Who's done with routinely testing?

[LifesTooShortYOLO]

A lot of people I've spoken to lately have all said they are done with doing lateral flows twice a week and aren't testing anymore as life needs to get back to normal we can't test for ever.
I have to agree...
Last week we did a random lateral flow on DS 5 as we were aware the school had lots of kids with Covid and it came up positive. He is completely asymptomatic and we wouldn't have know he had it if we hadn't of tested.
It got me thinking, who are the mugs here the people testing and 'looking for something' that otherwise wouldn't be aware was there or the people who are not testing so long as they feel well and carrying on with their life. Ignorance is bliss they say.
I can bet a lot of parents aren't testing their kids at school if they appear well and I can't blame them.
So honestly, if you don't work in healthcare and have to test for your job are you routinely still testing with lateral flows if you feel well??

I didn't realise this was a thing, but anyway we're not doing it.

Yes I am, because I go in and out of people's homes regularly and my mum and dad are both vulnerable so I'd rather test and check. I do not check my 3 year old regularly though as it's an absolute nightmare

I'm not sure you allowed to be 'done' with anything Covid related on MN without getting a full on lecture about how Covid isn't done with you and all the rest of it.

But I can quite see how the threat of having to get a PCR then the following isolation if it's positive (maybe not even for the first time now everyone's about to get it again) would put people off doing LFTs, especially if the person is basically asymptomatic.

I stopped doing asymptomatic testing when I had Covid last August and never started again. I tested over Christmas as I was contacted by T&T as a close contact and I tested once this month before meeting a heavily pregnant relative. I don't test DS as it's too much of a bloody struggle. We will go for PCRs if we ever get symptoms and that's it.

@Sparklingbrook

I'm not sure you allowed to be 'done' with anything Covid related on MN without getting a full on lecture about how Covid isn't done with you and all the rest of it.

But I can quite see how the threat of having to get a PCR then the following isolation if it's positive (maybe not even for the first time now everyone's about to get it again) would put people off doing LFTs, especially if the person is basically asymptomatic.

I just feel like I've not achieved anything by doing it as it's literally everywhere anyway in schools etc so ultimately now I have an asymptomatic child stuck at home for potentially 10 days missing friends and schoolwork and a parent missing out on a weeks pay all because of testing 'just to see'

It’s not being a mug to catch a Covid case and stop your child passing it on to someone more vulnerable. You could saved someone’s life.

Why do you consider yourself a mug for discovering that your child has a highly contagious virus which is harmful to vulnerable people and taking action to make sure they don't spread it? Wouldn't you be more of a mug if you let him wander about infecting people left,right and centre?

Yes, we are. I work in a school where covid is rife and I want to try to avoid giving it to my parents.

To clarify, I’m answering the question in your post:-

are you routinely still testing with lateral flows if you feel well??

Not the question in your post title, which asks the complete opposite.

Still doing them here. DH works with cv people so everyone is still expected to do them. I only do them if coming into close contact with friends/family to protect them - especially if I know I've been somewhere high risk.

Over 60% of our parents are not testing their children. Whilst that is their perogative I'm massively pissed off to have COVID for the 3rd time now, having tested positive on Friday evening. Second time in 3 months. Each time I have been ill with it, I currently feel like shite, most of my fellow SLT are off and we have 9 supply cover supervisors in as we can't get supply teachers. The disruption is horrific, and half of the staff off are off too ill to be teaching online. I'm planning to record a few bits for my A level chemistry class as between my partner teacher and I they will have missed more than 15 lessons from our absence, let alone their own as most of them have also had between 7 and 10 days off. Don't even ask about my GCSE who are experiencing absences for every single subject repeatedly.

This is why we test. My partner has also had it 3 times (also a secondary teacher), the first he was repeatedly hospitalised. That has left our DD an anxiety ridden wreck, and this is her GCSE year.

Whilst I am delighted that your child is asymptomatic, the adults I know have around a 50/50 chance of having a bit of a cold ranging to feeling like they have gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson and being ill for much more than just a few days. Surely 10 days isolating is better than taking out a department at school?

As someone who works in a school - can I say ‘thank you’ for testing and finding the positive case. I am CV with elderly parents and I am trying my best to avoid catching Covid. Every case that is found potentially prevents an outbreak in a class and protects me and my family (as well as all the other CV/CEV pupils, parents and staff).

Do you think that people who have not had Covid yet are more likely to be doing this? The ones that know what it entails should it be positive in terms of childcare etc are less willing.
I don't have school age children and have to test twice a week for work. I had Covid in December and would really not like to do it again even though I'd have to.
I can understand the not wanting to.

We all had covid over Christmas and have not done any asymptomatic testing since. I will only test if any of us have symptoms going forward.

I’ve never done it.

I will only test if I have to, going to see my dad in the care home etc.

It's a difficult one. DDs school has just asked kids and parents to test, regardless of symptoms. We've tested DD even though she had Covid at Xmas as felt we had to.

Protecting the vulnerable is an interesting one - who does this apply to? Those who come into contact with vulnerable people as part of their job? Or everybody (as anyone could pass a vulnerable person in a shop/on transport etc)?

And where do teachers fit into this - unless they are all shielding then they will be exposed regardless but I get that they are in a difficult position in schools.

Individual children are isolating so schools can keep functioning and minimise teacher absence, that makes sense but how many absences before an individual child's life chances are changed permanently?

I just hope they can keep developing vaccines that can keep up with the changing virus.

I never did it in the first place

@Akire

It’s not being a mug to catch a Covid case and stop your child passing it on to someone more vulnerable. You could saved someone’s life.

I've just been out to drive. I could have stayed at home and saved a life had I been unfortunate enough to have an accident whilst driving, but we don't tend to live our lives focussing on the "worst case scenario" thankfully....

The constant Covid catastrophising is suffocating...

@Watsername

As someone who works in a school - can I say ‘thank you’ for testing and finding the positive case. I am CV with elderly parents and I am trying my best to avoid catching Covid. Every case that is found potentially prevents an outbreak in a class and protects me and my family (as well as all the other CV/CEV pupils, parents and staff).

Unfortunately it doesn't prevent an outbreak, it only delays one.

I haven't been regularly testing twice a week. I tested yesterday as I was getting my nails done as it's a small, family owned salon but that'll be it for a while.

I test before being indoors with people outside our family, as most people we spend time with indoors are vulnerable in some way

I'm done with it. No longer random testing just in case. No longer see the point in it. Probably because like millions of others, at this point, the mental and emotional impact of the pandemic is just too much.

Im only on my 40s but Covid has completely shrunk my world, eroded my confidence, contributed massively to what was previously manageable levels of anxiety.... and stolen everything/anything I found joy in doing.

Throughout the pandemic, we did everything asked of us wrt The Rules.... and the increasingly frequent revelations of what our so called leaders were doing at the same time have just pushed me over the edge.

But then, our lifestyle is such that I'm not convinced regularly testing was going to make much of a difference as we are practically shut ins now anyway.

Married, no kids....so no links to the schools situations, which I appreciate are going through by tricky times. My Husband is retired and goes out once a week to grocery shop. I've been forced to WFH since March 2020... Only been allowed back to office one day a week since October 2021, when I sit in an empty office and maybe speak to 3 people at a distance throughout my working day.
Weekends, sat in house. Not confident to go out to restaurants or cinemas. Too anxious to book a holiday in case we have to cancel /rearrange.

Probably both of us experiencing low grade depression. Im done.

We’ll continue testing when we see vulnerable friends/relatives. Husband CEV so would hope they’d do the same for him.

I don't test my kids in the 90 day period after covid (unless symptomatic) but start again after that.