To be desperate for government to start charging for LFTs

[CautiousOptimist11]

I'm not sure I can take it any more. The absolute dependency on these tests, the fact that a positive or negative means that all critical thought and common sense fly out the window. Even as the omicron cases get milder, people are still clinging onto these tests and cite their results as a means of explaining their behaviour. A positive test is a dramatic thing to be waved around like you have the plague. A negative absolves you of keeping away from the vulnerable even if circumstances suggest you'd be better off doing so. It's like a religious cult of people who do not understand science medicine or statistics, but believe they have all the knowledge. Dangerous. Just get on with it now people, please. Get on with your lives.

Not even going to get into the hideous, hideous amount of plastic waste created in all of this ....

So, let's start charging and see whether the LFT dependents still shove a stick up their noses at every opportunity

@Watapalava

CEV people have had 3/4 vaccines!!!! They are not bloody vulnerable anymore why can’t people get that!

This is inaccurate. Vaccines are only partially effective for many CEV and CV people.

If you know anything about being immunosuppressed then you should be able to understand that for some vulnerable people the vaccines don't work as effectively (in some cases at all) and don't always last for as long. Also that even then, if they catch it, then it's often associated complications that can cause the issues.

I'm cv and have had 3 vaccines. My fourth is due in February. In 2020 covid put me in hospital.

I've just tested positive again. I've had to go for a pcr to confirm it officially so that I might be able to access antiviral treatment - which may or may not be suitable,

it's not quite as straight forward as being positive and being handed the antivirals. It involves a discussion between the patient and the treatment team about the whole circumstances including long term disease and medication, as well as benefits of the treatment. The antivirals are not without their issues. And it all has to happen within 5 days - so regular LFT testing is essential.

As is stands so far the complications I encountered last time haven't occurred this time, as yet. I have very different symptoms but I'm certainly not asymptotic. I can sit and type her but I can't get up and walk about. The minute I try to walk up or downstairs my heart rate rockets for example. Breathing isn't overly comfortable. The headache is shocking and constant. The cough is sharp and can hurt. On day 2 and need to sleep quite a lot. And this is after 3 vaccines and a previous infection.

And I definitely don't advocate ongoing heavy restrictions.

But I do think that regular free testing should remain at this time, and for some people it should remain free for good - or at least available on prescription so I can access them at no extra cost than my annual pre payment certificate.

I think that by this summer covid testing will be pretty much obsolete. We won't know if we have a cold , covid, or the flu . The only people who will be tested going forward are those admitted to hospital . This makes sense to me because if you are not ill enough to be admitted to hospital then it doesn't really matter what your illness is called . I think the need to isolate will be unnecessary . You don't isolate if you have a cold . Half the time you don't even get symptoms now with covid so if you don't test , you won't know that you have it so you will you will just carry on with your life . Covid is going to be round for a few more years yet we need to deal with it . Obviously if you are very vulnerable you can take precautions, avoid crowded places , continue good hand washing techniques, have windows open and whatever feels right for you .
If it all blows up again in the future the government can re establish necessary procedures as they feel fit .

@winnieanddaisy

I think that by this summer covid testing will be pretty much obsolete. We won't know if we have a cold , covid, or the flu . The only people who will be tested going forward are those admitted to hospital . This makes sense to me because if you are not ill enough to be admitted to hospital then it doesn't really matter what your illness is called . I think the need to isolate will be unnecessary . You don't isolate if you have a cold . Half the time you don't even get symptoms now with covid so if you don't test , you won't know that you have it so you will you will just carry on with your life . Covid is going to be round for a few more years yet we need to deal with it . Obviously if you are very vulnerable you can take precautions, avoid crowded places , continue good hand washing techniques, have windows open and whatever feels right for you . If it all blows up again in the future the government can re establish necessary procedures as they feel fit .

Vulnerable people can't avoid crowded places. They have to go to work, have DC in school etc.

Hopefully free LFTs will be around for a good while yet, because as I've said they're absolutely key to CEV people living as normally as possible while there are (thankfully) no restrictions.

Vulnerable people can't avoid crowded places.

But we can't have it both ways... either we ALL continue with regular testing and limiting contacts for the long term..... OR most of society opens up and continues working and going to school with covid/cold/flu and the vulnerable try to protect themselves?

What other options are there??

We could scrap the silly changes made this week and continue with the original plan.

Meanwhile, we could sort out the plan with antivirals etc for the most vulnerable.

@Blubells

Vulnerable people can't avoid crowded places.

But we can't have it both ways... either we ALL continue with regular testing and limiting contacts for the long term..... OR most of society opens up and continues working and going to school with covid/cold/flu and the vulnerable try to protect themselves?

What other options are there??

There's a middle ground.

If you know you're going to be spending time with a CEV person, it's a good idea to test before you do, for example. If you live with someone vulnerable you'll be testing regularly.

Also as I've said many vulnerable people need to test regularly to keep an eye on their own status, so we can take antivirals if we need them and know we're safe to take our medication.

You absolutely can have it both ways. Society fully opening with no restrictions (good thing) while giving the vulnerable and those close to them the tools they need to keep them as safe as possible (also a good thing). Which is why LFTs should always be free to those who need them. It's a very small price to pay, really.

