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paulmeach  
#1 Posted : 24 September 2020 15:48:38(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
paulmeach

As there is no avilability to covid tests from the Gov testing scheme. I am looking for experienced views regarding approved rapid covid tests, reliabilty and availability...

Is there any experience out there before I look into this further...

Roundtuit  
#2 Posted : 24 September 2020 19:52:50(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

why do you need testing? Like BBC programming testing for testings sake using up available resource?
Roundtuit  
#3 Posted : 24 September 2020 19:52:50(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

why do you need testing? Like BBC programming testing for testings sake using up available resource?
paulmeach  
#4 Posted : 25 September 2020 06:09:15(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
paulmeach

We have front line staff working in disablement services. They have clinics booked over several weeks which would need cancelling if we had a clinical member of staff with symptoms. This would put vinerable patients at risk, also we would need to cancell clinics providing a critical servce. Thats why we are looking to see if there are any reliable testing programmes out there.

Kate  
#5 Posted : 25 September 2020 07:50:55(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Kate

I heard on the news today that some universities have set up their own testing programmes (but no detail on this).

A Kurdziel  
#6 Posted : 25 September 2020 07:54:23(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
A Kurdziel

Who will do the testing and who will interpret the results?  Are you or anyone in your organisation qualified to do this? Do they work to an approved standard using validated methods?

If not then its waste of time and money.

paulmeach  
#7 Posted : 25 September 2020 13:26:20(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
paulmeach

Yes Kate, I have also hear that some companies are setting up their own testing but I have no further info. This is why I am looking for some feedback from anyone who may have been involved in such a programme. 

I personaly am very concerned about rapid testing as the reviews are very patchy and from what I have seen most are not approved by regulators.

My thought was maybe someone out there has experience that I could tap into before any money or resource is wasted.....

Welford27825  
#8 Posted : 27 September 2020 10:07:28(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
Welford27825

Try you local Occupational Health Service - many are qualified and carry out this service using the Antigen kits.  We have paid £60 per test which gave us instant results as to whether they have developed COVID antibodies during the last 6 weeks or whether they are developing them

Edited by user 27 September 2020 10:16:04(UTC)  | Reason: addition information

A Kurdziel  
#9 Posted : 28 September 2020 09:23:04(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
A Kurdziel

 The antigen kits will tell you if you have been exposed to the virus ie you have antibodies to it. They will not tell if you have a current infection- currently the only tests that tell you that at the RT-PCR based tests and even they have risk of false positives. If you rely on the antigen test you will simply be sending loads of people home for no reason.

Roundtuit  
#10 Posted : 28 September 2020 09:42:09(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Possibly exposing many to unecessary restriction as The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020 do not define what a "test" is only referring to a positive test result.

Roundtuit  
#11 Posted : 28 September 2020 09:42:09(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Possibly exposing many to unecessary restriction as The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020 do not define what a "test" is only referring to a positive test result.

A Kurdziel  
#12 Posted : 28 September 2020 10:21:52(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
A Kurdziel

Under the Coronavirus Act an infected person excludes someone who “who have been infected but are clear of coronavirus (unless re-infected)” So any test must distinguish between the two.

The whole system is based around medical professionals identifying the disease and then deciding what action to take. Under the Public Health Act if a medical professional ie a doctor believes, based their professional understanding, that a person has a notifiable disease eg covid 19. They must report this immediately to the local public health officer. The rules specifically state that the medical professionals should not wait for any confirmatory laboratory test.

Testing should be carried out in accredited diagnostic laboratories using established methods and in the case of kits they need to be approved by the Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. As far as the system goes nothing else counts.

paulmeach  
#13 Posted : 29 September 2020 08:02:00(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
paulmeach

I would like to thank you all for your input, it has been very infomative and provided the answers I was exspecting.

regards,

Paul

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