The big Coronavirus thread
Comments
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Stevo_666 said:
Nope, just passing on my recent experience. I was going to post some to Rick to make amends but it appears that he's even more alright than me when it comes to LFT kits.kingstongraham said:
If you genuinely thought that you getting tests meant that all the reports of shortages are bogus then I apologise to you. (And find it quite funny.)Stevo_666 said:
It's quite funny how Rick he's on his high horse about these things, even when I wasn't trying to provoke. Got one from you as wellkingstongraham said:
Think I did too then - you reacted. That's how it works, as you know.Stevo_666 said:
Nope, but I didkingstongraham said:Stevo_666 said:
If the above is how you react when someone mentions that they got a free lateral flow test kit from the NHS the first time of ordering, I'd love to see how you react when someone does some real 'alright jacking'rick_chasey said:
Fair.TheBigBean said:
Skiing in January?rick_chasey said:Is there ever an argument on here where Stevo doesn't do the "I'm alright, Jack" bit?
Think he touched a nerve there.
Sorry, my fault, you confused me when you wrote "No idea why you had problems" - I thought that meant you had no idea why sungod had problems.0 -
That is very kind of you but we do have some and quarantine does not end until the weekend so I should have found some more by then.monkimark said:If you are stuck, I have a few for work (we have to test twice a week) and can probably drop some off, I seem to remember you are Epsom way so pretty local.
surrey_commuter said:
I don't believe in luck so would explain it by the fact that there are shortages but as I have Covid I have no need for LFTs so only tried a couple of times. By the end of the week I will be more bothered and will try repeatedly at different times of the day and night at which point I suspect that my "luck" will changeStevo_666 said:
Sounds like this forum has a quiote a few unlucky people on it.surrey_commuter said:
Friday - missus ordered someStevo_666 said:
Not to me it doesn't.surrey_commuter said:
yes, nowStevo_666 said:
Not now it would appear.kingstongraham said:
It's been pretty widely reported that there have been intermittent issues with availability over the last few weeks, so not really a surprise.Stevo_666 said:
All I can say is that our orders were both fulfilled as normal and in line with the 3 working working day delivery timescale. No idea why you had problems but could be timing?sungod said:
there certainly has been either a shortage or a distribution problem or bothStevo_666 said:
We ordered some kits on the NHS website last week and got them delivered 3 days later. That was 2 separate orders, one for me and one for junior so there doesn't seem to be a shortage.veronese68 said:Lad has just tested positive, I was at work when I found out so came home immediately to do a test myself. Wife and I are clear at the moment.
Managed to pick up some LFT tests on the way back, for anyone in the Kingston area you can pick them up in the market square.
The last page of this thread certainly illustrates the point nicely that there are several people on here that know what they are talking about, and some others.
we tried 10-15 times over the last week or so, the website always said none available, over the same period there've been consistent "no tests in stock" signs in a couple of pharmacies i go past, plenty of news reports of the same
today they are available, presumably they restocked and/or demand no longer exceeds distribution capacity
See what happen if you order now on the NHS.
Saturday - I couldn't get in
Sunday - couldn't get in
Monday - couldn't be bothered as going nowhere0 -
Clearly I don't know why he didn't get his delivery when he ordered - you'd have to ask the NHS. Cake Stop Gold star for you as well for tryingkingstongraham said:Stevo_666 said:
Nope, just passing on my recent experience. I was going to post some to Rick to make amends but it appears that he's even more alright than me when it comes to LFT kits.kingstongraham said:
If you genuinely thought that you getting tests meant that all the reports of shortages are bogus then I apologise to you. (And find it quite funny.)Stevo_666 said:
It's quite funny how Rick he's on his high horse about these things, even when I wasn't trying to provoke. Got one from you as wellkingstongraham said:
Think I did too then - you reacted. That's how it works, as you know.Stevo_666 said:
Nope, but I didkingstongraham said:Stevo_666 said:
If the above is how you react when someone mentions that they got a free lateral flow test kit from the NHS the first time of ordering, I'd love to see how you react when someone does some real 'alright jacking'rick_chasey said:
Fair.TheBigBean said:
Skiing in January?rick_chasey said:Is there ever an argument on here where Stevo doesn't do the "I'm alright, Jack" bit?
Think he touched a nerve there.
