Registering a test

[UncleEbenezer]

OK, I have a cold. Feels like a very normal sort of regular cold. Lots of coughing and a rough voice, no other obvious "covid" symptoms. I've excused myself from choir tonight.

Anyway, in the present climate of fear, I went to take a covid test "just to confirm". There's a NHS covid test van in a local car park, they were happy to do me. They took my sample to send off to a lab, told me to register it online.

So I just tried to register it online. Go through a lot of steps, some of them quite annoyingly pointless (like entering everything twice). Finally come to submit it. Whereupon it tells me (after all the crap):

Sorry, you cannot register a coronavirus test right now

It invites me to call 119, which I'd rather not, especially when I have the cold symptoms. What a waste of time and effort, not to mention the test!

Is this usual? I guess other Fools must've done similar tests: did their reporting system work?

[pje16]

was it this site?
https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result

[dealtn]

Is this usual?

How are they advising you the result of the test if it isn't registered? Or is that the issue. Confused.

I've never encountered this before, but have always registered before having the test, not after.

[UncleEbenezer]

was it this site?
https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result

No. www.gov.uk/register-your-test , as instructed on a card they gave me to take away.

How are they advising you the result of the test if it isn't registered? Or is that the issue. Confused.

I've never encountered this before, but have always registered before having the test, not after.

That's precisely the issue! And given that one element of the registration is a barcode from the individual test I took, I don't see how I could have registered it in advance.

[dealtn]

was it this site?
https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result

No. http://www.gov.uk/register-your-test , as instructed on a card they gave me to take away.

How are they advising you the result of the test if it isn't registered? Or is that the issue. Confused.

I've never encountered this before, but have always registered before having the test, not after.

That's precisely the issue! And given that one element of the registration is a barcode from the individual test I took, I don't see how I could have registered it in advance.

Booking the test in advance, and having id/mobile number and car registration allows those at the test site to link that test barcode with your details and how to contact you (via a QR code confirmation on booking the test).

More strictly perhaps I should have said "booked" in advance not "registered" in advanced, as part of the registration is maybe done at the time and by others not myself.

As I said I have never turned up unbooked at a "drive through" so haven't encountered this issue personally.

[UncleEbenezer]

was it this site?
https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result

No. http://www.gov.uk/register-your-test , as instructed on a card they gave me to take away.

How are they advising you the result of the test if it isn't registered? Or is that the issue. Confused.

I've never encountered this before, but have always registered before having the test, not after.

That's precisely the issue! And given that one element of the registration is a barcode from the individual test I took, I don't see how I could have registered it in advance.

Booking the test in advance, and having id/mobile number and car registration allows those at the test site to link that test barcode with your details and how to contact you (via a QR code confirmation on booking the test).

More strictly perhaps I should have said "booked" in advance not "registered" in advanced, as part of the registration is maybe done at the time and by others not myself.

As I said I have never turned up unbooked at a "drive through" so haven't encountered this issue personally.

That makes more sense, at least if you can book in advance and know what to do. I didn't: I was reacting to symptoms and just walked in! I asked if they could "do" me without an appointment, they said yes. I was surprised they didn't (indeed wouldn't) take my details, but accepted their assurance I could register online with the barcode as identifier.

[UncleEbenezer]

Harumph.

I just revisited the website, went through all the same steps. Much quicker second time around, though still annoying.

This time it accepted my submission. My best guess: submission involves some third-party service that was unavailable first time but is working now. For that to happen only after filling a long series of forms (including such dubious relevance as ethnic monitoring) is atrocious system design. As is dismissing my submission with a brusque brush-off message.

I wonder if they're kidding themselves giving all my personal information online - as opposed to when I took the test - does anything for privacy? I guess if I'd chosen to identify as a black lesbian it would've been less obviously nonsense (I don't, but neither do I see how it affects them - and the questions make it pretty clear they have access to my medical record for whatever is relevant).

[UncleEbenezer]

Strewth, that was quick!

My registration a few minutes before midnight. My all-clear result by email with a timestamp 02:07!