Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Stop overusing lateral flow tests!

493 replies

musicalfrog · 29/12/2021 00:35

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.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
Siameasy · 29/12/2021 08:32

@WouldBeGood

The poor won’t be testing madly anyway as people not on a nice safe salary can’t afford to be off work self isolating
Exactly - it’s very privileged to be able to isolate. Why would someone self employed or on zero hours do daily asymptomatic tests and risk not getting paid?! It is so bloody middle class Waitrose etc to do all these tests and have the luxury to isolate whilst some poor fucker delivers your Wagamamas
gogohm · 29/12/2021 08:34

@tcjotm

Maybe that's an opportunity Grin.

I have no idea what they cost but you can get a private one for £15 here eg for travel

SonicBroom · 29/12/2021 08:34

@Siameasy I like your username!

Siameasy · 29/12/2021 08:35

This also gives me the shudders - that people are so anxious they actually LIKE sticking things up their noses for the test

I’m not sure they like it but they like being martyrs and telling everyone how selfless they are. You also get a medal from Boris in the afterlife if you do a certain amount of LFTs

I’ve heard the latest tests are up the backside…let’s see how that goesWink

Raindancer411 · 29/12/2021 08:35

@2irishmums2be

But there is people negative in the morning and positive in the evening?
This happened to a friends son. Tested in the morning before school, all fine. Got sent home as he felt off, tested when home and was a positive!
Original poster
musicalfrog · 29/12/2021 08:36

To everyone on here justifying their reasonable use of LFTs, crack on. This thread wasn't aimed at you.

To those who understand what I'm saying, thank you! It was obviously lost on many.

Yes I'm angry, and many won't like the way I've addressed it, but if it makes someone think that little bit harder before opening the next test, then great.

OP posts:
Covidworries · 29/12/2021 08:37

N9t read the thread so this may have been daid already but CEV have been told that if antivirals are started promptly the outcomes for them are better. So as a CEV child in household we test regularly because we want to know as soon as possible so to give the best outcome should we get a positive.
Plus we want to protect the other very limited people we see.

Siameasy · 29/12/2021 08:37

[quote SonicBroom]@Siameasy I like your username![/quote]
Thanks I have some Siamese cats and I try to put myself out there as a bit “easy” but have sadly failed due to no takers.

FflosFfantastig · 29/12/2021 08:38

@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.

Amen to this. Testing while waiting for pcr result is just nuts.
WouldBeGood · 29/12/2021 08:39

A lot of these anecdotes seem to involve testing negative then positive when symptoms develop.

MeanderingGently · 29/12/2021 08:40

We had a work colleague who came in because she had tested negative in the morning. But she looked dreadful....no main COVID symptoms but she felt tired, then began to feel achy and it got worse through the morning. By lunchtime she did another LFT and it showed a clear positive and off she went for her PCR. Of course she had COVID....
It can really change during the day.

SonicBroom · 29/12/2021 08:41

@Siameasy lol!!

freckles20 · 29/12/2021 08:42

@WouldBeGood

The poor won’t be testing madly anyway as people not on a nice safe salary can’t afford to be off work self isolating
'The poor' (like me), also have vulnerable people relying on them. So maybe they can't afford to isolate from work, but they can modify their behaviour to protect others if they test positive.

My observation is that it is those with the very least who are also the most careful and selfless when it comes to spreading Covid. Those with more seem to have an inherent attitude that they are more important than everyone else.

ShinyHappyPoster · 29/12/2021 08:44

Your OP is dangerous, irresponsible and selfish. You're complaining because you can't find any but are seemingly unaware of the many situations where people are being told to do lfts. Look at the case numbers. People obviously aren't testing too much. They're not testing enough and they're not following the rest of the medical and scientific advice because if they were the numbers wouldn't be so high.

GoodPrincessWenceslas · 29/12/2021 08:46

@AllThingsServeTheBeam I have huge sympathy for your situation but testing every day with a lateral flow won't make any difference to whether you have your op or not. I do hope it all goes well for you

It will if dp or DC test positive. I can isolate away from them. I can also let the hospital know in advance and they might be able to fill my spot

If someone you live with tests positive, isolating away from them won't help you. This happened to me and the procedure I was due to have last week got cancelled.

