Government are going to stop giving out LFT’s.

I don't know about anyone else but the whole thing is driving me crackers.
We're all going to end up paranoid which is a far worse illness !

We are still in the middle of the pandemic. We don’t yet know how this is going to pan out. It’s premature to be discussing stopping the lateral flow tests until we have clear evidence that the pandemic is slowing or over. Yesterday approximately 178,000 people tested positive. Although for many people the Omicron variant is fairly mild, for some people it is deadly. Over 300 people died from Covid yesterday. The pandemic is not over.

I also feel that a lot of people in this country are far too tied up with testing.
Yes of course lateral flow tests have their place for people with symptoms but I know too many who are in danger of becoming obsessed with testing even when they have no symptoms whatsoever and haven’t been in contact with anyone with the virus.

Yes we all know that it’s possible to be infected and have no symptoms, but we have repeatedly been told that the Omicron variant is very mild.

There has to be a point at which we make the transition into managing covid, and I’m sure that’s behind the government’s thinking.

We will all reach the end of this in our own way I suppose. I know it’s not over but it does seem to have peaked and is now slowly plateauing. Good.

No, over 300 people did not die from Covid yesterday.

This has been explained may times but people still don't get it. Even you maddyone.

We need cool heads right now, not hysteria. At some point we are going to have to stop testing ourselves every day.

Casdon - the voice of reason, as usual.

Alegrias I thought I’d seen the figure of over 300 deaths yesterday. Are you saying these are an accumulation of a few days. I do understand that happens, especially over the festive period, but I thought as it was a whole week since new year, that it was the correct figure. I’ll be very pleased to find it’s not, it worried me.

313 reported yesterday. Backlog. There's always a backlog. Average per day, currently 138.

Maximum number of deaths per day in the last 3 months, 191, and that was in October.

I've actually complained to the local ITV station about the way they report deaths. They changed it.

I agree that yesterday’s death figures were, on the face of it worrying, but all we know is that those people died after testing positive in the last 28 days.
As has always been the case we have no idea how many died with the disease rather than of it.
In many ways the figures are meaningless without that information.

Sadly a year ago an old friend died of cancer. She tested positive for covid and even though it was cancer which killed her the medics were all set to put covid as the cause of death until her daughter intervened and insisted that cancer be put on the death certificate.

She was told unofficially that putting covid as the cause of death ‘cuts out a lot of paperwork’

In many ways the figures are meaningless without that information.

Its about trends.

Thank you Alegrias. That sounds a bit better.
I’m still concerned about the lateral flow tests though. I have to do one before I visit my elderly mother in her care home. I must report it too, they want to see the text.

I can understand why many dislike the idea of stopping the giving out lateral flow tests, because it takes away their confidence.
More importantly though, people also hate to have something they have been given, for free, taken away from them. It feels like a step backwards and that they are in some way being deprived. Maybe over time they will adjust to the idea, it won't just happen overnight.
Initial reactions to news like this can often make some people indignant and angry for the above reasons.

Josieann

I can understand why many dislike the idea of stopping the giving out lateral flow tests, because it takes away their confidence.
More importantly though, people also hate to have something they have been given, for free, taken away from them. It feels like a step backwards and that they are in some way being deprived. Maybe over time they will adjust to the idea, it won't just happen overnight.
Initial reactions to news like this can often make some people indignant and angry for the above reasons.

I don't think that that is necessarily true. I think that it is a feeling that the government has thrown in the towel and abandoned the country to its fate which upsets many people.

And the mixed messages. Why should the Education Secretary deny that the story is true on TV this morning, and subsequently retweet a link to the story? Is it true or isn't it?

It's only a few weeks since the government was advocating frequent LFT testing. Why have they changed their minds? Some explanation should be forthcoming, not leaving people to speculate about a story in one media outlet which isn't widely available to all.

Screen shot of section of the article I do hope this allays some of the fears. (It states NHS, Schools, Care Homes and vulnerable settings will continue to be provided with LFT’s)

The article is peppered with might, could and when, if, nothing has been decided yet.

EllanVannin

I don't know about anyone else but the whole thing is driving me crackers.
We're all going to end up paranoid which is a far worse illness !

Agree time to take this on board in the same way as a cold or flu.
Keep jabs up to date and if there is any significant mutation sure we will be aware.
The common cold changes all the time, the flu vaccine is modified all the time.

I do a LFT once a week, and report my result. I go to local shops, and also attend an aquacise class several times a week. Apart from that, I don’t socialise much. If the tests were no longer available, I would stop doing them. As it is, it gives me reassurance that I am ok and hopefully no danger to others.

I think once a week is sufficient actually, for most people.

I dread to think how many unused boxes are piled up in cupboards though. If we were charged for them, that wouldn’t happen.

They don't even count reinfections in the figures. The figures would be much higher if they included those testing positive for the second time.

With those figures included we would get a much better picture of how deaths are compared to cases

This is from Sky News this morning.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi dismissed a report in the Sunday Times, saying he did "not recognise" the story that the tests could be limited to care homes, hospitals and schools, and people with symptoms.

Death is not the only adverse result of covid infection...

Average per day, currently 138.

Over what period, Alegrias?

This is yet another tabloid rumour !!! Stop please taking everything as gold plated truth

It will happen at some point and maybe a good job too because all this testing and quarantining is just keeping fit people off work

Marydoll

This is from Sky News this morning.

^Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi dismissed a report in the Sunday Times, saying he did "not recognise" the story that the tests could be limited to care homes, hospitals and schools, and people with symptoms.^

And then he retweeted a link to the Sunday Times story. Why should he do that if he's just denied that the story is true?

I can’t help but wonder, given that Omicron is spreading so rapidly, that this a move to bring the numbers down. Less tests, less positive results. Call me cynical.

Buttonjugs

I can’t help but wonder, given that Omicron is spreading so rapidly, that this a move to bring the numbers down. Less tests, less positive results. Call me cynical.

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Michael Rosen Blue heartBlue heartGraduation capGraduation cap
@MichaelRosenYes
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27m
Dear Sajid
I think we’ve bloomin’ well cracked it: the infection rates go up or down depending on how often people test. All we have to do is test less and restrict the number of test kits out there and infection rate goes down. Seneca defeats Sparta.
Bogus statisticus
Boris

I think we have all been `living with it ` for the past two years anyway but now we have the vaccines its a lot less scary. My son had two lateral flows both negative however he was very unwell although being fully vaccinated. PCR test was positive. So I don`t have much faith in lateral flow tests.

MaizieD

Death is not the only adverse result of covid infection...

Average per day, currently 138.

Over what period, Alegrias?

Seven days.

coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/deaths