So happy tests are to be axed

[Wizzbangfizz]

So according to reports they are going to stop handing out LFT and will be stopping mass testing - this is excellent news for both the tax payer and the environment and surely marks a clear path this whole thing becoming endemic

I've been surprised how many of my leftie contacts take black&white views on Covid, and how much morality is being attached to Covid decisions. On MN, this take the form of "Good people test themselves frequently; bad people don't." My American relatives take the view "Good people get vaccinated; bad people don't." The message the Americans are hearing is that they are safe if they only socialise with the vaccinated. Some Brits think it's reasonable to demand that others test before social contact; and that a negative LFT makes an event safe. It's so interesting to me to see how the personal morality gets attributed -- even though of course, neither (claims of) LFTs nor vaccines actually 100% stop you from catching Omicron and potentially transmitting it.

The moment we assess personal character from these decisions, opportunities are created to polarise & politically divide by malicious actors. Attaching morality to health decisions is terrible policy. There is High risk it will backfire in unpredictable ways.

We saw a relative who tested positive when we were with them (on 28th)

Wtf?! Why on earth did they wait until you were with them to test? That’s really odd.

@Watapalava

Thank god!

Im sick of all these people bloody testing and bring in restrictions for a sodding cold. Yes some get more ill but they'd likely get more ill from flu.

CEV are 3/4x vax with a booster - please stop referring to yourselves as 'vulnerable' - you are not anymore - the data bloody shows it!

i bet the % who don't respond to the vax is tiny. It must be as the data again shows it.
Abandoning testing will help support those who are anxious as its not normal. Peoples perception of risk is not normal.

CEV are 3/4x vax with a booster - please stop referring to yourselves as 'vulnerable' - you are not anymore - the data bloody shows it

This.

Very odd @Covidclaire - I don’t think the relative understands the whole point of testing 😅

LFTs have out lived their usefulness, people are using them like confetti and in a world where super spreading events are actively encouraged, why bother trying to restrict the spread of CV via tests that are very capable of giving false negatives?

Save them for folk who work with the vulnerable.

@Wizzbangfizz

So according to reports they are going to stop handing out LFT and will be stopping mass testing - this is excellent news for both the tax payer and the environment and surely marks a clear path this whole thing becoming endemic

But haven't they just said that a whole load of key workers should be testing daily as of Monday, and apparently sending a whole batch of LFTs for that purpose to employers?

So, this would go totally against a chance that stopped all the LFTs, days after they announce this. Doesn't make sense.

Mind you, random last minute changes, and quick u turns on decisions wouldn't be that surprising for this government I guess.

@Covidclaire
Wtf?! Why on earth did they wait until you were with them to test? That’s really odd.

We (as in our household) had all done lft beforehand, because we were particularly worried about the older relative. However I don't think they would have tested as a precaution. They only tested because another relative suggested it. I'm pretty sure they'd never done a lft before.

@Pugroll

You can't make it endemic because that's what you want. Testing is very important for sequencing and detecting new variants. But celebrate away.

They don't conduct sequencing on LFTs, neither do they detect new variants.

But if you test positive on a LFT that would lead to a PCR which would then trigger sequencing. It's not complicated to understand.

Lucky

Testing on a lft does not lead to pcr anymore. Sympstomatic people shouldn't be using lft so in fact noone using an lft should ever need a pcr.

Those with symptoms will still be using pcrs and will be sequenced.

I think getting rid of free tests for everyone makes sense. In all the complaining about LFTs for travel etc it seems to get missed that most countries make you pay for an LFT for any reason, not just travel. We can’t keep testing asymptomatic people indefinitely. None of this is perfect but I don’t see any way of stopping the spread of something as virulent as Omicron so cautiously returning to some form of normality makes sense now. And obv getting vaccinated etc

@Violetparis

Nadhim Zawhawi on Sky News has just said they are not stopping lateral flow tests being free.

Firstly I don't believe a word any of them say. And they release stories to friendly newspapers to get people ready. Secondly he's the Education Minster, it wouldn't be his decision.

