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

Who on earth is waving positive LFTs around like a badge of honour? Only people I know who have had one have sent a "oh shit, it's positive, I saw you recently so I'm politely letting you know" type message. Perhaps reconsider your social circle if you're seeing a lot of waving around proudly.

@CautiousOptimist11

Goodness me. I was venting and should have expected this. I have read all the replies and am relieved that a minority understand.

I'm not going to sit and list my credentials or argue my point as it would take too long. And would go completely over the heads judging by some of the more succinct responses. I know I'm not likely to change anybody's mind

I'm just tired and so so fed up of the mindset in this country. And don't say move then. Its childish and unrealistic. I did live in a other (sane) country for the majority of the pandemic and have therefore not been subjected to 2 years of terrorising.

Medical testing indiscriminately and across the board for anything is bad practice. Yes LFT (or bettwr PCRs) have their place but not for everybody, every day.

My point is that testing should be phased out completely rather than pricing out the poor

and the ONLY way I see that happening is for tests to become less accessible.

I get it, OP

However, I'm genuinely unaware of any sane countries in this situation, though I realise you probably don't want to name it.

People with employers asking for LFTs - are they asking for proof? I know one person who has them testing outside the office with someone from HR watching, but I am guessing that's an extreme case....or maybe it's normal and I just don't know?

Omicron may be mild for some (though you'd be surprised at how badly a lot of my friends who had it 'mildly' had it) but you had still better hope you don't get it because long Covid - and vascular and neurological changes - are still a MAJOR risk from it.

I've got friends in their 30s who previously played sport regularly and worked full time and now can only work part time and don't have the energy to socialise as they feel so poorly all the time.

Don't think you're invincible. The messaging from the government about how 'mild' this is and how we can 'live with it' is the message of a government who doesn't care about you. It's starkly at odds with most other developed countries.

Why do you think China is still so worried about Omicron if it's "so mild"? Hong Kong? Vietnam? Korea? Japan? Canada? Germany?

@Wizzbangfizz

Because they cost an absolute bomb to the taxpayer, people are taking the piss with them as they are free, they are disastrous for the environment - we don't perpetually test for other endemic diseases - I could go on?

Masks are largely gone, plan b restrictions lifted - happy days.

@SmashingBIouse the vaccine does that.

Covid is not endemic. Yet.

they are disastrous for the environment

Ohh, that's new..... no-one was calling this back in the day. Run out of masks/ social distancing don't work arguments have you?

I have to do one 5 days a week, as do all of my colleagues. Its the only way to keep the individuals we care for safe. Who will pay for all these tests?

@TravellingSpoon

I have to do one 5 days a week, as do all of my colleagues. Its the only way to keep the individuals we care for safe. Who will pay for all these tests?

Surely your employer will? Which is fair.

Aside from the virtue signalling, pointless "we must be seen to be doing something even if it is pointless" is one thing but the environmental impact these tests and all the discarded masks have had is appalling. We should be utterly ashamed of ourselves. That plastic carrier bag campaign seems a bit pathetic now doesn't it.

@Wizzbangfizz

Because they cost an absolute bomb to the taxpayer, people are taking the piss with them as they are free, they are disastrous for the environment - we don't perpetually test for other endemic diseases - I could go on?

Masks are largely gone, plan b restrictions lifted - happy days.

@SmashingBIouse the vaccine does that.

I don't understand how some people still don't understand that many immunosuppressed people don't achieve a good immune response from vaccines and therefore aren't fully protected by them. Some immunosuppressed people get less than 10% of the protection from vaccines that healthy people do. And if they catch covid, they are likely to have a poor outcome. LFTs are a frontline defence for those who are still very vulnerable to covid despite being triple or quadruple vaccinated.

I inject a low dose form of chemotherapy weekly for my autoimmune disease. The plastic syringes, the plastic sharps bins I use and the remnants of the drug itself are likely to be disastrous to the environment (as are the drugs and their packaging used to treat covid patients, incidentally). Should I stop taking it?

LFTs are currently just as essential to managing my health as my immunosuppressant drugs are. We don't test for other endemic diseases (not that covid is at the endemic stage quite yet anyway), but neither are they as contagious or currently as rife as covid is. And covid is more dangerous to some CEV people than flu/colds etc too.

But yes. Happy days!

@Wizzbangfizz

normality likely to include tests, social distancing and masks

Did you not see the announcement the other day?

That announcement included a recommendation to use masks in certain settings and certainly didn't tell people to stop testing.

I honestly think it would cost the taxpayer more to implement a system of paying for them with exemptions and allowances for work and clinical vulnerabilities etc that free for anyone in request is simpler and cheaper. Just look at the disaster that is T&T; our government is shit at admin stuff like that.

YABU NHS staff need to do them twice weekly for their jobs.

I'm amazed how easily people accept what the government has fed them even though it's very clear what is happening at the moment is motivated by Johnson's desperate last ditch attempt to save his own skin and has very little to do with public health. But it's very convenient for them to basically announce the pandemic is over (worked well before with "freedom day" after all) and the masses are cheering.

