Lateral flow tests - no longer free on demand

[chas49]

Apparently they've now run out since last night's announcement.

Available online again now.

Scott.

Not 15 minutes ago (2145) though.... and the same just now (2205)

[Watis]

Tried a few times during the day today - and was able to place an order just now.

Watis

[Dod101]

Tried a few times during the day today - and was able to place an order just now.

Watis

I can get mine simply by walking into one of the two chemists in my nearest shopping street and they hand them to me but I am a novice with them. No need for even a name never mind an email address.

I scarcely use them, and instead rely on wearing a mask conscientiously and keeping away from close contact with others if possible. It seems now though that we are expected to use them every time we go out, 'as a courtesy to others'. Is that common practice?

Dod

[daveh]

Tried a few times during the day today - and was able to place an order just now.

Watis

I can get mine simply by walking into one of the two chemists in my nearest shopping street and they hand them to me but I am a novice with them. No need for even a name never mind an email address.

I scarcely use them, and instead rely on wearing a mask conscientiously and keeping away from close contact with others if possible. It seems now though that we are expected to use them every time we go out, 'as a courtesy to others'. Is that common practice?

Dod

I got mine from the local pub. Up to now I haven't bothered (doing LTFs ), but recently I was out with a friend who some time later tested positive. I'd done a lateral flow before meeting, and I've been doing lateral flows daily since (all negative). I think with cases getting so high I'll continue testing when I go back to work in January.

[Dod101]

Tried a few times during the day today - and was able to place an order just now.

Watis

I can get mine simply by walking into one of the two chemists in my nearest shopping street and they hand them to me but I am a novice with them. No need for even a name never mind an email address.

I scarcely use them, and instead rely on wearing a mask conscientiously and keeping away from close contact with others if possible. It seems now though that we are expected to use them every time we go out, 'as a courtesy to others'. Is that common practice?

Dod

I got mine from the local pub. Up to now I haven't bothered (doing LTFs ), but recently I was out with a friend who some time later tested positive. I'd done a lateral flow before meeting, and I've been doing lateral flows daily since (all negative). I think with cases getting so high I'll continue testing when I go back to work in January.

The irony is of course that last year at this time, no one had had a vaccine and hardly anyone I knew took the lateral flow test. Now most of us have been triple jabbed and are taking tests almost before we cross the threshold into the outside world.

Dod

[pje16]

To my surprise I find I now have to "register an account" and obtain an authorisation number to be allowed a pack of seven LFTs. This has been in force apparently since 1st October 2021.

In order to "register", I had to give them my email address. Fair enough, I reluctantly decided. But in order to "validate" my email address, their email demanded my mobile phone number, at which I drew the line. I'm not willing to divulge my real mobile number,
Anybody else find this an invasion of privacy too far, or am I being too reactionary? My suspicion is, they plan to nag me endlessly to upload the results of my LFT tests, which frankly I won't be doing.

I share your concern and ypou make some vaild points
but I would have thought that GDPR regs would mitigate "spam" calls and emails
however I don;t know about nags to upload results
I uploaded my LFTs and heard nothing back if that gives you any comfort
and I'm not bothered where I am one of millions doing it, is anyone going to single me out !

[Gersemi]

Anybody else find this an invasion of privacy too far, or am I being too reactionary? My suspicion is, they plan to nag me endlessly to upload the results of my LFT tests, which frankly I won't be doing.

I ordered some tests on line some time ago and didn't use them for ages. I never got any emails asking me to upload results. I do upload the results when I take a test though.

[Hallucigenia]

I scarcely use them, and instead rely on wearing a mask conscientiously and keeping away from close contact with others if possible. It seems now though that we are expected to use them every time we go out, 'as a courtesy to others'. Is that common practice?