Sorry, my fault, you confused me when you wrote "No idea why you had problems" - I thought that meant you had no idea why sungod had problems. "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
This would be those intermittent supply problems that were referred to.Stevo_666 said:
Clearly I don't know why he didn't get his delivery when he ordered - you'd have to ask the NHS. Cake Stop Gold star for you as well for tryingkingstongraham said:Stevo_666 said:
Nope, just passing on my recent experience. I was going to post some to Rick to make amends but it appears that he's even more alright than me when it comes to LFT kits.kingstongraham said:
If you genuinely thought that you getting tests meant that all the reports of shortages are bogus then I apologise to you. (And find it quite funny.)Stevo_666 said:
It's quite funny how Rick he's on his high horse about these things, even when I wasn't trying to provoke. Got one from you as wellkingstongraham said:
Think I did too then - you reacted. That's how it works, as you know.Stevo_666 said:
Nope, but I didkingstongraham said:Stevo_666 said:
If the above is how you react when someone mentions that they got a free lateral flow test kit from the NHS the first time of ordering, I'd love to see how you react when someone does some real 'alright jacking'rick_chasey said:
Fair.TheBigBean said:
Skiing in January?rick_chasey said:Is there ever an argument on here where Stevo doesn't do the "I'm alright, Jack" bit?
Think he touched a nerve there.
Sorry, my fault, you confused me when you wrote "No idea why you had problems" - I thought that meant you had no idea why sungod had problems.1 -
Bonus point for being patronising. I've told you more than once I was commenting on my own experience, not trying got comment on the overall situation. Hopefully you can understand that.Pross said:
This would be those intermittent supply problems that were referred to.Stevo_666 said:
Clearly I don't know why he didn't get his delivery when he ordered - you'd have to ask the NHS. Cake Stop Gold star for you as well for tryingkingstongraham said:Stevo_666 said:
Nope, just passing on my recent experience. I was going to post some to Rick to make amends but it appears that he's even more alright than me when it comes to LFT kits.kingstongraham said:
If you genuinely thought that you getting tests meant that all the reports of shortages are bogus then I apologise to you. (And find it quite funny.)Stevo_666 said:
It's quite funny how Rick he's on his high horse about these things, even when I wasn't trying to provoke. Got one from you as wellkingstongraham said:
Think I did too then - you reacted. That's how it works, as you know.Stevo_666 said:
Nope, but I didkingstongraham said:Stevo_666 said:
If the above is how you react when someone mentions that they got a free lateral flow test kit from the NHS the first time of ordering, I'd love to see how you react when someone does some real 'alright jacking'rick_chasey said:
Fair.TheBigBean said:
Skiing in January?rick_chasey said:Is there ever an argument on here where Stevo doesn't do the "I'm alright, Jack" bit?
Think he touched a nerve there.
Sorry, my fault, you confused me when you wrote "No idea why you had problems" - I thought that meant you had no idea why sungod had problems."I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
Track champs now postponed to March and still scheduled for Newport.imposter2.0 said:
It's not just parkrun - the whole 'max 30 people indoors' thing has no basis in science, or logic as far as I can tell. The national track champs are due to take place at Newport Velodrome at the end of January, so at this rate they will likely either be postponed or moved. Ironically, the 'Icebreakers', which is a nationally-attended youth track series, can go ahead with more than 30 people indoors because youth sport is exempt. Fking ridiculous.kingstonian said:Pross said:
Yep, lunacy - I can't do a Parkrun in Wales but can jump on a train with hundreds of others to do one in England or can go to busy shops and sit in a crowded cafe on a Saturday morning instead.TheBigBean said:
Weren't some of the restrictions the sort that encouraged the spread e.g. don't watch sport outside, better do it down the pub.kingstongraham said:
I am trying to imagine - maybe something like this?First.Aspect said:
Imagine how bad it would have been.kingstongraham said:The extra restrictions look to have done as well as expected.
To be fair, the numbers do also probably reflect that the peak in England has finished whilst in the other nations it is only just arriving. What were the numbers in England like per 100,000 at their worst or are they still rising too?
I had hoped today's update would realise the 'more stringent' rules aren't helping and would be dropped, feared that they would actually bring in more restrictions but they've just left them unchanged apparently.
Yeah, the situation with a Parkrun is baffling. Defies all logic.
