Covid symptoms

My daughter tried for nigh on 24 hours before finding a test for her son (she thought he had a cold but needed to be sure so he and his sibling could stay in school).

There was a litany of disasters: daughter entering all the necessary details, then the site whizzing back to the beginning; the site disappearing as she input details; reaching the end of the form and told there was no further availability. At one point she spoke to a real human 'bean' who booked her a test. When she asked for the address she was told that they didn't have 'that' information. Asking how she was supposed to find the testing site and the answer was that 'she should drive to x-town and drive around until she saw a sign to the car park where tests were being held'!

My daughter then rang the local authority and a GP surgery in the town to ask if they knew where tests were being administered but no one did. This is not made up!

She did eventually manage to book her son a test and the result came in very quickly, in less than 24 hours, so some aspects of the process worked. He was negative.

For goodness sake and the community isolate and get tested as we have been advised. Simple

The Health Minister for Wales has said we are less than 7 weeks away from a national lockdown if people don't follow the rules.
People seem to be bending the rules to suit themselves or not isolating when they have Covid symptoms. The result will be that there could be national lockdowns and all of us will suffer.

Our ‘bubble’ is isolating. DGS home from school last week with cough and temp . No joy booking a test ANYWHERE, despite daughter able to put in a priority code as police officer. After 2days managed to get postal test so awaiting that back. DGS school apparently had quite a few calls from parents u able to get tests_ and they’ve only just gone back, what on earth will it be like in the depths of winter!!!

I thought it was possible to get a test by post or am I being naive?

You definitely should get a test and not go back to work especially as you work with children ...to do otherwise would be very irresponsible

No and no

sadg the problem includes both postal tests and drive/walk through. Apparently it’s all because there’s not enough capacity in the labs. Tbf though you couldn’t really expect the government to have anticipated an increase in demand with schools fully going back and more going into work. We should cut them some slack poor things. Bless

I’d be getting a test, and wouldn’t even consider going back to work,

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

I can't believe you are even considering going in to work. No wonder there are gloomy predictions of a second spike.

On Jeremy Vine today, callers were saying they couldn't get an appointment for a test. Somebody phoned to say that all the appointments are put online at 20.00 hours. Worth trying, but definitely don't go to work.

After filing in details around 100 times today i finally got a test for tomorrow!
Lady i spoke to at CC said to do it between 6 and 8pm, shes a clever lass

I have been trying all day every 15 minutes to book a test for DGS I don’t think he has Covid but the symptoms of a bad cold are sadly very similar to Covid and he can’t return to school til we know! It’s really irritating that you have to keep filling in the lengthy questionnaire each time and then get told no tests are available!

I work at a GP surgery as a Medical Secretary and we have no more information than anyone else about how to get a test. So would have to google! Sad but true.

You didn’t say whether you had taken your temperature. It’s important that you have the right equipment to monitor yourself. I got ‘bird flu’ after Christmas and needed oxygen to breathe. I had no idea my oxygen sats were low. So a thermometer and pulse oximeter is the very basics required as this virus is going to be around for another two years.

When you could not smell the onions, did they make your eyes water as usual? That is not as facetious as it seems.

I do not think that people with symptoms of fever or cough should get in a car at all, yet alone drive to a test station. Chances are they are also taking medication. Would you want to drive behind someone who may collapse at the wheel?

There seems to be a notion that you have time before you collapse, but that is not always the case. You can have warning of days, or just an hour. 33 years ago I got up to go to work one morning and my legs gave way. I had GBS. A lumbar puncture showed it was due to a virus, yet I was not ill when I went to bed the night before. I now have the chronic form, CIDP, and the worrying part about this coronavirus is that some of those who suffer and recover, are showing signs of those diseases from which recovery is very slow, if at all.

Jjebe It is all very well saying get a test. It is easier said than done. Last week we were told that demand is so great people were being told to travel miles to a test station, regardless of whether they had fevers or not and the risk of accidents.

Today we learn that there are not enough laboratory technicians to process the tests.

Weeks ago the deaths statistics were changed, so that only those who had a positive test within 28 days before death would be included in the virus statistics. The figures reduced overnight. Today we were told by care home owners that they could not get tests for residents or staff.

Does that mean that by not testing the elderly, (and let's face it, no one lives forever) their deaths cannot be included in the coronavirus figures because they cannot be said to have died within 28 days? Since most deaths are in the retired age range, that should make our statistics look rosy.

There is another thing on my mind: I have tried to discover how many funerals have taken place. It would be interesting to know to compare the figures, but each time I try to find out, I get a screen with the message: 'those figures are not available at this time'. You would think if there were 'X' number of deaths (coronid and non-coronid) there would be 'X' number of funerals. Are bodies being stored in refrigerated lorries? Anyone know?

definitely get a test, my son in law had classic symptoms without breathing difficulties, had a test last friday , ill all over the weekend, and has now had a positive result

Like your name Nicky, as certainly is a mad question!!
Surely you know the answer!

Ditto Bobbysgirl - just what I'd been thinking. I don't understand why the question had even been asked - I'd have felt embarrassed just to consider it!

Agree with Soosiewoosie. I received an invitation quite early on to take part in a survey and had a test. I wondered if the names came from Doctors who knew who was vunerable.

Rosalyn69 That was my first thought too. Couldn't believe anyone could ask this.

Some walk in centres are not busy at all, you are supposed to have an appointment though but apparently, as there are no queues and you are not taking another's slot they will give you a test. If you are desperate you can buy them online, but NO, you should not go to work, you should self isolate , quarantine, for at least 7 days if you have symptoms.

VRH1 sorry to sound ignorant but what is a pulse oximeter and where do I get one please. The scary bit is that you would not know if your oxygen levels were low, and it they are your time is fast running out.