Chat about Novel Coronavirus - 2019-nCoV - COVID-19

We used Testing For All - posted off the tests yesterday evening.

Sorry if I sound pissy, trying to fill out a passenger locator form.

One of the poorest forms I've completed in a long time. Maddening.

We arrived in Fuerteventura on Wednesday morning and about 10 seconds after we checked into hotel we were cheerfully greeted by a lady from Not London, who told us she and her family had been refused boarding the day before for not booking day 2 tests.
Apparently "there was no information anywhere that said you had to book in advance".
I don't know how you can get far enough into the process to manage to get out of the UK and not understand the return part is way more important.

You can even get return tests done in the hotel via a local clinic.

Wow. I assume she hadn't completed a passenger locator form either, as the questions about day 2 testing are mandatory I think!

That said, the PLF is going to be super confusing to some people so I'm not that surprised that its possible to muddle your way through it without picking out the key requirements.

I have to fill it out again tomorrow as I don’t have my seat numbers until i check in and you can’t just update a form that you created an account to complete, you need to do a new form.

Waltham Forest PCR test sites don’t need a booking, but it speeds things up if you book before visiting

Just in case anybody else is looking for travel PCR tests, we had a good experience with Randox. Results back within 15 hours of dropping tests off at collection point.

On the flip side, Randox have a Tory MP on the board who is paid in shares and who won their government pcr testing contract unopposed. Problem is, loads of these testing companies seem to have links to the Tory party.

are randox good/reliable or not then? I need to buy day 2, day 8 kits.

^^

Rates steadily going up.

No mitigations on the horizon.

School and Uni about to restart.

Bets on when the next lockdown will be?

I'm saying first week of October.

Just after my MSc begins on the 27th September.

I think this too, but the government being what they are; November.

Should be, just like last year, either the week leading into or away from the school halfterm in October.

I don't think there will be a lockdown this year.

government being what they are; November.

You are right, of course.

December 19th.

On the bright side of things, London rates are lower than most of the rest of the country.

That's not really a bright side of things thing, sorry.

The only thing that would force a lockdown is overwhelming numbers of hospitalisations. I don’t see how we get there.

It's very obvious that the government strategy is to vaccinate as many of the over 18s as possible, then try and achieve herd immunity amongst the under 18s.

I don't think they'll have the support from their own MPs to go into another lockdown, irrespective of whether hospitalisations require it.

There won’t be a lockdown, at least as long as hospital admissions stay manageable. The strategy is obviously for everyone to get it in the pursuit of herd immunity, and if you’ve not been vaccinated, good luck to you and thanks for playing.

I don't think there will be any way of avoiding very high pressure on the NHS. Even with vaccination, which still leaves people somewhat vulnerable, the case base that is being prepared for winter will just be too high. It's all very well being content with the current figures (see article), but as it's a seasonal disease, it will look different in the colder months.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/28/covid-cases-in-england-are-26-times-higher-than-a-year-ago

Yeah, even the shitty ones

Don't worry, if the test don't arrive the UK NHS will cover them.