From a brief glance at the data yesterday it looks like the wave of infections in London/SE England is on the way down and it is now spreading across the rest of the country, with it indeed looking like we may have already seen the peak across the country as a whole.0 -
You were using your experience to argue that others weren't having problems.Stevo_666 said:
Bonus point for being patronising. I've told you more than once I was commenting on my own experience, not trying got comment on the overall situation. Hopefully you can understand that.Pross said:
This would be those intermittent supply problems that were referred to.Stevo_666 said:
Clearly I don't know why he didn't get his delivery when he ordered - you'd have to ask the NHS. Cake Stop Gold star for you as well for tryingkingstongraham said:Stevo_666 said:
Nope, just passing on my recent experience. I was going to post some to Rick to make amends but it appears that he's even more alright than me when it comes to LFT kits.kingstongraham said:
If you genuinely thought that you getting tests meant that all the reports of shortages are bogus then I apologise to you. (And find it quite funny.)Stevo_666 said:
It's quite funny how Rick he's on his high horse about these things, even when I wasn't trying to provoke. Got one from you as wellkingstongraham said:
Think I did too then - you reacted. That's how it works, as you know.Stevo_666 said:
Nope, but I didkingstongraham said:Stevo_666 said:
If the above is how you react when someone mentions that they got a free lateral flow test kit from the NHS the first time of ordering, I'd love to see how you react when someone does some real 'alright jacking'rick_chasey said:
Fair.TheBigBean said:
Skiing in January?rick_chasey said:Is there ever an argument on here where Stevo doesn't do the "I'm alright, Jack" bit?
Think he touched a nerve there.
Sorry, my fault, you confused me when you wrote "No idea why you had problems" - I thought that meant you had no idea why sungod had problems.0 -
briantrumpet said:
I'm going to stick my neck out and say I don't think we're going to get a massive bump from schools going back. If that is the case (and so far there has been virtually nothing at my school, despite a school-wide test on Tuesday), this looks like very promising news.
Meanwhile, France is still on the up, and about 50% more cases than the UK. Are you listening, Macron?
That mirrors my thoughts too. The schools around me were hit hard in Dec, there aren’t that many more kids left that haven’t already had it.
I just checked, and my area had been in black on the data map - today it flipped to purple, so slightly less bad on the new case scale. Some progress, I guess.0 -
you're making things up nowStevo_666 said:
Clearly I don't know why he didn't get his delivery when he ordered - you'd have to ask the NHS. Cake Stop Gold star for you as well for tryingkingstongraham said:Stevo_666 said:
Nope, just passing on my recent experience. I was going to post some to Rick to make amends but it appears that he's even more alright than me when it comes to LFT kits.kingstongraham said:
If you genuinely thought that you getting tests meant that all the reports of shortages are bogus then I apologise to you. (And find it quite funny.)Stevo_666 said:
It's quite funny how Rick he's on his high horse about these things, even when I wasn't trying to provoke. Got one from you as wellkingstongraham said:
Think I did too then - you reacted. That's how it works, as you know.Stevo_666 said:
Nope, but I didkingstongraham said:Stevo_666 said:
If the above is how you react when someone mentions that they got a free lateral flow test kit from the NHS the first time of ordering, I'd love to see how you react when someone does some real 'alright jacking'rick_chasey said:
Fair.TheBigBean said:
Skiing in January?rick_chasey said:Is there ever an argument on here where Stevo doesn't do the "I'm alright, Jack" bit?
Think he touched a nerve there.
Sorry, my fault, you confused me when you wrote "No idea why you had problems" - I thought that meant you had no idea why sungod had problems.
over the period i referred to, i was unable to order due to the shortage/distribution issues
stick to the facts, which are that for whatever reason there has been a, widely reported, inability to obtain lateral flow tests via the nhs website and pharmacies
there are tens of millions of people in the uk, some were able to get tests, being one of those that did does not alter the fact that many couldn't
whether trolling or ignorance of statistics, neither makes you look goodmy bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0 -
kingstonian said:briantrumpet said:
I'm going to stick my neck out and say I don't think we're going to get a massive bump from schools going back. If that is the case (and so far there has been virtually nothing at my school, despite a school-wide test on Tuesday), this looks like very promising news.
Meanwhile, France is still on the up, and about 50% more cases than the UK. Are you listening, Macron?
That mirrors my thoughts too. The schools around me were hit hard in Dec, there aren’t that many more kids left that haven’t already had it.
I just checked, and my area had been in black on the data map - today it flipped to purple, so slightly less bad on the new case scale. Some progress, I guess.
Yes, and despite being cooped up over Christmas with plaguey families, the rate for SAKs stayed resolutely low right through, even dropping. I'll be keeping an eye on our absentees list over the next week or two to see if there's a spike, especially as Devon's been rising quite a bit otherwise over the last week.
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Labour or the Libdems should do a poster with a funeral on one side, with six or fifteen people and a coffin (whatever was allowed at the time), and a wine & cheese party with 100 people on the other, with the date prominent. I don't think it would need any text other than that.1 -
For me the total opposite has been true. My son's nursery annouced this morning it was closing as it has had 22 or so COVID +ve tests this week across staff and children. I would have thought in this case it was all the staff having big NYE parties then bringing it back and spreading it around.kingstonian said:briantrumpet said:I'm going to stick my neck out and say I don't think we're going to get a massive bump from schools going back. If that is the case (and so far there has been virtually nothing at my school, despite a school-wide test on Tuesday), this looks like very promising news.