Put it this way :

• It's becoming fairly clear that although omicron may be somewhat less "inherently" severe than previous variants, that's outweighed by a much greater number of infections
• As a result healthcare around the world is going to come under more pressure than usual, at what is usually its busiest time of year in the Northern Hemisphere. Many of the models seem to be pointing to the NHS having a January not far off last year, where many operations were being put off etc
• That would suggest that it's a good idea to try and flatten the curve, if only for self-interest in making sure that you get decent care if you get hit by a bus, or your daughter falls pregnant, or to ensure that granny's hip operation isn't postponed.
• Most of those in hospital are unvaccinated
• [2 jabs + booster] works incredibly well at keeping you out of hospital, 1 or 2 jabs on their own work rather less well
• A booster takes a week to kick in, it takes several months for a full course of jabs to do its stuff
• We could stop this thing and end all restrictions in a fortnight if every person in the world who was infected, came into contact with nobody for 2 weeks. But that's not going to happen.
• But spread will be directly reduced if every infected person reduces the number of contacts they have and/or
• we reduce the percentage of the infected population who are having "100%" of their normal contacts
• That last one can be achieved by testing and if positive, not socialising

So - it's too late to jab the unvaccinated, who will put most of the pressure on hospitals next month. But it's not too late for everyone who's 2-jabbed to get a booster. And testing negative before exposing yourself to other people in crowds or confined spaces is another way to reduce spread - if everybody did it we would quickly knock this thing on the head. In the real world not everyone will, but you can still do your bit.

[Mike4]

Any chance of précising that into a three word slogan, please Hal?

[Dod101]

I scarcely use them, and instead rely on wearing a mask conscientiously and keeping away from close contact with others if possible. It seems now though that we are expected to use them every time we go out, 'as a courtesy to others'. Is that common practice?

Put it this way :

• It's becoming fairly clear that although omicron may be somewhat less "inherently" severe than previous variants, that's outweighed by a much greater number of infections
• As a result healthcare around the world is going to come under more pressure than usual, at what is usually its busiest time of year in the Northern Hemisphere. Many of the models seem to be pointing to the NHS having a January not far off last year, where many operations were being put off etc
• That would suggest that it's a good idea to try and flatten the curve, if only for self-interest in making sure that you get decent care if you get hit by a bus, or your daughter falls pregnant, or to ensure that granny's hip operation isn't postponed.
• Most of those in hospital are unvaccinated
• [2 jabs + booster] works incredibly well at keeping you out of hospital, 1 or 2 jabs on their own work rather less well
• A booster takes a week to kick in, it takes several months for a full course of jabs to do its stuff
• We could stop this thing and end all restrictions in a fortnight if every person in the world who was infected, came into contact with nobody for 2 weeks. But that's not going to happen.
• But spread will be directly reduced if every infected person reduces the number of contacts they have and/or
• we reduce the percentage of the infected population who are having "100%" of their normal contacts
• That last one can be achieved by testing and if positive, not socialising

So - it's too late to jab the unvaccinated, who will put most of the pressure on hospitals next month. But it's not too late for everyone who's 2-jabbed to get a booster. And testing negative before exposing yourself to other people in crowds or confined spaces is another way to reduce spread - if everybody did it we would quickly knock this thing on the head. In the real world not everyone will, but you can still do your bit.

Yes I know all that but it is ironic is it not that precisely a year ago very few had any vaccinations and as far as I know testing was far from routine? Now with more than half of the population fully vaccinated we are asked to test before meeting others as well. I was not seeking your resume of the official line but asking if testing before meeting others is common practice? Mind you I think I heard Fergus Walsh on the news this evening saying that the booster begins to lose its effectiveness after about ten weeks. (I was only half listening)

Dod

[mc2fool]

Any chance of précising that into a three word slogan, please Hal?

Get F***ing Jabbed.

[Julian]

I scarcely use them, and instead rely on wearing a mask conscientiously and keeping away from close contact with others if possible. It seems now though that we are expected to use them every time we go out, 'as a courtesy to others'. Is that common practice?

