Free LF and PCR tests ending soon??!

[bottleoffanta]

Is this not just going to put an end to isolating all together?

Most will not even know if they have covid or not so how do the current isolation guidelines actually work alongside this

It’s a huge worry for all the CEV people that’s for sure.

Imagine your loved one ending up poorly in ITU and being cared for by a nurse with Covid.

I think some people are still entitled to them so I’m assuming healthcare workers?

Just difficult imagining it on a wider scale.. we all had covid recently cold-like symptoms so only knew by taking a flow test, then relying on them to know when isolation ends. Can’t imagine no longer having access to free tests.

AFAIK we are the only country in the world who provide 'free' tests on demand. Are our Covid figures better than anywhere else?

For the general public,yes. They will still be available for health/social care workers afaik. Covid is everywhere at the moment, rife at schools-infants actually said it’s their worse week to date with staff absences and we are in outbreak status at work again for the second time since the beginning of the year.

I think some people are still entitled to them so I’m assuming healthcare workers?

Nope.

We have been informed that we will not be getting free LFT and, once free testing ends at the end of this month, there will be no longer be the requirement for us to do twice weekly testing. Crazy.

The numbers at the moment are crazy here. Worst week at work since the start of this for staff members, school has had the most staff and students off this week as well.

It is crazy that testing will be going in 2 weeks.

@makingmiracles

For the general public,yes. They will still be available for health/social care workers afaik. Covid is everywhere at the moment, rife at schools-infants actually said it’s their worse week to date with staff absences and we are in outbreak status at work again for the second time since the beginning of the year.

They won't be any more available for NHS workers. The individual trusts may choose to purchase them for their staff but that money will come from somewhere else in the budget.

My trust is reviewing it at the end of the month and making a decision on whether to continue us testing. Given 2/3 of my hospital is closed with covid, will be interesting to see which way they go.

@bottleoffanta - yes, that’s the whole point. All restrictions & guidance is being removed. You’ll treat covid like anything else .. if you are too poorly to work/leave the house/go to school etc, stay at home. If you well enough to go about life, you can.

Why is it "crazy" for tests to be removed? We are two years in. The current variant is proving to deliver mild symptoms for most people and whilst cases are up, hospitalisations are not overwhelming the services. CEV are being provided with additional boosters to help protect them. It's time to move on from constant swabbing and isolations and disruption to life.

I think the time is right , we’re two years in , with massive headway made on vaccines and treatments. Testing is costly and unsustainable. If you’re unwell stay at home until you feel well, just as with all other illnesses. Testing for certain professions will still remain.

@makingmiracles

For the general public,yes. They will still be available for health/social care workers afaik. Covid is everywhere at the moment, rife at schools-infants actually said it’s their worse week to date with staff absences and we are in outbreak status at work again for the second time since the beginning of the year.

Not read the whole thread but DS nursery has not been eligible for free tests for the last month, which doesn't seem right. Not sure if that's a local authority decision or what.

Boris says it will be time for ‘personal responsibility’ when testing ends how can you take personal responsibility if you have no idea whether you have Covid or not

@linerforlife

Why is it "crazy" for tests to be removed? We are two years in. The current variant is proving to deliver mild symptoms for most people and whilst cases are up, hospitalisations are not overwhelming the services. CEV are being provided with additional boosters to help protect them. It's time to move on from constant swabbing and isolations and disruption to life.

That’s actually not true. Have you spoken to anyone in the nhs?

And there’s evidence now that covid does long term damage even with those who had mild cases.

Plus vaccines are wearing off.

I suspect that free LFTs available through chemists wouldn’t cost anywhere near as much as Boris Johnson would have us believe (the £2bn figure a day he quoted was debunked).

It’ll cost more in the long run to get the nhs on an even keel than to provide LFTs to help people actually do the right thing.

@linerforlife

Why is it "crazy" for tests to be removed? We are two years in. The current variant is proving to deliver mild symptoms for most people and whilst cases are up, hospitalisations are not overwhelming the services. CEV are being provided with additional boosters to help protect them. It's time to move on from constant swabbing and isolations and disruption to life.

The shielding CEV are not being provided with an extra booster! It's people over 75 years old and very specific immunocompromised people and not the CEV group 4.

I can't say I'm not concerned about this as. The group 4 booster was given alongside the 70+ group so our immunity is rapidly declining now too.

@ItsSnowJokes

The numbers at the moment are crazy here. Worst week at work since the start of this for staff members, school has had the most staff and students off this week as well.

It is crazy that testing will be going in 2 weeks.

IN ENGLAND

Time for testing to stop and for us to get on with it

@BankersBonus

It’s a huge worry for all the CEV people that’s for sure.

Imagine your loved one ending up poorly in ITU and being cared for by a nurse with Covid.

I work in a hospital and our advice currently is very much stay at home until two negative tests. I can’t see that changing during another rise in infections when we aren’t allowing many visitors still and still testing patients.

The cost to the economy is going to be significantly more than providing free tests to those who want to know if they're about to spread Covid, surely? What happens if there is a new variant about that's more deadly?

CEV are being provided with additional boosters to help protect them
@linerforlife many people, due to medications, don’t develop a full immune response so are still very high risk of covid killing them. Alright though, as long as it’s none of your loved ones?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51943612

The idea is it'll be treated like flu for most people - ie. stay at home if you feel ill.

Only time will tell if this is a good plan...

A few people I know have mentioned they are “stocking up” while they are still free.

I had hoped there would be an end to the constant photos of positive lateral flows on Facebook, with daily updates on exactly how the person is feeling (not vulnerable people who are very unwell, just “I am bearing up but little Josh has a sore throat” type of daily running commentary).

@user1487194234

Time for testing to stop and for us to get on with it

Why? The pandemic doesn’t stop because we say so.

Engage brain.

Well that's what is happening so not much option