Meanwhile, France is still on the up, and about 50% more cases than the UK. Are you listening, Macron?
That mirrors my thoughts too. The schools around me were hit hard in Dec, there aren’t that many more kids left that haven’t already had it.
I just checked, and my area had been in black on the data map - today it flipped to purple, so slightly less bad on the new case scale. Some progress, I guess.
Normally one or two staff are off per week with COVID and they are pretty rigorous about ensuring people test if they show symptons or are in a classroom with a staff member who tests positive. Luckily, my son is in the forest school part, so mostly is outside, probably eating mud and worms.0 -
Was just wondering what this week’s new party or sleaze story was0
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shirley_basso said:
For me the total opposite has been true. My son's nursery annouced this morning it was closing as it has had 22 or so COVID +ve tests this week across staff and children. I would have thought in this case it was all the staff having big NYE parties then bringing it back and spreading it around.kingstonian said:briantrumpet said:I'm going to stick my neck out and say I don't think we're going to get a massive bump from schools going back. If that is the case (and so far there has been virtually nothing at my school, despite a school-wide test on Tuesday), this looks like very promising news.
Meanwhile, France is still on the up, and about 50% more cases than the UK. Are you listening, Macron?
That mirrors my thoughts too. The schools around me were hit hard in Dec, there aren’t that many more kids left that haven’t already had it.
I just checked, and my area had been in black on the data map - today it flipped to purple, so slightly less bad on the new case scale. Some progress, I guess.
Normally one or two staff are off per week with COVID and they are pretty rigorous about ensuring people test if they show symptons or are in a classroom with a staff member who tests positive. Luckily, my son is in the forest school part, so mostly is outside, probably eating mud and worms.
I could well be wrong. The red line is the young 'uns.
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This one's pretty insane.Mad_Malx said:Was just wondering what this week’s new party or sleaze story was
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I thought the mechanical steps (apologies for poor wording) was to rapidly heat and cool the sample once the virus DNA had been seperated chemically, as that heating and cooling process helped increase the concentration of the genetic material, thus making the test more accurate.Mad_Malx said:As someone who has actually done (many) PCR tests for other targets -
1. They do not gene sequence, but are often used as part of a sequencing protocol (because they amplify target sequences to provide sufficient material to sequence.
2. They are not chromatographic techniques (but chromotography is sometimes used afterwards to confirm the amplified target)
3. You could take the samples people send in to gene profile them if you wanted.
4. The ‘manufactured’ comment is bizarre.
5. It doesn’t need mechanical steps, it can all be done in one “tube” once extracted from the sample you send in by an automated process.
I *think* the above is right. I am speaking to another company which has apparently found a chemical which will render that heating process obsolete as it can chemically concetrate the genetic material - making desktop PCR tests much cheaper and more simple.0 -
Pretty much whole process can be done in one ‘tube’ (usually a well in a plate) and each plate can have 384 wells) now though, so it’s automated.shirley_basso said:
I thought the mechanical steps (apologies for poor wording) was to rapidly heat and cool the sample once the virus DNA had been seperated chemically, as that heating and cooling process helped increase the concentration of the genetic material, thus making the test more accurate.Mad_Malx said:As someone who has actually done (many) PCR tests for other targets -
1. They do not gene sequence, but are often used as part of a sequencing protocol (because they amplify target sequences to provide sufficient material to sequence.
2. They are not chromatographic techniques (but chromotography is sometimes used afterwards to confirm the amplified target)
3. You could take the samples people send in to gene profile them if you wanted.
4. The ‘manufactured’ comment is bizarre.
5. It doesn’t need mechanical steps, it can all be done in one “tube” once extracted from the sample you send in by an automated process.
I *think* the above is right. I am speaking to another company which has apparently found a chemical which will render that heating process obsolete as it can chemically concetrate the genetic material - making desktop PCR tests much cheaper and more simple.
NB Covid19 is an RNA virus, This is reverse transcribed to dna because that’s what works in the PCR reaction. No need to separate, whole sample then enters PCR reaction in same tube.
PCR goes through repeated heat & cooling, and doubles the amount of signature dna segments every cycle (if 100% efficiency). That means 1 dna section ends up as s41£ loads after 30 cycles. Each cycle more fluoro dye gets bound, so big signal by 30 cycles, but only noise after say 10 cycles.
