How do you feel about testing/isolation ending?

[Usernumber5253747293]

If it happens ^

I was speaking to a relative earlier and I was saying how glad I will be when and if all the isolation and testing rules end. It's not that I don't take covid seriously, because we really have. I spent nearly 2 years being so anxious about getting to catching it and being fine!! I know not everyone gets away with it's so mildly but my experience of covid wasn't too bad at all!

Anyway, both dc have sen. Isolation periods have been hard (Dd has had covid twice) m, holding down to test them has been hard, waiting for test results etc. I can't bloody wait to feel like I don't have to anymore. We all had covid in December. The isolation period was hell, far worse than the actual illness. My dc were climbing the walls! Dc had barely any symptoms really and found the isolation hard.

Of course if dc were ill I'd keep them off until better as I would have before covid. I've always kept my kids away from people when germy.

My relative is moaning about all the rules ending and how it will spread it! Which is ironic as they were very poorly last month with covid symptoms and didn't test or isolate but that's another story 😅

I just feel people should use their common sense. If you feel ill, stay home. If you have to go out when ill don't go too close to people, wash your hands and practise good respiratory hygiene!

It's a good thing right? Surely I'm not the only one waiting ever so patiently for any announcement over it 😅

Boris has already said those most vulnerable Will get free tests though?

LFTs are used to detect pre-symptomatic covid as well as asymptomatic.

In reality, they don't usually give a positive result until symptoms have started though. It does mean they are useful for distinguishing between a cold and covid but not so good if you don't have any symptoms at all.

If you test positive before you're symptomatic you can obtain antivirals at the earliest opportunity, so the outcome is likely to be even better than if you wait until you're symptomatic. They have to be given within a few days of infection; the earlier, the better.

As I said, you very probably won’t test positive until you have symptoms anyway especially if you are immuno suppressed. They won't give the antivirals If you don't have symptoms so you would have to lie about it. As long as it's within the first five days of symptoms they will work.

I inject weekly. And yes, having a live infection when I inject is more dangerous than one I acquire a few days later. Not that it matters - without free testing I'll never know when I've got an infection, whether it's on injection day or later in the week.

Lots of people on similar meds to me are seriously having to weigh up which is the greater danger to them - becoming ill with Covid while immunosuppressed, or living with conditions which can, without treatment, be disabling and/or life shortening. It's a decision nobody should have to make for the sake of a box of tests a week.

You will still get the tests though and while they may not be for asymptomatic testing, they probably wouldn't have worked until you had symptoms anyway. The tests gave you a full sense of security. The thing that should be giving you security are the covid treatments. They are the game changer for people who are CEV and much better than having to rely on other people to test and isolate (which they probably weren't doing much anyway).

I may have misunderstood but haven't the government said that tests will remain free for certain groups (to be defined)? Presumably that would include CEV.

My friend lives in Spain and tests there have never been free. People abuse things when they are free. I already know people who are stockpiling tests. People who would rarely need to test but like doing so. We've seen here on Mumsnet people repeatedly testing over and over. As a country we simply can't afford to keep finding this.

@GirlInACountrySong

Boris has already said those most vulnerable Will get free tests though?

Symptomatic PCR testing only. Which isn't much use when I need to know if I have covid immediately before I take my medication. Or when CEV people need to keep an eye on their covid status in order to access antivirals as soon as they know they're infected.

He hasn't fully set out his plans yet!! That's all to come, there's no final details been given

@Belladonna12 my consultant says I must not take my medication unless I've had a negative LFT that day. And that I need to test regularly, daily if possible.

That's the advice of my consultant. It's the advice a lot of CEV people have been given. With all due respect, I think consultants in charge of the care of CEV people understand the value of testing patients, and their individual needs, better than a stranger on the internet.

And I don't understand why the relatively tiny cost of supplying the 500,000 CEV people in the UK with a box of LFTs a week is up for debate.

I think it's a classic example of Britain not been able to understand that they are not the centre of the world. It maybe very much less of a problem here but that isn't the case worldwide. I'd have preferred to have a second mild variety under our belts. Right now we don't know if the new variety will have the transmission rate of omicron and the severity of delta in which case we are stuffed. We should keep testing and isolation for positive cases.

[quote 0pheliaBaIIs]@Belladonna12 my consultant says I must not take my medication unless I've had a negative LFT that day. And that I need to test regularly, daily if possible.

That's the advice of my consultant. It's the advice a lot of CEV people have been given. With all due respect, I think consultants in charge of the care of CEV people understand the value of testing patients, and their individual needs, better than a stranger on the internet.

And I don't understand why the relatively tiny cost of supplying the 500,000 CEV people in the UK with a box of LFTs a week is up for debate.[/quote]
Is this definitely not happening?

What do people in similar situation do in other countries where these tests are not free, do you know?

@helpfulperson sorry, which new variety are you talking about here?

And who will pay people for isolating?

