Coronavirus outbreak

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tom73

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
Around 10 days ago my mate contacted me his dad was not well he thought it was covid. He's got COPD and his wife was worried as was my mate. My mate is isolating due to covid at his step sons school. His dad worships Mrs 73 and trusts her so she called round and checked him over outside in the garden in full PPE. Mrs 73 thinks it is covid but mild case given his medical history she's been keeping an eye on him and he's been updating her with his o2 sats It's all been recoded ready for his GP. He and his wife tried for 5 days for a test and nothing. They can afford to isolate are happy to do the right to do the right thing so have done it anyway. They have not had close contact with anyone for days before so no-one to trace. I've just called round with some meds and shopping and all being well. They are all clear in a few days.

The point is they can afford to do it, they are able to get advice, have someone who can keep an eye on them. They are not a risk to anyone.
Now many can't afford it, can't make themselves heard and keep pushing for a test, or don’t have someone who can help. If the only way to get state money to isolate is going to be if you have a test. How can you if you can't get into the system ? Not to mention some may need contact tracing done. Equally many more may not even bother to do anything and use can't get a test as grounds to carry on.
 

midlife

Guru
My daughter got a COVID test today. Over the weekend she got a sore throat, high temperature and is now coughing a lot. Almost certainly just a cold picked up from a couple of weeks back at school - every new term there is some cold/flu doing the rounds, especially after so long on holiday.

School won't let her back in for at least 2 weeks unless she has a COVID test which is negative.

So, I tried to book online. All busy. There is a walk-in centre close to me, but rumour has it that it isn't walk in but needs an appointment. Since the website simply isn't responding by now, I phone 119. Go through a forest of menu options. Talk to a human. Ask if the local COVID centre allows walk in or appointment only. She says she isn't allowed to say. That I need to book online. I say that the website says it is "busy" and to contact 119, which is where I am now. I ask her if she is familiar with the works of Franz Kafka.

We go to the centre anyway. No walk-ins allowed. We explain the situation. We stand around hopefully. We get let in because the system is farked and they feel sorry for us. Virtually no-one is using it. We do the test and leave hearing a couple of other people recounting similar stories to us.

One thing I did learn was that you could book an appointment anywhere in the UK and turn up at your local test centre. As long as you have the mystical QR code in your possession then all is good. A friend confirmed this - she booked up for Aberdeen (we are in London) and just rocked up to her local centre. No problems.

So there we have it. A system utterly farked. Apparently testing demand has shot through the roof since it transpired there was a shortage of tests - the bog roll crisis except with test-tubes and swabs. And, of course, with schools going back all viruses are back in circulation. Apparently there are many children off school from my daughters class all with similar symptons. And all trying to get COVID tested. I mean, it hardly takes Nostradamus to work out that millions of children going back to school may end up with a lot of suspected symptoms does it?

Son had a bad cough and temp of 38 so off school today, booked test online and had one at a walk in centre next to the castle here in Carlisle a few hours later . Test centre quiet apparently.

I was sent home from work until the test comes back negative otherwise 2 weeks isolation without a test being done same for school. Not sure if it's sick leave, annual leave, unpaid leave... Was just told to go home and isolate.

All worked as it should. Only thing we did was say we had no transport so in theory couldn't be sent miles away for a test.

With a reported infection rate of 6 per 100,000 last time I looked hopefully negative. They say test should be back within 72 hours.

I think we were lucky for some reason with getting a test so soon.
 

tom73

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
Remember the virus alert level ?
They've now changed the bulb and it’s been set to level 4 for what good it is means transmission is high or rising exponentially.
 

stowie

Legendary Member
Son had a bad cough and temp of 38 so off school today, booked test online and had one at a walk in centre next to the castle here in Carlisle a few hours later . Test centre quiet apparently.

I was sent home from work until the test comes back negative otherwise 2 weeks isolation without a test being done same for school. Not sure if it's sick leave, annual leave, unpaid leave... Was just told to go home and isolate.

All worked as it should. Only thing we did was say we had no transport so in theory couldn't be sent miles away for a test.

With a reported infection rate of 6 per 100,000 last time I looked hopefully negative. They say test should be back within 72 hours.

I think we were lucky for some reason with getting a test so soon.

The test itself was fine. And seeing as it was a huge tent of at least 20 stations with only two being used, plenty of people standing around to help if needed. It is the booking system that is chaos. Apparently it is best to book using a postcode in a remote location and to do it late at night.

I think these tests from school children will be generally negative. The school turns into a petri dish for colds and coughs during the first couple of weeks - I find my daughter gets a cold for about a day, my wife then suffers from a cold for a couple of days and by the time it reaches me it seems to have mutated to full-on plague which floors me for at least a week. Either that or I am a total wimp when it comes to illness....

Apart from a hacking cough, my daughter seems fighting fit. She is using the time to perfect an "Ollie" on the skateboard in the back garden. I think she is hoping that the test is delayed by a day or so which will allow her to get a "shuvit" under the belt as well. At least she isn't wasting her time....
 

midlife

Guru
I think that kids will not be a priority for testing according to Hancock. I wonder if that means 2 weeks isolation for families if kids have symptoms?
 

stowie

Legendary Member
I think that kids will not be a priority for testing according to Hancock. I wonder if that means 2 weeks isolation for families if kids have symptoms?

Yes. If my daughter doesn't get a test she is not allowed back for 2 weeks. And since she has suspected symptoms that means that the family need to isolate as well from what I understand.
 

DCLane

Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
Son's school has 2 confirmed cases in 1400 pupils (Yr 7-13) and their closest students around them have been notified and are isolating and not allowed into school for 14 days.

So at least they're pro-active. I'm not surprised as we've been under restrictions since early August.
 

Julia9054

Guru
Location
Knaresborough
Son's school has 2 confirmed cases in 1400 pupils (Yr 7-13) and their closest students around them have been notified and are isolating and not allowed into school for 14 days.

So at least they're pro-active. I'm not surprised as we've been under restrictions since early August.
Same in my school, and the school down the road and at least one other large secondary school nearby
 
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