Today's Commons debate

suziewoozie

This from the NHS website

Important
Only get a test if you have coronavirus symptoms or have been asked to get tested.

Do not use this service to get a test in order to travel to another country. You can pay for a private test.

This will help make sure people who need a test can get one.

Agreed. However, I still can't find any concrete evidence that people have been misusing tests. Just a couple of weeks ago, Matt Hancock was telling people to get tested even if they had mild symptoms.

The criteria for requesting a test have been narrowed:

www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-whats-going-on-with-covid-testing

This was a page on the test site until a few days ago ...

‘She said a quarter of those seeking tests did not have symptoms. Surveys outside the testing centres found that 27% of people turning up did not have symptoms.‘

This is what DH told the committee today. I would want to know sample size, geographical location, how the question was worded eg did it include people asked to go for a test pre-op? People told to go fo4 a test and who told them? Without this info you can’t judge the 27% figure

Who did these surveys?

The NHS website is still saying that people in the following categories can have tests:

- you live in England and have been told to have a test before you go into hospital, for example, for surgery
- your local council asks you to get a test
- you’re taking part in a government pilot project

The big change from the previous eligibility criteria is key workers.

However, today Dido Harding said that teachers and health/social care workers would be top priority. So if somebody is in one of those categories, has been in contact with somebody with symptoms, but is still asymptomatic, what are they supposed to do?

It's mixed messaging at best.

I agree you can't judge the 27% figure.

PS. She also didn't tell the whole truth about the number of people actually being tested.

Jacob Rees-Mogg wants people to stop carping. Perhaps the government should stop 'harping' on about how we are carrying out more covid tests than any other European country (debatable), how we have a world-beating testing programme (wishful thinking), how operation moonshot will guarantee testing on a massive scale (doubtful). Honesty and a clear, realistic strategy would be wiser. Any chance of that?

As far as I am concerned the whole government and their incompetent lackeys are a complete busted flush. it is no longer possible to believe a word they say.

Today we were shown aerial photo after aerial photograph of huge testing station after huge testing station each surrounded by a large and empty car park, meanwhile those asking for apointments are told there are none.

For JRM to say do not carp is outrageous. We have a response sytem meant to help people get back to work and keep tabs on the contacts of those with the disease. The sytem is completely broken down and non-functioning and we are not expected to complain!!! Of course we are complaining

JRM is appalling. How very dare he?

Not only have people been exhorted to get tests with the mildest symptoms (until the last couple of days that is), but there's evidence building that anything up to 50% of transmission is asymptomatic.

FGS! They can't have it both ways...

For those of you who can bear to look at a twitter thread, this one is saying that it's a lab problem. The superlabs set up by Serco don't seem to be able to keep pace with processing the tests

twitter.com/BpsmithUk/status/1306648920597159939

Note this:

NHS/University labs still have unused equipment they could use to support local testing run by GPs etc, but *they aren't allowed to

This isn't the first time that I've seen a lab problem being cited.

Then there's this thread:

twitter.com/JeremyFarrar/status/1306641671690555396

And this blog post:

www.duncanrobertson.com/2020/09/17/civil-servants-write-things-down/

Today Dido Harding claimed that no-one had foreseen the sharp increase in cases which is driving the shortage of tests and testing.. These two links show that there have been repeated warnings from the scientists over the summer..

Actually, any one of us could have told her what would happen with pubs and restaurants open, then the children returning to school.

It's going to be a scary winter...

suziewoozie

‘She said a quarter of those seeking tests did not have symptoms. Surveys outside the testing centres found that 27% of people turning up did not have symptoms.‘

This is what DH told the committee today. I would want to know sample size, geographical location, how the question was worded eg did it include people asked to go for a test pre-op? People told to go fo4 a test and who told them? Without this info you can’t judge the 27% figure

Just been watching Harding face a committee. She said the 27% figure came from surveys carried out on 1-4 September, when Hancock was still urging people who were worried to get tested. The criteria have changed since then.

parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/52ee1eec-a2bf-403d-a27d-7bba077ebfcc