Ending of free testing in England

FannyCornforth

My husband, who is immune suppressed, got a box of tests delivered yesterday.
I hadn’t ordered them.
So I wonder if this is going to be a regular thing?
He also has a Respiratory Occupational Health Therapist who used to visit every six weeks.
She recently cancelled an appointment and hasn’t been in touch ( very unlike her ).
So I can only conclude that she is very busy with other (new) respiratory patients.

I had a box delivered too but I also got a follow up email from the government telling me that they would be coming. I am in the CEV group so I can still get the tests for free anyway.

That’s okay Hannah
It might be different info now. I initially thought that you would take the antivirals at home.
I’ve looked online and can’t see anything about problems, but someone mentioned that the Blood Cancer charity had mentioned it.
It’s all a bit vague unfortunately

I’ve just reread my email and things have changed since the first one in December. It now says that if I test positive I will be contacted regarding treatment rather than being sent antivirals.

I wouldn’t trust’Dr John’ if he told me it was raining outside.

I saw a doctor on television, not sure who, but he also said that about half of people in hospital with Covid are in hospital because of Covid.
The other half, who contract Covid in hospital, are not necessarily going to have mild Covid. It will depend on different factors as to whether they will become very ill with Covid.

I’m still concerned about the lack of a requirement to test before visiting elderly relatives in care homes.

All very well to say those with Covid should isolate at home/stay off sick from work but who is going to pay their bills? Great if you are a civil/public servant or NHS staff but many people do not get paid a full wage when off sick or nothing at all (like many care home/agency workers). The vagaries of the benefit system, the low benefit rates and the agonisingly long drawn out claim and payment process would leave many people unable to pay bills or even eat and would plunge them into debt. I think the majority are going to have to live with this virus, whilst protecting the vulnerable with vaccines, free testing for them and those closely around them, antiviral drugs etc otherwise, with all that’s going on, (including an influx of Ukrainian refugees whom we of course want and welcome), we will become an even more bankrupt society than we are already.

Although having had two vacs and a booster I still (no doubt out of habit) wear a mask in shops or at the hairdressers.
My local doctors surgery& opticians make this a requirement

My daughter has suffered very much with her mental health during the pandemic and still worries a lot about getting ill and potentially infecting others. She lived in Scotland until last Christmas and every time she felt in any way ill (or just had any unusual feeling) she took herself off for a pcr test. Every time she was given boxes of LFT tests to take home so had quite a stockpile. We continued to order free tests online so are well stocked at present. Like a previous poster I sing in a choir so always test before each practice. I also test before seeing vulnerable people and as my circle of friends includes people who were shielding for much of the pandemic that means that most weeks I test on 5 or 6 of the days! I also do casual work invigilating in a school so always test before working. We are just hoping that our stockpile will last, but if we have to buy tests we will just have to do so. My daughter's mental health may depend on it, and me testing too contributes to her peace of mind now she's living with me again. She works from home when she can, but always tests before working in person. She mostly only socialises outdoors so roll on Summer when we can be outdoors more comfortably and hopefully the infection rates will fall.

I guess it was inevitable that free testing would end eventually but as always it is those least able to afford to pay that will suffer. The lowest paid are often those who don't get paid if they are off sick so what incentive is there for them to stay home especially as it can be impossible to differentiate between a mild cold and the omicron virus.

I continue to wear a mask when shopping and in crowded places though I realise they don't do much to protect me, just protect others if I'm infectious. My daughter wears FFP2 masks but they are much more expensive than the ones I have, though they do protect the wearer. I have worn one but find them uncomfortable as I get very hot so I continue to use the cheap surgical masks. I realise I'm now in the minority when out in a mask though.

My son and his family live in Germany and they had to wear FFP2 masks on public transport etc. Apparently the Germans were much more compliant. Even when it was required in the UK many people refused to wear masks, not just those who were exempt. Even though it is no longer a legal requirement many places are still asking the public to wear masks and I wish more people would do so.

