No lateral flows left.. 🙈

[Zolla]

Ahh. As predicted, they announce the end of free testing and people have gone wild on ordering the free ones 😂 Shock.

there are 500,000 CEV people in the UK. Many are immunosuppressed, many will be asked to test regularly, all will be advised to test prior to taking their medication.

They aren't all advised to test prior to taking their medication at all. If experts agree that people on certain immunosuppressants do need to test before taking their then they will receive tests so they can do that.

We can’t just go online and order a free TB test, can we? Free testing will happen according to clinical need.
Sorry but this isn't a useful analogy. We are not in the middle of a TB pandemic. We are still in the middle of a COVID pandemic and rates are still extremely high and likely to now increase when people are not legally obliged to isolate if they have Covid. It's nonsensical to say we expect people to be responsible as they would if they had flu. People with flu have symptoms and know they are ill. Asymptotic transference of COVID happens frequently. So firstly how does anyone know they have it if they don't test for it. And secondly how can we expect people to self isolate even if they know they have COVID if they don't get sick pay (which is already paid at low rates) until the 4th day of being sick.
This is a dangerous policy done for political reasons not health reasons. The time isn't right to stop either free tests or mandatory self isolation. And it's also nonsense to call it restoring our freedoms. Our freedoms were not compromised and for many immuno suppressed and vulnerable people it will actually curtail their freedom.

Why do people want them as the need to test stops on Thurs? I'm just curious in case I've missed something
Because COVID is still circulating freely and . they want to protect other people by making sure they don't have COVID before visiting vulnerable people. Eg my brother is a very vulnerable person in a care home. If he gets COVID it is very likely to kill him. I don't want to visit him without doing as much as I can go to make sure I don't pass it onto him.

I’ve just ordered some, no problems.

@Belladonna12

there are 500,000 CEV people in the UK. Many are immunosuppressed, many will be asked to test regularly, all will be advised to test prior to taking their medication.

They aren't all advised to test prior to taking their medication at all. If experts agree that people on certain immunosuppressants do need to test before taking their then they will receive tests so they can do that.

We've exhausted this conversation on another thread.

We will not receive tests, as you have been told. Tests will be PCRs for asymptomatic vulnerable people only, as you have also been told, many times.

As I said on the other thread, we will never agree so let's just move on.

It's nonsensical to say we expect people to be responsible as they would if they had flu. People with flu have symptoms and know they are ill. Asymptotic transference of COVID happens frequently

Not true. People with flu may be just as asymptomatic and not know they're I'll!

@Nonnymum

We can’t just go online and order a free TB test, can we? Free testing will happen according to clinical need. Sorry but this isn't a useful analogy. We are not in the middle of a TB pandemic. We are still in the middle of a COVID pandemic and rates are still extremely high and likely to now increase when people are not legally obliged to isolate if they have Covid. It's nonsensical to say we expect people to be responsible as they would if they had flu. People with flu have symptoms and know they are ill. Asymptotic transference of COVID happens frequently. So firstly how does anyone know they have it if they don't test for it. And secondly how can we expect people to self isolate even if they know they have COVID if they don't get sick pay (which is already paid at low rates) until the 4th day of being sick. This is a dangerous policy done for political reasons not health reasons. The time isn't right to stop either free tests or mandatory self isolation. And it's also nonsense to call it restoring our freedoms. Our freedoms were not compromised and for many immuno suppressed and vulnerable people it will actually curtail their freedom.

Similar rate of asymptomatic flu as of asymptomatic Covid. You can also get flu mildly and you likely wouldn’t know it was flu.

And what do you mean that freedoms weren’t compromised?
Aren’t presently compromised you mean? Because yes I think this is arguably true (although speak to any parent with a child in nursery and they will tell you how much of a nightmare it is as children of that age exhibit one of the “3 main symptoms” the majority of the time. A lot I speak to have had to stop telling nurseries when DC had a fever over the weekend etc. So many are struggling to keep working when their children are just constantly sent home for PCR tests after PCR tests...) but obviously freedoms have been compromised hugely over the last 2 years and it’s right to acknowledge how much we all collectively sacrificed.

We will not receive tests, as you have been told. Tests will be PCRs for asymptomatic vulnerable people only, as you have also been told, many times.