Littlecaf · 29/12/2021 08:47

My DS has covid, so as close contacts DP and I are LFT for seven days. We have two boxes.

Before that I was LFT twice a week as per guidance. We also LFTd as DS was a close contact of a friend who had Covid last week, which is how we picked up his case. They do work!

It’s hardly over the top to find out if you have a deadly disease that might kill your granny.

Covidclaire · 29/12/2021 08:48

@Tableto it was from an article on the bbc back in November. There are differing stats from various studies and this was one of the higher ones. But I think the point is all the reports of them having a really high false negative rate just aren’t true.

I think this becomes even more important if the reports of Omicron being infectious for a much shorter period of time are correct. It could become easier to miss it completely if you don’t test across a few days. And just because you test positive on a PCR doesn’t mean you are infectious (we know you can test positive on PCR for up to 90 days).

Siameasy · 29/12/2021 08:48

They can while the tests are free freckles20 and one would hope that if workplaces eg care homes if they required their workers to test would supply the tests if the tests become not free.
But others won’t be keen to pay for tests or indeed keen to test if they aren’t going to get sick pay. And based on what people are like on here that may be considered morally wrong
In my experience all the obsessive testers have nothing better to do and fall into the Waitrose category

GoodPrincessWenceslas · 29/12/2021 08:49

@ShinyHappyPoster

Your OP is dangerous, irresponsible and selfish. You're complaining because you can't find any but are seemingly unaware of the many situations where people are being told to do lfts. Look at the case numbers. People obviously aren't testing too much. They're not testing enough and they're not following the rest of the medical and scientific advice because if they were the numbers wouldn't be so high.
No, the OP is none of those things. What is being highlighted is unnecessary and wasteful use of PCR tests, such as testing more than once a day, We can't do LFTs when we are told to if we can't get hold of tests due to people stockpiling them for unnecessary usage.
AllThingsServeTheBeam · 29/12/2021 08:51

[quote GoodPrincessWenceslas]^@AllThingsServeTheBeam I have huge sympathy for your situation but testing every day with a lateral flow won't make any difference to whether you have your op or not. I do hope it all goes well for you^

It will if dp or DC test positive. I can isolate away from them. I can also let the hospital know in advance and they might be able to fill my spot

If someone you live with tests positive, isolating away from them won't help you. This happened to me and the procedure I was due to have last week got cancelled.[/quote]
They might still be able to fill my spot. And like I said. I honestly don't give a shit who thinks I am selfish. I would prefer to know if a surgery I have been waiting for for years is going ahead or not. I've just done my PCR. My mum is coming to fetch it to take it to the hospital for me. So if I receive a call in the next few days we will know one way or another anyway

Tabbydancer · 29/12/2021 08:51

Covid is everywhere and our government has not restricted social mixing - at a time when all social activities will be indoors aiding spread and when the holiday dictates first parties and then mixing with the old and vulnerable. The
Gov have put a great deal of emphasis on vaccines lateral flows - which we are now learning are pretty accurate in showing active infections but also can change from negative to positive within the space of one day (so testing 24 hours before isn’t cutting it),
No wonder people are stockpiling.

VaccineSticker · 29/12/2021 08:53

@AllThingsServeTheBeam if someone catches omicron in your household, sadly the whole house will go down with them. It’s highly transmissible. If I were you I would isolate them all with you until you operation. Good luck.

Fatandfifty49 · 29/12/2021 08:54

The plastic part worries me just at the point where we were making some headway in making people aware of the climate emergency.

But I fully understand people doing what theyre doing. With the rise of the new variant, lots of us are becoming close contacts and needing a lot of tests.

My work has advised us to test very regularly but they are supplying tests. And, with the schools going back, it's only going to get worse

StillNo · 29/12/2021 08:56

You are spot on @Siameasy

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 29/12/2021 08:57

[quote VaccineSticker]@AllThingsServeTheBeam if someone catches omicron in your household, sadly the whole house will go down with them. It’s highly transmissible. If I were you I would isolate them all with you until you operation. Good luck.[/quote]
As I have already said, they are all isolating with me. But they couldn't until they had A finished school and B finished work. No one has left the house since the 23rd I haven't left since the 18th. But that obviously doesn't mean we are safe by now.