@Juno22

I may have misunderstood but haven't the government said that tests will remain free for certain groups (to be defined)? Presumably that would include CEV.

My friend lives in Spain and tests there have never been free. People abuse things when they are free. I already know people who are stockpiling tests. People who would rarely need to test but like doing so. We've seen here on Mumsnet people repeatedly testing over and over. As a country we simply can't afford to keep finding this.

The available testing for CEV people will be symptomatic PCRs only. I've covered in previous posts why that's problematic.

I agree we cannot afford to keep testing everyone. But making free LFTs available to those who have genuine medical need - and it's a relatively tiny number - is surely fair enough. Perhaps a letter/code enabling people to pick up a box a week from a pharmacy, or one box a week posted to the homes of vulnerable people. 500,000 boxes of LFTs a week is not the same as the tens of millions of LFTs currently being taken a week.

Sorry I realise that read like there is a current new varient. I meant next varient because there will be on.

Opheliaballs i agree, testing should be free for someone in your situation.

[quote 0pheliaBaIIs]@Belladonna12 my consultant says I must not take my medication unless I've had a negative LFT that day. And that I need to test regularly, daily if possible.

That's the advice of my consultant. It's the advice a lot of CEV people have been given. With all due respect, I think consultants in charge of the care of CEV people understand the value of testing patients, and their individual needs, better than a stranger on the internet.

And I don't understand why the relatively tiny cost of supplying the 500,000 CEV people in the UK with a box of LFTs a week is up for debate.[/quote]
I'm unaware of any guidelines that state that CEV should do daily lateral flow tests and it certainly isn't advice given to all immunosuppressed people. Did he give this advice before or after the availability of covid treatments? If it is advised for people who are immuno suppressed to test daily even if asymptomatic then they will receive lateral flow tests for asymptomatic testing.

If you are injecting weekly, the drug you are taking has a long half life. The frequency is designed so that there isn’t a huge difference in how immunosuppressed you are on injection day compared a couple of days later.

@Belladonna12 you do realise that guidelines are just that, don't you - guidelines? They're not a one size fits all approach, or set in stone. I'm sure that you'll concede that you can't know the individual advice given to every immunosuppressed patient by their consultant.

This advice is given to me every time I speak to my consultant, most recently at the beginning of this month.

If it is advised for people who are immuno suppressed to test daily even if asymptomatic then they will receive lateral flow tests for asymptomatic testing

Where have you seen this, please? The only information I've seen is that testing will be restricted to PCRs for symptomatic, vulnerable people from 1 April. If what you're saying is true, I'm not sure why we're even having this conversation - I'd have no concerns whatsoever. So, yes - if you can supply a source for this (and I hate to be 'Source Please guy ) I'd be massively grateful and relieved.

There's a huge difference between being infected at the point of flooding your body with hevay duty immunosuppressant drugs and being infected a few days later. I'm not sure what you're basing your assumption on? Do you have a medical background at all, one which has a broad understanding of all autoimmune conditions and their treatment, particularly wrt Covid?

Right well @opheliaballs situation aside

I'm happy restrictions have gone. It feels quite celebratory. No more faffing around, everyone back pulling their weight and a bonus cinema trip this weekend with tickets all £3!

Just heard from my childminder that if she or anyone else in her house has covid she still can't take in any children despite them actually being able to go out and about themselves....what's the point in that? Especially considering nurseries and schools are not doing the same!

Absolutely ridiculous.

[quote 0pheliaBaIIs]@Belladonna12 you do realise that guidelines are just that, don't you - guidelines? They're not a one size fits all approach, or set in stone. I'm sure that you'll concede that you can't know the individual advice given to every immunosuppressed patient by their consultant.

This advice is given to me every time I speak to my consultant, most recently at the beginning of this month.

If it is advised for people who are immuno suppressed to test daily even if asymptomatic then they will receive lateral flow tests for asymptomatic testing

Where have you seen this, please? The only information I've seen is that testing will be restricted to PCRs for symptomatic, vulnerable people from 1 April. If what you're saying is true, I'm not sure why we're even having this conversation - I'd have no concerns whatsoever. So, yes - if you can supply a source for this (and I hate to be 'Source Please guy ) I'd be massively grateful and relieved.

There's a huge difference between being infected at the point of flooding your body with hevay duty immunosuppressant drugs and being infected a few days later. I'm not sure what you're basing your assumption on? Do you have a medical background at all, one which has a broad understanding of all autoimmune conditions and their treatment, particularly wrt Covid?[/quote]
you do realise that guidelines are just that, don't you - guidelines? They're not a one size fits all approach, or set in stone. I'm sure that you'll concede that you can't know the individual advice given to every immunosuppressed patient by their consultant.

I appreciate that there may be a reason why you individually need lateral flow test daily. However, you are arguing that there should be a policy for 500,000 CEV people to have them which is only going to happen if experts agree but there would be an advantage to this. You can't expect them to spend millions on lateral flow tests for 500,000 people to do daily tests because one consultant thinks his patient should take them.