I’d say you need to amplify rather than concentrate, so you can detect tiny amounts of genetic material. With PCR detection limits are down to single figures I think.
I guess heat free amplification might be possible using entirely diff chemistry, but not something I’m familiar with (my lab before I cycled off into the sunset was broke and I wasn’t looking for new bits of kit) . Certainly some companies now make a cassette system but I think you still need a thermal cycling and detector machine, but could give results in say 90 minutes. Machines are pretty expensive now (l haven’t bought one for ages) but mass adoption say in every pharmacy might make local testing viable.
The money is made when company flogs a bit of kit - moderately expensive - but then ties you into their proprietary reagents & technology, which keeps the £ rolling in.0 -
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I was thinking I could have done with that yesterdaybriantrumpet said:Thermal cycling. I like that bit.
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It's now annoying me how papers are still announcing when prominent people have caught covid but are perfectly well. They'd not do the same if they'd caught a cold. It might have been newsworthy before, but it's not now.0
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Chancer mate of mine was trying to persuade a few of us to set up a screening biz in 2020, but we would have actually have to do some work. He didn't realise at the time that flogging non existent PPE would have been much easier, no experience necessary.shirley_basso said:
I thought the mechanical steps (apologies for poor wording) was to rapidly heat and cool the sample once the virus DNA had been seperated chemically, as that heating and cooling process helped increase the concentration of the genetic material, thus making the test more accurate.Mad_Malx said:As someone who has actually done (many) PCR tests for other targets -
1. They do not gene sequence, but are often used as part of a sequencing protocol (because they amplify target sequences to provide sufficient material to sequence.
2. They are not chromatographic techniques (but chromotography is sometimes used afterwards to confirm the amplified target)
3. You could take the samples people send in to gene profile them if you wanted.
4. The ‘manufactured’ comment is bizarre.
5. It doesn’t need mechanical steps, it can all be done in one “tube” once extracted from the sample you send in by an automated process.
I *think* the above is right. I am speaking to another company which has apparently found a chemical which will render that heating process obsolete as it can chemically concetrate the genetic material - making desktop PCR tests much cheaper and more simple.0 -
Only if you drank in the right pub/club.Mad_Malx said:...He didn't realise at the time that flogging non existent PPE would have been much easier, no experience necessary.
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
kingstongraham said:
This one's pretty insane.Mad_Malx said:Was just wondering what this week’s new party or sleaze story was
Incredible, isn’t it. And sending the invite over email !!!!!0 -
I am working with a few companies who are making the desktop machines which can do exactly as you say. Expensive-ish to buy but then you need to buy the consumables.
That said, someone else I am speaking to has allegedly made a chemical which can amplify without thermal cycling which could potentially be a game changer.0 -
Re the Bojo party. I'm not going to pretend I'm hugely upset BUT at the same time we had my dad's funeral a month or so after that. We were limited to close family - basically my mum, brothers and grand kids.
Now my dad was nearly 90 and probably didn't have a huge circle of surviving friends but no doubt some would have wanted to be there. My mum's brothers from Scotland would have come down - things like that. There was also the fact when my dad went into hospital we couldn't see him until he was unable to communicate and a couple of days from death.
So I mean really just the absolutely blatant disregard for the rules he really needs to resign. I can understand a few drinks after work if you are in the same office but not sending invitations out to 100 people - there has to be a line. I know some will think what did you expect given his track record - and honestly it doesn't greatly surprise me but given he's been caught out he should **** off now.[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]1 -
Has anybody else volunteered for an antibody test?
if so do they tell you the result?0 -
Haha Sturgeon has picked today to (presumably) announce loosening of restrictions.
Good day to ensure that its not a major headline.0 -
How did you do that?surrey_commuter said:Has anybody else volunteered for an antibody test?
if so do they tell you the result?0 -
I got a lot of texts/emails after the positive PCR one of which asked if I would take part in an anti-gen survey.TheBigBean said:
How did you do that?surrey_commuter said:Has anybody else volunteered for an antibody test?
if so do they tell you the result?
Am intrigued to know if they will let me know my individual result0 -
My dad did a couple of the ONS ones. They are just instant ones that tell you the result. They aren't very reliable though for an individual. Maybe you are being offered something else.surrey_commuter said:
I got a lot of texts/emails after the positive PCR one of which asked if I would take part in an anti-gen survey.TheBigBean said:
How did you do that?surrey_commuter said:Has anybody else volunteered for an antibody test?
if so do they tell you the result?
Am intrigued to know if they will let me know my individual result0
