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

Southwark Cathedral

removed maybe? https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1WvwTxLsyg8CyLYz9VZ8vpkj8vD838mzT&ll=51.5028057787911%2C-0.08545686882101222&z=13

I dropped a Randox test off at Southwark cathedral on Monday 6th Sept. It looked like a big old installation (it was part of a bigger testing setup).

Ironically I took a train from Sidcup.

They were still there 15/9

hmm I will check on the way

Got a positive lateral flow test this morning after being sick for a week, have already been for a PCR.

Line was very faint so I did another lateral flow just now out of interest and negative. Hmmmm. I did think it was that nasty cold that was going round - partly because also tested negative with a lateral flow on Tuesday - but we'll see.

Went to get PCR tested with my partner and because I managed to accidentally leave him off the booking he booked separately. When we got there we were given two of those grey bags at the same time. They then scanned our barcodes after, but we can't work out how each testing kit will be allocated to the right person - any ideas?

When you send things off you have to enter the barcodes on the test and the mailing box (assuming you're posting them back) in to a gov.uk website. That way they'll know which test is for who.

(Or am I misreading it and you did the tests there and then?)

[EDIT] The scanning of the barcodes on the grey bags is just so they can track that these test packs have been collected. They probably won't know by who, only that they should no longer be present in some stock somewhere. The scanning of your barcodes is just to fill in the records on the system to acknowledge that you have been in to collect a test kit as expected. At this stage the individual test kits won't be allocated to you or your partner specifically. That bit comes when you do the tests and enter the info on the gov.uk website.

Yes it was a walk in, sorry. So that sounds like the grey bags would already have been allocated to us?

Wouldn't think so. The test bags are all the same so there's no reason to tag them as being assigned to an individual.

I'd expect they're just scanning the grey bags so they know that those specific bags are now "out" and awaiting coming back in sometime. It's more stock control than anything else.

It should all become a bit clearer how it works when you've done the tests and entered the appropriate info into the gov.uk website.

[EDIT] If it was a walk in test and you had the tests done there then I can't tell what's going on from your description of events. I'm sure they would have associated the test barcodes with your individual details somehow.

Hmm OK. So I still don't get how they'd be correctly allocated to us?

The thing is with the walk in tests is I don't think you do enter them, from what I remember from doing them before. They match it all up for you.

Does anyone have a view on the likelihood of it being a false positive as the line was faint?

My understanding of this is that lateral flow tests aren't super sensitive (like PCR) hence the guidance being any line at all for T.

And false negatives are much more likely than false positives, so statistically speaking it's more likely the negative lateral flow tests didn't pick it up?

Lateral flow tests have a very low false positive rate (somewhere between 0.1% and 0.03% according to https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-analysis-of-lateral-flow-tests-shows-specificity-of-at-least-999)

Because of what they measure they'll have a much much higher false negative rate (somewhere around 40%).

PCR is thousands of times more sensitive, so if you do have any virus present then that's going to ping back positive.

got pinged by the app this morning so shunted myself off for a PCR.

I never fucking go anywhere and when i do, it's to a grim parking lot in catford to stick a swab up my schnoz.

fucksocks.

living the dream!

it's to a grim parking lot in catford to stick a swab up my schnoz.

Dogging?

At least you get to go out more often than 99% of the forum.

All the LFTs I've taken have had dire warnings that even a faint positive line should be treated as a positive; PCR time?

They allocatethe tests when you hand them in and they scan the barcode

yes please!

Thanks, confirming what I feared really. Will be patient and wait for the PCR result!

Already had one 👍🏻

Ah ok, thanks. But then how would they know who is who without photos?

I think a different guy scanned our qr codes on arrival but not sure about that now.

When i have done it they have been quite deliberate about scanning the right packet when handing it over. To be honest i`m not sure how it all lines up but as far as i can tell the only risk of mixing up is if oyu mix them up yourselves as far as i can see and hand them back together without saying who is whos.

it's to a grim parking lot in catford

now you can see what gentrification looks like and get a decent cup of coffee!

That parking lots where traveller usually camp at; I feel you.

Ours were just chucked in a box and we were told to help ourselves.

We were the only people in the place so maybe they just noted who was who.

If one comes back positive we'll know who it is, but I can see that being a right bother admin wise.

Still no PCR test result but did another lateral flow this morning and it's positive so a negative result is looking very unlikely :/

Do feel crap and this is day 9 but not as bad as a lot of folk on here have reported being with delta after two jabs.