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

The idea is that, by charging for the tests, people will think twice before indiscriminately testing themselves and waving a positive around like a badge of honour.

But that doesn’t make sense. Either tests are necessary or they aren’t. If you charge, all you do is restrict them to those who can pay for them.

I totally agree with you, OP.

This obsessive testing has to stop soon. People claiming Covid 19 is not endemic are deluded. It is, and it won't be going anywhere. It will have to be managed in a similar way to flu. It won't be eradicated. That is pie in the sky.

If that makes me "a bit of a dick" to some, or "selfish" then so be it.

🤨

@Scottishflower65

It has been widely reported, eg Sunday Times, that free tests will end by July. A price of £30 per box of 7 was quoted.

This was an interesting thread about the cost of LFT in other countries

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4455275-The-actual-cost-of-a-LFT-could-be-8-each

Don't wish too hard for what you want
Or then you might get it
And then when you get it
Then you might wish you never got it all.......

As the late great Peter Allen said.

In Australia we have to pay for them - and since there is a shortage we now have a black market in the things. I had Covid last week and after searching everywhere for a test kit, my husband paid $ 15 for one kit ( £ 7). Is that what you are wishing for ?

@AndAnotherNewOne

And the poorest among us who can't afford to pay? What should they do?

This, just this. My DD has to test regularly for school and there is no way I can afford to buy them. That is the difference between my DC eating and not tbh and my DD has SEN and cannot afford to miss even more school because I can't afford to buy the LFT tests that she needs to do in order to be able to go to school.

Will never take another lft nor will my kids, it’s all a total racket. If we’re unwell we’ll stay home and if not we’ll go out. That’s it.

Please state your credentials OP. Unless you have somehow more knowledge and insight than than the various groups of scientists we are currently listening to, then I shall choose to ignore your invitation to a bun fight about the current covid measures.

It's like a religious cult of people who do not understand science medicine or statistics, but believe they have all the knowledge

What is your degree in then?

@Tilltheend99

Let’s start charging for prescriptions too. All these idiots running around thinking their sick. If only they understood how medicines work through watching more YouTube

Well depending where you are a lot of people do pay for prescriptions . Incidentally I think there will always be some lfts for free but it will be more tightly regulated (rightly so).

Amazing how people get disensitised to the high number of deaths

I’d advise you to learn a bit more about what ‘mild’ actually means bith in terms of deaths (we still have nearly 400 people dying each day from covid. It used to be considered absolutely a horrible number and unacceptable)
Children are more affected by omicron than they were by other strains. And they are not vaccinated.

It’s always fascinating to see how politicians and lay people have so attached to hat word ‘mild’ when epidemiologist, research, virus researchers etc… think it might be less dangerous than delta but is still a dangerous virus

I also assume that you dont have or care for close relatives who are CEV, don’t need to go to a care home to visit them (LTF are required) and so on.

Seriously, if you have an issue with LTF, don’t do them.
Switch your SM off so you don’t see anyone talking about their LFT and get on with your life whilst leaving others do whatever they want to protect themselves and others as they so wish.

I saw a picture the other day that had a picture of a plastic straw and a lft with the comment, so glad we banned plastic straws!

I’m somewhat baffled at the implies equivalence between the need for plastic straws and the need for tests to detect a virus that has already killed many thousands of people in this country alone.

@Movelikewater

Will never take another lft nor will my kids, it’s all a total racket. If we’re unwell we’ll stay home and if not we’ll go out. That’s it.

The problem with that is

• schools won’t be happy to see children at home for no reason. They already have some issues with it. (And that’s if you didn’t have children who catch everything under the sun)
• I doubt work will be happy for you to ‘just stay at home’ unless you are either a SAHP or WFH… which isn’t everyone. For those who have to go to work, then checking if you are infectious IS a good idea for the sake of everyone else around. Plus it’s a good way to actually, you know, keep your job? (Not going into the zero hours contract etc..l where people have no other choice but to go out and work)

People forget that isolation periods might remain inforce even when not required

Healthcare settings, schools and care settings for example have always asked for people that have d & v to be home for set periods, nursery's will send home and not let back in

@AndAnotherNewOne

It will be managed like the flu is.

So sick of seeing this. It's not flu. It's not like flu. It cannot be managed.

Are you saying the flu can be managed? Because you’re wrong there.

Not rtft but no, I really hope they don't start charging for them.

I'm on immunosuppressant drugs and I need to test daily to be as sure as I can be that I'm covid free. This is for two reasons: If I test positive I need to start on antivirals immediately even if I'm asymptomatic, and also if I have it I need to pause my medication (which I inject weekly). Taking it while I have a live case of covid would be extremely dangerous.

There's also the fact that while tests are freely available more people will use them and hopefully isolate if they're ill, which means vulnerable people are less likely to come into contact with infected people.

As it stands with cases so high scrapping free LFTs would be a real punch in the guts for vulnerable people.

I'm in Ireland and for 5 tests its €12 in Aldi, in a chemist its approx. €5 to €6 for a test, sometimes €8.50 depending on the greed of the chemist. If we get an email or text from the school or creche about a breakout, we can order tests, box of 5, to be posted out and they're delivered approx. 2 days after request. I test when going to see my parents
I pay and we all test if the kids get a notification from school or creche. Us adults don't get free tests if kids are contacts so doing 2 adults x 3 a week can work out expensive but thankfully, we have been lucky with our notifications to date.

Me and 1 DC have Covid at the moment, my other 2 DC are waiting for pcr results so my partner is testing 5 days a week so he can do our shop runs and anything else we need to do (these tests supplied by HSE).

For the moment everyone is trying to do what they're being asked to do. I know people who are "stocking up" on tests via HSE as I don't know how monitored this new system is yet but I'd still buy them if I need them outside of being told I'm a close contact.

@cherryonthecakes
Thanks for the link. So seems to be the norm to pay in most countries. I’d be interested to know if there are mechanisms in place in those countries for those who cannot afford it - suspect not as many posters were saying they just don’t do them due to cost.

OP this is pretty dramatic. Did you shove one up your nose too far and have a bad experience?

Also making LFTs essentially only available to financially better off people is a frightening prospect. It suggests that poor people are expendable and only the wealthy have the right to good health and to protect others.

If as a PP suggested tests might cost £30 a box, I'd be absolutely fucked - I can't afford over £120pm for my tests alone, and DH has to test several times a week too. People with several DC at school would be priced out of testing. Tough tits if they have vulnerable loved ones I guess.

@Woodlandarchitect

OP this is pretty dramatic. Did you shove one up your nose too far and have a bad experience?

At least there was no possibility it pierced OP's brain

I'm not sure I can take it any more.

This is well down on the list of things I'm desperate about. Do you think you may have something else wrong with you that's causing you to be so concerned about this?

This is one of the most unreasonable OPs I’ve seen for ages!

Yes, let’s make them a luxury for the better off. That’ll help.

@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

Can you, personally, afford LFTs as you might imagine they would be charged at?

Thanks OP, you've just reminded me to order another box while they are still free :)