Smashing

If you need to test to even know you have the virus then the last thing you need is anti vitals as you’d be asymptomatic

Free tests will likely be available for those unwell.

Society fully opening with no restrictions (good thing) while giving the vulnerable and those close to them the tools they need to keep them as safe as possible (also a good thing). Which is why LFTs should always be free to those who need them.

Yes, that sounds good.

But some would argue that unless everyone constantly tests, cases will continue to transmit through society?

@Watapalava

Smashing

If you need to test to even know you have the virus then the last thing you need is anti vitals as you’d be asymptomatic

Free tests will likely be available for those unwell.

I'm not sure you understand how being immunosuppressed works.

I inject my medication on a Sunday. If I take a test on Sunday morning and it's positive, I'll know not to take my medication. If I don't take a test and I'm positive and take my medication, I'm likely to become extremely ill, because the large dose of immunosuppressant drugs I've taken will make it very hard for my body to fight it.

Some of the symptoms of my illness (fatigue, aching joints/muscles etc) mimic those of covid. If I don't test, I don't know whether it's my disease or covid.

LFTs are very good at detecting pre-symptomatic covid. So, while I may be asymptomatic when I take the test, it doesn't follow that I will continue to be.

The sooner I know I'm positive, the sooner I can take antivirals to prevent myself becoming symptomatic/my symptoms (if that's what they are, rather than the usual symptoms of my illness) becoming worse.

Free tests may well be available for those who are unwell - but let's not lose sight of the fact that nothing has been said yet about them not being available to everyone. All of this is conjecture.

@Blubells

Society fully opening with no restrictions (good thing) while giving the vulnerable and those close to them the tools they need to keep them as safe as possible (also a good thing). Which is why LFTs should always be free to those who need them.

Yes, that sounds good.

But some would argue that unless everyone constantly tests, cases will continue to transmit through society?

Of course they will. CEV people fully understand this and accept that there's a risk - it's always been thus with other infections. Although covid is more prevalent than other infections at the moment, and can be more dangerous to some vulnerable people.

What we can do is mitigate our risks. Some may choose never to go to crowded places again (definitely not something I'd consider). But a really simple way of reducing risks without impacting society is to make tests free and accessible to vulnerable people and those they come into close contact with.

Hopefully in time (the sooner the better!) therapeutics will improved, a vaccine that is more effective for immunosuppressed people will be developed, maybe even future covid strains will mutate to be even less harmful than a mild cold whoever catches it. But for the next few months at least keeping tests free is a simple and effective way to reduce risk.

Knowing several people with long Covid and a child who was hospitalised and has permanent damage to their heart, I'd rather have more info than less. We're also assuming that any further Covid variants that develop are going to be as mild as omicron. There's still variants of flu that cause panic in public health officials so that seems like a bit assumption

@Watapalava

Smashing

If you need to test to even know you have the virus then the last thing you need is anti vitals as you’d be asymptomatic

Free tests will likely be available for those unwell.

The trouble is that when CEV you can nose dive quickly.

Last time round I gradually felt like I had a chest infection starting. A couple of days or so (all without the main 3 symptoms so technically not eligible for PCR) in I was being rushed to A&E with a risk of heart attack/stroke. The antivirals may have helped prevent that if I'd have known immediately I had covid and been able to start them straight away.

That's why it's important that those most vulnerable have access to regular testing whilst cases in their area are high,

And yes, as the pp mentions - the issue can also be due to mediation.

I take my strongest immunosuppressant medication on a Monday morning. I need to know at that point if I'm positive or not. If I am, I need to know not to take it (at present I am positive again, so now know not to take my injection for the next 3 weeks) and by taking that drug could make my body react hugely - so even if asymptomatic at the time, it's important to know where possible, to avoid a trigger.

@Blubells

Vulnerable people can't avoid crowded places.

But we can't have it both ways... either we ALL continue with regular testing and limiting contacts for the long term..... OR most of society opens up and continues working and going to school with covid/cold/flu and the vulnerable try to protect themselves?

What other options are there??

This isn't true.

Even if regular testing for the masses stops, it being made available to vulnerable people and their closest contacts at home, could really help - it means people know asap and can take the right action to help reduce the risk of getting more ill.

I teach. I can't avoid crowded places unless I give up work.
I know there are some MN posters who think that is a good solution, and have pretty much said so on threads already.
But I doubt some posters realise quite how many vulnerable people are actually full time workers in crowded and busy work places. If they were all to quit society would notice!

My son's special school require 3 tests each week. They don't give us any LFT just the link to website. Not sure if they will continue to demand so many once charges apply. Many children in there are cev.

YABU. So only those that can afford them get the advantages they bring? And the poor can take their chances? Nice. Bore off. Bet you’ve done lots of “research” eh?

I work with both the young and the old. In my employment I’ve not been asked to do LFTs but that setting is rife with Covid and I do them to minimise the risk in my self employed capacity. I am able to get on with life quite normally thank you very much. I am a low earner and I wouldn’t be able to afford the tests. I’ve lost half of my weekly earnings this week because I have Covid.