The final details on exactly who will and will not receive free tests have not yet been announced. Most people who are immunocompromised do not need to take frequent lateral flow tests if they do not have symptoms. If the experts in treating your condition think it important for you to test before you take your weekly medication there is no reason to think you will not be provided with tests to do that.

If the experts in treating your condition think it important for you to test before you take your weekly medication there is no reason to think you will not be provided with tests to do that.

Tests should be provided by the NHS to those who genuinely need them, like with any other prescription medications.

Blubells and Belladonna. I agree.

@Changes17

I don't think 'Boris Johnson says it'll be fine' is a particularly reassuring thought - I'd rather know if I or the kids have Covid so that we can avoid passing it on to others who may be vulnerable.

This, although I'd extend it to not wanting to pass it on knowingly full stop. So many studies on organ damage etc.

But haven't the vulnerable had their jabs, I mean the elderly?

Yes surely those who medically need them will get them on prescription like other things.

I've got about 80 here. DS kept bringing them back from school. Unused. Will hand out to friends and family who feel the need to keep testing even though don't have to.....

@ShallWeTalkAboutBruno

So they can sell them on eBay in April for £10.00 each, half the cost the pharmacies will be selling them for is my guess.......

Bloody hell, I’ve got about 10 boxes in the cupboard (school/work were practically chucking them at us for months). I could make a killing.

Us too. As tempting as it is though I doubt it's legal

@Katya213

But haven't the vulnerable had their jabs, I mean the elderly?

Not all, no. It’s contra-indicated for some people.

None available on line. None available at any local chemists.

Just to point out as well than many many countries have never had free testing like ours. My family in Spain have always had to pay for LFT’s, approx 20 euros a pop. Consequently they’ve never taken one.

Yes. Is it only the UK who have had free tests? You have to pay in Italy too. It must be an enormous expense.

Boots are selling them tomorrow for £6 a box!

Similar rate of asymptomatic flu as of asymptomatic Covid. You can also get flu mildly and you likely wouldn’t know it was flu

Are we in the middle of a 'flu pandemic with 1 in 20 people infected? Did I miss that?

Self-administered tests in France cost between €4 and €5 in pharmacies and about €1.25 in supermarket multipacks.

In Belgium the price of an antigen self-test sold in pharmacies is around €6-€8 (£5-£7), although they are available in Belgian supermarkets for about €3.

Just managed to order some nhs ones

@Blubells @abraxan explains it so eloquently on another thread.

Flu is generally less transmissible most years. I have a flu vaccine annually. I've only knowingly had flu once in my life, before I was classed as immunosuppressed. I know it can be asymptomatic so may have had it since but clearly not enough to be affected by it.

I've had plenty of colds. I teach little ones so come into contact with them lots, They may make me feel poorly for 3 or 4 days but generally not too bad. I might need a day or two off if it's a particular bad cold.

I've had pneumonia once, before I was diagnosed though would have been in early stages of developing my health condition. But not talking the medication. I was in hospital, had about 8 weeks off work and took nearly a year to be fully better. I now have the pneumonia vaccine.

Sickness bugs don't really affect me any worse than anyone else tbh, though obviously I try to avoid them. I wouldn't knowingly visit someone who had a tummy bug, though invariably I'm in contact via school. I do practise good hand hygiene though (always have pre covid) and I've always kept my spaces in school fairly clean too.

I've had covid twice now.

October 2020, pre vaccines. Was in hospital. Developed a complication which left me with a life long issue with blood pressure, which required two extra tablets daily for life. Never had any issues before covid with my blood pressure, but it affected me in that way so bad I had to be rushed there with a very real risk of imminent heart attack or stroke. Was off work for 7 weeks, under the long covid clinic still, some 16 months later.

Caught covid again last month. Now triple jabbed, I know when I caught it I did have some antibodies, as was tested at the time. Managed to get antiviral infusion on day 5. Felt dreadful for a week then the antivirals kicked in. Had 10 days off work then returned. It's been really hard though - I'm breathless and tired all the time, I get aches and pains in my chest, my heart races at times. On top of this I've not been able to take my arthritis medication for a month due to covid so I also have an arthritis flare up which makes the fatigue and pains worse. I was certainly less I'll this time round, either due to vaccines or antivirals, or a combination of both, but even so I'm still nowhere near right.