Only law in Scotland in certain places. Right fiasco if you are out in a pub, restaurant. Wear it to go in, sit down take it off, get up to toilet wear again, sit down take it off. Clubs can have a few hundred folk up on the dance floor, no need to wear a mask. Ludicrous. People have been ignoring the face mask rules for weeks, young and old. Children over 5 used to be expected to wear a mask in stores etc. Haven't seen a child with a mask for months. Think there may have to be a 5th round of vaccinations.

When I was in Ireland I think they were 7€ for each test
We are suffering too many price hikes to buy them, even at £2 a hit
I feel that all the mask wearing has prohibited us from catching anything seasonal colds, coughs, flu, gippy tummies I haven’t had anything for two years which means I ll probably catch everything that goes around now
We do have to live with it now and just keep away from anyone vulnerable if we get anything…. cold, cough, flu,
like we were always supposed to do pre covid (but because of economics many didn’t)

I will be shot down in flames for this, but I think many people were obsessed with testing while they were free, and this resulted in such high infection rates being recorded. For example, I have been asked to test every time I attend a knitting group. LFTs were not free in most countries, consequently people tested less often, and I don’t think we should expect LFTs to be free for everyone indefinitely. Just to explain, I am triple vaccinated, I still wear a mask on public transport and in crowded areas, and I always carry masks with me. If I am feeling unwell I stay at home, and if I have been in contact with someone who tests positive I stay at home.

pinkquartz, you are right. You only have to look at what happened to the elderly and frail in the early days of this pandemic.

The older I get under this government the more scared I get. I have to go for investigations to see if I have COPD. So far I have managed to dodge Covid by following the rules and still wearing my mask in shops or crowded places.

I can’t afford to buy any tests so I won’t be. I still wear a mask, social distance and wash my hands thoroughly whenever I have been out. I am quite disgusted at some of the attitudes on here. Tests should be free because it affects everyone, and we can’t all afford to pay for them. But then, if loads of people stop testing the infection rates will be hidden, won’t they?

It's not "stopping testing", what has been stopped is freely available Lateral Flow tests on demand. Apparently the suppliers - pharmacies, supermarkets and other places can set their own price. I think this is wrong, especially when covid cases are increasing.
People will be reluctant to take a test before they go to some large event with hundreds of people and a good chance of coming into contact with the virus.
Think of a family with three or four children who have previously tested each of them, say, twice a week - how much will this cost?
How many will say they have done a test when they haven't. I know I would.
I understand tests are still freely available for some categories, medical staff, people working in care homes etc.
I totally approve of this, but the testing should be freely available to all who want it. To do otherwise is asking for trouble.
I know of someone who regularly visits his elderly mother with dementia who lives in a care home. He is asked to provide a lateral flow test before each visit and is more than happy to do this. Fortunately he is in a position to afford to pay for the tests if necessary. But not everyone is so fortunate. Some will no longer visit, some will lie about have done a test and the end result will be bad for patients and visitors alike, not to mention the extra strain on the staff.
We need to keep Lateral Flow Test freely available until the numbers of covid infections is considerably lower,

We really need to put a lid on this myth that if we all stop testing the infection rates will be hidden. Just yesterday, the ONS Infection report came out, and that does not use the reported cases to estimate prevalence. As far as I'm aware, the ONS reporting is going to continue. Does anyone have the opposite view?

I received a box of LFT kits, no follow up email but I have had a letter stating I am still in a vulnerable group, Diabetic Type2, I'm 66. Also have a PCR test & I will receive tablets if I test positive. So far I have managed to avoid catching Covid, I have numerous Hospital Appointments & still go shopping, I do try to wear a ask but I have breathing difficulties due to having AF. All my family have had it once or twice, maybe I've been lucky or have a natural immunity

I do suffer from Hay Fever (tree pollen) so I do cough, sneeze etc despite all my medication

rosie1959

Grandmabatty

I'm assuming it's because more people in Scotland are testing and recording results. The approach here has generally been more cautious.

The testing rate in Scotland does not appear higher according the the uk dashboard testing over the last 7 days in Scotland just under 140k testing in England 4.5m

I have seen it suggested that the high rate in Scotland is because the predominant variant here is omicron 2 which is more infectious. It is likely to become predominant elsewhere and rates of infection elsewhere will then also rise.

