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Covid

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Original poster

Boots to sell LFTs online from tomorrow

37 replies

RedToothBrush · 22/02/2022 20:55

£6.99 including delivery for one. Or four for £17.

Then they will be available in store for £12 for 5 from next month.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60486323

Better than initially suggested, but if you have one family member test positive in your house and there's 4 of you if you follow the guidance you are probably going to need at least 5 packs. So you are probably looking at around 60.

If you want to continue to test twice weekly for asymptomatic reasons, for a family of four you are still looking at £24 a month.

OP posts:

Blubells · 22/02/2022 21:07

That seems to be in line with what they cost in several other countries.

Invisimamma · 22/02/2022 21:19

I saw them in b&m yesterday, £3 for a single test.

Scottishgirl85 · 22/02/2022 22:11

Surely the whole point is we stop testing unless for very specific circumstances?

xxxsuper · 22/02/2022 22:13

@Invisimamma

I saw them in b&m yesterday, £3 for a single test.

Yep, saw a single pack of flowflex in B&M at least a week ago.

JanglyBeads · 22/02/2022 23:15

The whole point of what, @Scottishgirl85 ?

If you mean of Johnson and others' selfish intent to ignore the vulnerable and stay in power, yes.

Mindymomo · 23/02/2022 08:22

I expect all the big supermarkets will be stocking them soon. I got given 2 boxes last week and so did my husband when we each went shopping. Some will continue testing regularly, some will give up altogether and those like us will test when necessary. I don’t think there is going to be a big demand for them, once they are not free.

CeeceeBloomingdale · 23/02/2022 08:25

if you follow the guidance you are probably going to need at least 5 packs. So you are probably looking at around 60.

The guidance has changed, there is no longer a requirement to test daily for close contacts.

All4Love · 23/02/2022 08:28

Well we are being conditioned for private healthcare.

Great leveller that.

ifonly4 · 23/02/2022 08:46

DD abroad and can buy them in pharmacies and supermarkets, cost £2-3 depending on where she goes. She says they're like gold dust though. She reckons most people she knows just accept they have to suck up the cost and buy them to protect everyone, either to use on a regular basis or if they've had known contact

FairyCakeWings · 23/02/2022 08:55

There won't be any guidance to follow though. People will only need to buy tests if they're choosing to follow out of date guidance.

£12 for 5 tests seems like a reasonable cost. Not too expensive for those that want to use them before visiting vulnerable people.

Teabagsandmilk · 23/02/2022 09:07

What about unpaid carers? How are they going to afford this to ensure they are safe around the people they care for? What about people like diabetics and asthmatics who don’t count as ecv but can still be badly affected by the virus. If these people have kids at school etc how they are going to protect themselves? Their kids might be fine and a symptomatic but they can still pass it on. How are we going to know what is happening with the virus if we are no longer tracking it? What if a more dangerous variant emerges and we don’t know before it’s too late?

ScarlettSunset · 23/02/2022 09:09

I'm hoping that they will be available cheaply in supermarkets.
I have a parent in a care home and I have to test before each visit. I'm concerned that there will be many people in care homes who won't be able to see their loved ones anymore, simply because of the additional cost on top of all the other rising prices

Cornettoninja · 23/02/2022 09:20

There won't be any guidance to follow though. People will only need to buy tests if they're choosing to follow out of date guidance

Depends which guidance you’re talking about, government guidance still ‘recommends’ actions that are dependent on a test result/diagnosis. Public health guidance hasn’t really changed as far as I know. Government and public health have deviated.

Bananarama21 · 23/02/2022 09:41

You can still order then free on the gov website, just order myself and my parents a pack.

YellowMonday · 23/02/2022 11:25

A lot cheaper than Australia, $50 AUD for a 5 pack which is ~27 GBP.

Underhisi · 23/02/2022 11:53

My Boots had at least 50 boxes of the free ones by the till. People were asking for them, were being told no because they didn't have an order code and then moaning about it. If I were the staff I would put them out of sight because they are going to get hassle over it all day.

SugarAndCoffee · 23/02/2022 12:54

Not sure they want to encourage people with covid to go to the pharmacy to buy some for their familys

SugarAndCoffee · 23/02/2022 12:54

Oops posted too fast. So online seems safest option.

burnthur5t · 23/02/2022 13:03

I don't test and if I had covid I'd carry on as normal anyway, wouldn't tell anybody, not that I'd know

SugarAndCoffee · 23/02/2022 13:04

@burnthur5t

I don't test and if I had covid I'd carry on as normal anyway, wouldn't tell anybody, not that I'd know

I have covid and there's no way I could carry on as normal!! I've been pretty much stuck in bed for the past 4 days.

ifonly4 · 23/02/2022 14:24

@burnthur5t

I don't test and if I had covid I'd carry on as normal anyway, wouldn't tell anybody, not that I'd know

Have you actually had it? If so, it sounds like you were lucky and it was mild, and you're assuming it won't be worse that had for others. Some people feel absolutely dreadful/end up with long covid, and if you've had it and are one of them, then I think you know you're extremely selfish.

It knocked me out for six days. I thought I'd got better and went back to work, but now find I'm breathless if going upstairs, up a hill, rushing around or trying to hold a long conversation. I just wouldn't be willing to do that to someone else.

Blubells · 23/02/2022 16:02

I'm concerned that there will be many people in care homes who won't be able to see their loved ones anymore, simply because of the additional cost on top of all the other rising prices

But if the care home residents are vaccinated and boosted, they're probably fine even if they catch omicron.

Those CEV patients who absolutely need to be tested should receive tests on prescription.

Blubells · 23/02/2022 16:03

As others have said, very few countries offer tests for free!

They're not really free of course as we'll all pay got them In higher taxes.

Wellbythebloodyhell · 23/02/2022 19:03

Our country is lucky that its had access to free asymptomatic testing for so long not many if any other countries have done this. Obviously it has to come to an end the amount its costing to keep providing them is astronomical and could be better spent elsewhere. As for those saying what about those who are CEV, or unpaid carers etc, do whatever you would have done if you lived in a country were they'd never been free.

ScarlettSunset · 23/02/2022 20:33

@Blubells

I'm concerned that there will be many people in care homes who won't be able to see their loved ones anymore, simply because of the additional cost on top of all the other rising prices

But if the care home residents are vaccinated and boosted, they're probably fine even if they catch omicron.

Those CEV patients who absolutely need to be tested should receive tests on prescription.

At the moment, testing is compulsory before I can visit the care home. As far as I have been made aware so far, this is expected to continue. If this does happen, some people just won't be able to afford to visit their loved ones if they are already struggling with money and it is the care home residents who will suffer as a result.

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