Where have you seen this, please? The only information I've seen is that testing will be restricted to PCRs for symptomatic, vulnerable people from 1 April. If what you're saying is true, I'm not sure why we're even having this conversation - I'd have no concerns whatsoever. So, yes - if you can supply a source for this (and I hate to be 'Source Please guy grin) I'd be massively grateful and relieved.

I said if it is advised. It hasn't been advised that people who are immunsuppressed should do daily LFT as far as I'm aware. i.e. there are no expert guidelines stating this as far as I'm aware.

There's a huge difference between being infected at the point of flooding your body with hevay duty immunosuppressant drugs and being infected a few days later. I'm not sure what you're basing your assumption on? Do you have a medical background at all, one which has a broad understanding of all autoimmune conditions and their treatment, particularly wrt Covid?

Yes, I do. Plus a close family member is very immuno suppressed so I have a personal interest.

I said if it is advised

My constultant has advised me. I can't speak for others, obviously. But then, neither can you. As we all know, government advice is not always in line with individual patients' requirements.

It's certainly advised generally that immunosuppressed people take an LFT before they take their medication. With your background, I'm surprised you're not aware of this.

I'm arguing that CEV people should have access to free testing if it's required and if they want it. In reality I appreciate the number who require testing may be much lower than 500,000. Which makes an even stronger case for not denying them this simple protection, cost-wise.

That was to @Belladonna12.

I am very glad as have been against all measures which are mandatory since March 2020. Hopefully the tube mask ban will go soon too - www.mylondon.news/news/uk-world-news/tfl-says-mask-wearing-tube-23169980

However I still cannot easily go away as would have to wear a mask on the plane and would be forced to test before I come home and twice once home (current English law for the unvaccinated) so I do not feel I have my rights and freedoms back and I am not happy at having to pay massive extra taxes for 20 years to pay for measures which I have fundamentally been against.

My constultant has advised me. I can't speak for others, obviously. But then, neither can you. As we all know, government advice is not always in line with individual patients' requirements.

They aren't going to design policies around an individual consultant opinion. When I say advice, I mean advice from expert groups including immunologists, rheumatologists, neurologist, oncologist etc They have, to date, decided who should be vaccinated, who should receive antivirals etc. If expert groups advise that certain immunosuppressed people should do daily lateral flow tests, I am sure they will continue to receive them.

It's certainly advised generally that immunosuppressed people take an LFT before they take their medication. With your background, I'm surprised you're not aware of this.

Please point me to guidance stating this.

@NeverForgetYourDreams

Can't wait. I've only tested for one 7 day period which was a waste of time because I hadn't caught it.

Have about 7 packs of 7 tests DC kept bringing home from school knocking around at home now clogging up space.

Roll on Thursday.

I'll rehome your tests!

@Belladonna12

There are notices in the waiting room of my MSU advising patients on immunosuppressant drugs to conduct an LFT prior to taking their medication. This is in line with advice I've been given by my GP, and the advice given by charities such as NRAS. As I say, with your background I'm surprised you're not aware of this.

Do you mind me asking what your medical background is? A quick AS suggests that you have applied for supermarket jobs in the past, prior to your qualification presumably? I assume you're a consultant rheumatologist or similar, given your knowledge of immunosuppressant drugs (although of course there are lots of other conditions which require these). I'm happy to take on board what a person qualified in the field relative to my condition says (as long as it's not directly opposing what my own consultant says, obviously), but you'll understand I'd approach with caution what a random unqualified person on the internet says.

[quote 0pheliaBaIIs]@Belladonna12

There are notices in the waiting room of my MSU advising patients on immunosuppressant drugs to conduct an LFT prior to taking their medication. This is in line with advice I've been given by my GP, and the advice given by charities such as NRAS. As I say, with your background I'm surprised you're not aware of this.

Do you mind me asking what your medical background is? A quick AS suggests that you have applied for supermarket jobs in the past, prior to your qualification presumably? I assume you're a consultant rheumatologist or similar, given your knowledge of immunosuppressant drugs (although of course there are lots of other conditions which require these). I'm happy to take on board what a person qualified in the field relative to my condition says (as long as it's not directly opposing what my own consultant says, obviously), but you'll understand I'd approach with caution what a random unqualified person on the internet says.[/quote]
What drugs are you talking about? You seem to be talking about a very specific situation and I can't see that it would apply to the great majority of people who are immunosuppressed. You still haven't given a reason for needing to test daily given you inject only weekly.

As for doing a search on me- I have never worked in a supermarket apart from as a student so I'm not sure where you got that idea! Why should I out myself and give specific details of my qualifications?

Chestofdraws I think you need to read my second paragraph again. The testing you’re envisaging requires you to get ill in the first place, and to go somewhere where you will be likely to be spreading the virus to many others. What a stupid idea.