The pandemic is not over when you want it to be over.

What did you do before covid to keep your vulnerable parents safe?

Before? When there wasn't a virus that can be spread in asymptomatic people in the same way as Covid? If I was unwell, or had come in to contact with someone who was unwell with a bug that put my parents at risk, I didn't go there.

But suggesting what we did before is in any way irrelevant in a pandemic (and yes it still is a pandemic) with a virus that still isn't fully understood, acts a different way from the vast majority of other viruses, spreads far more easily and impacts people in a more severe way than any we've seen before.

People with employers asking for LFTs - are they asking for proof? I know one person who has them testing outside the office with someone from HR watching, but I am guessing that's an extreme case....or maybe it's normal and I just don't know?

My employer has never asked for proof but maybe that’s because they know none of us would lie.

Right now over half of the staff are absent either because they’re positive or because they’re not fully vaccinated.

We have a few not fully vaccinated and every time they come into contact with a positive case they isolate for 10 days.
This month I have only seen them twice as every time they come back someone else tests positive and they have another 10 days off.

This isn’t sustainable and I feel sorry for small businesses, so testing and isolating if positive is the only way most places can survive.

@ReeseWitherfork

Who on earth is waving positive LFTs around like a badge of honour? Only people I know who have had one have sent a "oh shit, it's positive, I saw you recently so I'm politely letting you know" type message. Perhaps reconsider your social circle if you're seeing a lot of waving around proudly.

Exactly. My thought last night was most definitely not " woohoo, how fab, it's positive."

It was 'oh, that explains why I feel rubbish then. Best let school know and the teachers I met during the day.'

Followed by 'best make a call in the morning to the GP to find out what I need to do re my methotrexate medication [had to stop taking it last time for 3 weeks] and check whether I'm still eligible for the antivirals.'

Followed by 'fingers crossed it's a mild form this time, don't fancy a repeat of last year.'

I don't understand how some people still don't understand that many immunosuppressed people don't achieve a good immune response from vaccines and therefore aren't fully protected by them. Some immunosuppressed people get less than 10% of the protection from vaccines that healthy people do. And if they catch covid, they are likely to have a poor outcome. LFTs are a frontline defence for those who are still very vulnerable to covid despite being triple or quadruple vaccinated.

My friend is currently very ill from covid despite being fully vaccinated and boosted. Of course she was told she should just stay at home and get vaccinated if she was scared, but with three school age kids, she couldn't keep them off school. She isn't in hospital yet and we are crossing everything she will be ok, but this is the reality for immuno suppressed people. Suggesting we just throw them under the covid bus because other things can make them ill too is ignorant and really nasty.

The argument about how do we protect them from other things is also really stupid because the general public aren't carrying those other things in anywhere near the same numbers as they are carrying covid.

is one thing but the environmental impact these tests and all the discarded masks have had is appalling. We should be utterly ashamed of ourselves. That plastic carrier bag campaign seems a bit pathetic now doesn't it

Using "the environment" as an argument when you know you have no other real argument.

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

What you are suggesting is the tiniest drop in the biggest ocean. Try to get some perspective on this one.

We aren’t yet at a point in the pandemic where we are able to get on with things without precautions like lfts. Without lft my daughter would have gone into school to infect more people whilst positive. Her daily lft as a close contact confirmed covid 24 hours before she had any symptoms. Lfts are finding and isolating thousands of cases a day. The sooner people realise that in order to effectively live with covid we need precautions like lfts, masks in busy indoor spaces, better ventilation and air filters in schools and hospitals the less disruptive covid will become. The pandemic isn’t over because Boris is dropping all restrictions to try and save his job! We had over 100,000 cases yesterday and these will now rise with children back at school. Some low key measures help to make life more normal and lfts are one of these.

BoredZelda exactly. I've just been warned again by specialist nurses about how high my risk is, and to ignore gov as cases sky high in this area.
Before covid I was happy to work with public and go to any events. Covid is a different ballgame, if I get it it mortality is very high.
The NHS is under such pressure with covid that getting treatment is harder as icu have unvaccinated stopping transplants etc.
My daughter is at school and they are removing masks today.
I'm not sure why people used to be sympathetic to people on chemo etc, now I'd think twice before disclosing it to anyone as some are quite nasty about'cowering/face nappies etc

Nope @echt but that wasn't the question asked happy to re-hash them though - anyway off shopping now (maskless) enjoy your day!

You do realise some of us take them for work?! I need to LFT twice weekly so If you wanna pay for mine, then knock yourself out!!

Common colds aren't a serious problem for immunosuppressed compared to covid. Covid is a multi system disease, with chronic sequale.

There are preventative pre infection injectable 6 monthly drugs the gov could use on my group, other countries already are. But this gov are not bothering about this. I could get on with life if I could have these.

We are the only group left unprotected whilst being most vulnerable.

Unfortunately I think the gov could use 'fuck the vulnerable' as a slogan and large numbers would still happily vote for them.