My son in law caught it in the care home where he works. He had no choice but to move into an area where two residents and two care workers had tested positive because residents must be cared for. He caught it in one day and seven out of nine residents then tested positive. The care home has been covid free since near the start of the epidemic. It is very infectious. Though the staff do have masks, they are not of high quality.

Free testing should continue. There is no guarantee that a worse variant will not arise at any time. There are serious long Covid effects even from the Omicron variant. How many people can die and suffer from untreatable long Covid for the rest of their lives simply so 'we can get on with life'? What is acceptable and who decides? Clearly, Johnson does and I don't believe he cares for anything other than getting re-elected.

I have and always will wear a mask and I'm just getting over Covid. I wear a mask not for my benefit, but for others. The filters I put in every time filters the air I breath out. It's not a nice virus as I admit I haven't been well but today is the first day I'm negative. I still wheeze and cough, I can only potter about the house as I am absolutely shattered after too much, but at least the headaches have stopped and I no longer have a temp, I feel blessed. For goodness sake wearing s mask isn't taking away your liberties it's having respect for others and giving them a chance of not catching the infection. Try wearing a mask for a 12 hour shift, and the ones alot of the NHS use it not a light weight disposable one, it's one that fits snuggly against the skin, that can rub and irritate. Start saving lives including yours.

rosie1959

I have noticed although rates are high in Germany and France they have also dropped their mask ruling rules considerably.
I admit I really don’t have the faith that mask wearing makes that much difference to the spread of Omicron.

I thought too that wearing masks was no longer mandatory in Germany, but when I crossed the border today to do my shopping, I discovered that all the shops still have notices up asking you to please wear a a mask, and that everyone was complying with the request.

So it may not be mandatory any more, but a lot of people are prefering to continue to wear masks.

DH experienced the same thing in Flensburg last week.

Here in Denmark the figures are certainly going down, but it is anyone's guess whether this will continue or not. (Right now we are all rather more concerned about whether any Ukranian atomic power stations will be damaged by Russian missiles, as unless the wind is blowing away from us and towards Russia if this should happen, we will have a completely different health issue to worry about.)

Wearing a surgical mask properly protects others from our germs, but has little or no effect the other way round.

As people are still being infected with one or mutation of Covid 19, they are obviously coming into contact with th virus somewhere.

I have felt all along that wearing a mask certainly could do no harm, but it might not be doing much good. Frequent hand-washing and making sure that things such as used masks, gloves and kleenex are disposed of correctly by being put into a plastic bag that is then knotted shut before it is put in the bin probably does far more good than just wearing masks.

My daughter had a scam text last night, purporting to be from the NHS. The NHS website said to be aware of scams trying to trick people into buying LFT tests.

I have seen it suggested that the high rate in Scotland is because the predominant variant here is omicron 2 which is more infectious. It is likely to become predominant elsewhere and rates of infection elsewhere will then also rise.

Rate in Scotland yesterday, down to 1:12. Rate in England, up to 1:13.

I think you are correct Chaitriona.

Best wishes to your son, hope he's OK.

maddyone

When I arrived at my mother’s care home yesterday it turns out that I no longer need to do a Covid test before I visit. I’d already done an LFT test and tried to register the result but received no text to show at the home. I explained to the deputy manager who let me in and she told me about this new arrangement. Apparently their staff still have to test but not the visitors. In the last few months they’ve had three Covid outbreaks all very successfully contained by their outbreak policy. Now visitors no longer need to test to visit a care home are we looking at many fatal outbreaks in care homes like at the beginning of the pandemic?

I find this difficult to believe as our visitors to our care home have to do a lateral flow every time. I think it is totally ridiculous to have staff fully vaccinated and yet to let visitors in with no proof of negative test….. unbelievable!!?‍♀️?‍♀️

maddyone

I’m still concerned about the lack of a requirement to test before visiting elderly relatives in care homes.

At Mike home they definitely have to test and temperature taken and won’t be let in without. A man last week tried to visit his mother a girl at the door asked him to show his lateral flow test he said he had forgotten it and left it at home but he was negative, she insisted on testing again and he was positive, unbelievable that he was willing to come into the care home and possibly infect residents and staff..?

Our not Mike!!