in the first few months where they were only testing people that really thought they had it
I don't think this is quite right. I really thought I had it, as did a lot of people I know, some of whom have subsequently tested positive for antibodies, but we couldn't get tested.
IIRC to get tested you had to be NHS or in hospital.
I guess it should say "they were only testing people who they really thought had it". It still feels like a lot of negative tests for single positives.
I don't think this is quite right. I really thought I had it, as did a lot of people I know, some of whom have subsequently tested positive for antibodies, but we couldn't get tested.
IIRC to get tested you had to be NHS or in hospital.