why the lateral flow tests are getting used up.

I agree with this. I probably won't bother again if I'm a contact providing neither of us are going out anywhere. If we are, the one who is going out can test.

@Lolamento

Yes, they are free and people are stupid. Who is going to do LFT twice a day? Only a moron.

Or because that is what has been advised....

Just seen that the guidance has changed for close contacts. It’s no longer PCR but 7 days of lateral flows. Considering there were 100,000+ a day this week that probably explains the lack of lateral flow tests.
Not Gillian at No.5 taking them hourly for shits and giggles.

Now you can't bring logic onto threads like this!

@Lolamento

Yes, they are free and people are stupid. Who is going to do LFT twice a day? Only a moron.

Take a look at some of the Scottish Government posts on FB - they are advocating testing in a whole host of scenarios! It's getting a bit crazy!

I guess that most people are now contacts

Why would you think that? I’ve never been a contact, nor has DH, nor my parents, etc, etc. And I live in a covid hotspot.

It's good people are testing before meeting others. I don't understand why some people on here are testing daily or even twice daily when they already have confirmed covid (after a PCR). That seems very wasteful.

I wish I had stockpiled a couple of boxes earlier this autumn when no one seemed to be doing them as now can't get any from the website though. Used to order a box every two weeks or so and test twice a weekly as was recommended then.

@nordica

It's good people are testing before meeting others. I don't understand why some people on here are testing daily or even twice daily when they already have confirmed covid (after a PCR). That seems very wasteful.

I wish I had stockpiled a couple of boxes earlier this autumn when no one seemed to be doing them as now can't get any from the website though. Used to order a box every two weeks or so and test twice a weekly as was recommended then.

Yes, plus aren't LFT's meant for when you have no symptoms, and PCR for when you do have symptoms?

Does anyone else not understand the need for schools to be provided with so many when there’s are shortages for other workplaces where people are forced to work in close proximity? As all the people I know who have been able to give boxes of spare tests away during this shortage are teachers

Marshmallowfondant that's crazy. Many people would be testing once a day or more. Madness.

@SundayTeatime

I guess that most people are now contacts

Why would you think that? I’ve never been a contact, nor has DH, nor my parents, etc, etc. And I live in a covid hotspot.

Perhaps some people are contacts in the sense that they have been in contact, without being aware, so technically not official contacts but may well have been in contact with the virus/a carrier? I say this because not everyone tests, not everyone has the app (to ping) and so on.

@MariaAngustias

Hang on a minute there - we are told to do daily lateral if we are contacts and fully vaccinated and I guess that most people are now contacts so that is why the lateral flow tests are getting used up. People cannot do right sometimes - try to keep your family safe and get accused of wasting resources! I use around 300 tests a week at work to keep a vital industry running. People are trying to reduce illness, death and disability by reducing the spread and protecting their work colleagues, friends and family. The NHS website is still saying PCR for fever, cough or loss of sense of taste or smell - most people with omicron start with cold like symptoms not these 3 so should they get a PCR (and lie about their symptoms) or just do unreliable laterals... I really think there is a lot of uncertainty and most of us are trying to do our best - if you are concerned about tax payers money then you could start with the billions of pounds given to Serco and other private companies to run a useless Test and Trace service which cost lives and lined the pockets of friends of politicians like Matt Hancock......

Exactly this - DH and I are close contacts of a case (DSD) this week so supposed to do one a day each for seven days. We have just enough but if there was more than two of us (DD and DSS have had it recently so don't need to do the tests) we would not have enough. People are trying to do the right thing but of course there's always someone on MN who knows better. We're not doing it for fun. We're doing it so we can continue to go to work and live our lives - like the noisy anti-Covid contingent want us to do, no?

Seriously the advice here is to do LFT before you go ANYWHERE.

It’s not people’s fault that they’re following advice.

Oh shut up!! I kept tested while waiting for my PCR, because I was sick. It was negative. I was still stick... Then on my LFT came back positive. 😱! Can you believe it, I actually used my test like I was meant too. And if I didn't I would of gone into work and got everyone sick. So give it a break. Maybe focus your blame on the government and not people on MN... 🙄

I wonder what the gov does with the old ones when they change

They give them out until they have no more.

Don’t be ridiculous. I travel by public transport most days and am CEV. I don’t take a LFT just because I’m on public transport. Everyone travels by public transport where I live. I only have had a PCR test done by the hospital before my operations - and I went to those on public transport too.

Yes, yes, how ridiculous to suggest someone using public transport regularly during a pandemic when the numbers are the highest they have ever been, might want to test at least every few days to make sure they aren’t contributing to the spread.

I take it you’ll be happy when they bring in more restrictions? Or when your bus is cancelled because so many drivers are off sick?

People see these test kits as "free" so are wasting them and stock-piling them because they are wasteful, greedy and selfish.

Bullshit. “People” are doing no such thing.

They are too thick to realise that their own children and grandchildren will reap the aftermath.

Yes they will. So probably best we try to limit the spread of this so things can return closer to normal, as soon as we can, eh? How do you suggest we do that without testing?

I know of multiple people who tested positive on their first, so did another, just to check, then daily thereafter

“Multiple”, eh? That’s pretty precise anecdata, isn’t it. We must assume this is an accurate reflection of the nation as a whole, if you “know of multiple” people.

The guidance is to test before a guide home visit, they are not required for public transport.

“The guidance” gives examples, but says generally “do rapid tests on days when you're more likely to catch or spread COVID-19” If you don’t believe being on public transport falls in to that category, you haven’t been paying attention over the past 20 months.

@Ovenaffray that’s not the official advisce
though. It states you should test if

1. you will be in a high risk situation that day
2. before you visit someone vulnerable or
3. You have been told you’re a contact but you don’t have to isolate

@BoredZelda millions of people use public transport daily or twice daily. I don't believe there is the capacity for that much testing.

Be aghast at Nicola Sturgeon then. Flow before you go. That's before you go ANYWHERE. Even if you're just going two stops on the bus or popping into Tesco for milk.

Pile of nonsense that it is.

You’d prefer another lockdown then? Because this is what will avoid that.

For fucks sake. People have been whining endlessly about not being willing to stick to another lockdown, bitching about businesses being decimated, about mental health issues, about schools being closed, wah wah wah, and here is a really simple and effective way to help to avoid all that, to slow the spread, but that’s not good enough either. What the fuck is it you people want?

Advice seems to be different in Scotland compared to England, bear that in mind too please.