Amazing news. Targeted measures make so much more sense.

@JangolinaPitt

personally can't wait for all this craziness to end, fearing it never will because so many people like authoritarianism & cotton wool why don't they all move to China then Well said - so many on here are loving the madness.

Sigh

But if you test positive on a LFT that would lead to a PCR which would then trigger sequencing. It's not complicated to understand.

This is changing anyway.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/end-of-free-lateral-flow-tests-as-country-told-to-live-with-covid-3bpz8lnqf

@HailAdrian

This thread is funny, some people are clearly pining for 2020. Hope those of you that are struggling to move on are prepared to avoid contact with other humans for the rest of your lives when testing is no longer accessible.

What's funny is the British bulldog spirit - we'll pretend it's endemic therefore it is. Sod the vulnerable. Never mind Chris Whitty and Tedros G both warning not to consider this a mild disease.

@DdraigGoch

For those of you moaning about how difficult it is to get hold of tests, don't you see that they'll be easier to get hold of once the start charging for them?

Often the most vulnerable are those on lower incomes or having to rely in state benefits. Their medical vulnerability can make it more difficult for them to work.

So those who most need the protection are likely to be the ones who can't necessarily afford to pay.

@Spudlet

This would be a PITA - I test for work as I work in close contact with people and it reassures my clients but as I’m self-employed and not a key worker, I will have to buy them in if they do bring this in. Which is yet another cost for a very new, very small business. I just hope they aren’t too expensive.

Yes, self employed here too, and also testing for client contact. I suppose you'll be able to set them against tax.

Why do they one week keep telling us to test, assume there was a reason they told us to be careful over Christmas and test before we met vulnerable relatives, all secondary school children need to test on return to school, need to test to get out of isolation and suddenly now we don’t need to test.

@JangolinaPitt

personally can't wait for all this craziness to end, fearing it never will because so many people like authoritarianism & cotton wool why don't they all move to China then Well said - so many on here are loving the madness.

agreed , time for it to stop

@Watapalava

Thank god!

Im sick of all these people bloody testing and bring in restrictions for a sodding cold. Yes some get more ill but they'd likely get more ill from flu.

CEV are 3/4x vax with a booster - please stop referring to yourselves as 'vulnerable' - you are not anymore - the data bloody shows it!

i bet the % who don't respond to the vax is tiny. It must be as the data again shows it.
Abandoning testing will help support those who are anxious as its not normal. Peoples perception of risk is not normal.

It's not a sodding cold.

Exactly.

I am totally opposed to charging for LFTs. It's interesting the government haven't even floated the option of letting CV and CEV people have continued access to free tests for their contacts.

The expectation seems to be that people more vulnerable to covid become second class citizens and lock themselves down while those not at risk carry on like its 2019. Not sure what CV and CEV people in work are expected to do.

It's disgraceful, and we need a pushback against this.

@MarshaBradyo

Yeah or sell them on.

How much does this happen in countries where they are not free?

I've already seen posts on here stating that someone intends to do that.

@lljkk

I've been surprised how many of my leftie contacts take black&white views on Covid, and how much morality is being attached to Covid decisions. On MN, this take the form of "Good people test themselves frequently; bad people don't." My American relatives take the view "Good people get vaccinated; bad people don't." The message the Americans are hearing is that they are safe if they only socialise with the vaccinated. Some Brits think it's reasonable to demand that others test before social contact; and that a negative LFT makes an event safe. It's so interesting to me to see how the personal morality gets attributed -- even though of course, neither (claims of) LFTs nor vaccines actually 100% stop you from catching Omicron and potentially transmitting it.

The moment we assess personal character from these decisions, opportunities are created to polarise & politically divide by malicious actors. Attaching morality to health decisions is terrible policy. There is High risk it will backfire in unpredictable ways.

The government advised people to test before meeting up, behaviours have been driven by this.

No. The omicron variant has hastened the transition from pandemic to endemic. No worse than a bad cold.

It’s time to move on, let go of the fear and live normally