Put it this way :

• It's becoming fairly clear that although omicron may be somewhat less "inherently" severe than previous variants, that's outweighed by a much greater number of infections
• As a result healthcare around the world is going to come under more pressure than usual, at what is usually its busiest time of year in the Northern Hemisphere. Many of the models seem to be pointing to the NHS having a January not far off last year, where many operations were being put off etc
• That would suggest that it's a good idea to try and flatten the curve, if only for self-interest in making sure that you get decent care if you get hit by a bus, or your daughter falls pregnant, or to ensure that granny's hip operation isn't postponed.
• Most of those in hospital are unvaccinated
• [2 jabs + booster] works incredibly well at keeping you out of hospital, 1 or 2 jabs on their own work rather less well
• A booster takes a week to kick in, it takes several months for a full course of jabs to do its stuff
• We could stop this thing and end all restrictions in a fortnight if every person in the world who was infected, came into contact with nobody for 2 weeks. But that's not going to happen.
• But spread will be directly reduced if every infected person reduces the number of contacts they have and/or
• we reduce the percentage of the infected population who are having "100%" of their normal contacts
• That last one can be achieved by testing and if positive, not socialising

So - it's too late to jab the unvaccinated, who will put most of the pressure on hospitals next month. But it's not too late for everyone who's 2-jabbed to get a booster. And testing negative before exposing yourself to other people in crowds or confined spaces is another way to reduce spread - if everybody did it we would quickly knock this thing on the head. In the real world not everyone will, but you can still do your bit.

Yes I know all that but it is ironic is it not that precisely a year ago very few had any vaccinations and as far as I know testing was far from routine? Now with more than half of the population fully vaccinated we are asked to test before meeting others as well. I was not seeking your resume of the official line but asking if testing before meeting others is common practice? Mind you I think I heard Fergus Walsh on the news this evening saying that the booster begins to lose its effectiveness after about ten weeks. (I was only half listening)

Dod

I’ll admit that history isn’t one of my strong subjects but “precisely a year ago” were free 7-packs of lateral flow kits being handed out like candy? My first encounter with the free lateral flow tests was when I was given a pack at the vaccination centre when I had my 2nd dose on 20th May although I remember a friend commenting before that that she had encountered multiple people on the streets of central London handing out 7-packs to passers by (she was approached 3 times in one day once). My impression is that before last Christmas almost all testing was PCR so far more limited capacity but I’m open to correction on that.

Now we have lateral flow though I think another aspect to the testing focus is an acceptance that the vaccines are far more about reducing the severity of an infection than avoiding one altogether. If you had a 2 dose AZ vaccine over 5 months ago then you probably have effectively zero protection against Omicron infection right now and for Pfizer I think it’s at best 30% protection - it is still thought that both should still give worthwhile protection against severe illness though. Even with a Pfizer booster I believe the protection against Omicron infection is only in the 70% - 76% range (the higher number for someone initially vaccinated with Pfizer and the lower one for AZ) so there is still a very definite chance that a double-dose plus booster vaccinated person could still get infected (although with booster even more strongly protected against severe illness) hence the desire to add the additional layer of protection against spread of the virus via extensive self-testing.

- Julian

[Hallucigenia]

Yes I know all that but it is ironic is it not that precisely a year ago very few had any vaccinations and as far as I know testing was far from routine? Now with more than half of the population fully vaccinated we are asked to test before meeting others as well. I was not seeking your resume of the official line but asking if testing before meeting others is common practice? Mind you I think I heard Fergus Walsh on the news this evening saying that the booster begins to lose its effectiveness after about ten weeks. (I was only half listening)

Well that's the point - I wasn't "repeating the official line", I was working things out from first principles. In the same way that I worked things out from first principles last year, which led me to pay for an antibody test some time before Christmas, and I would have taken some kind of PCR or antigen test and then isolated until Christmas Day, if I hadn't used first principles to withdraw from the family Christmas altogether, about a week before that became "the official line".

So yep, at the moment I'm LFTing before seeing anyone in crowds or confined spaces. We're all testing before meeting up on Christmas Day, if that's what you specifically mean.

And yep, today's UKHSA update has some more data on how boosters fade - they do, but starting from a much higher level of protection than unboosted.