The Lemon Fool

Applied last Wednesday (2/9) for home test kit. Received following day in the post - very efficient. Posted kit back on Friday (4/9) to get the last post as per instruction in a designated post box. As of 18.31 today (8/9) no response to promised 72 hours max results service. Unclear whether weekend included in the response time.

Incidentally, the 'test sample' has to be parcelled into a cardboard box (as provided) with address of testing lab. I would be interested in knowing whether any Fools out there have done similar because the 'construction' of the box reminded me of those quiz shows of days yonder when participants had to undertake all sorts of tasks. It took me about 10 mins to work out how to 'construct' the box - limited instructions worthy of DIY nest of tables imported from China. True the second box for the OH took all of 30 seconds.

I suspect that a fair number of (elderly) people have given up at this stage - after having gone through the easy stuff of pushing a swab up your nose and down your gullet.

T7

terminal7 wrote:I would be interested in knowing whether any Fools out there have done similar because the 'construction' of the box reminded me of those quiz shows of days yonder when participants had to undertake all sorts of tasks. It took me about 10 mins to work out how to 'construct' the box - limited instructions worthy of DIY nest of tables imported from China. True the second box for the OH took all of 30 seconds.

I suspect that a fair number of (elderly) people have given up at this stage - after having gone through the easy stuff of pushing a swab up your nose and down your gullet.

T7

I think this is all part of the govt's unofficial "don't test, don't trace" strategy, to minimise the apparent extent of the virus whilst at the same time appearing and claiming to be straining every sinew to find out. Make it as difficult as possible to get tested, delay publishing results for as long as possible. Same with 'test and trace'. Set up a dept. charged with doing it but give them no authority then claim they are doing the job well when they are patently, obviously not.

I did a home test kit as part of the UCL research project. It was easy to do except for some gagging when I brushed my tonsils with the swab. The biggest issue was assembling the box to return the swab. Oh dear! Made a right horlicks of it but managed to get it right .............eventually. If you manage to assemble IKEA furniture you will be fine. It took 5 days for the negative result to come through.

As part of a Kings College Research Project my wife did a home blood test kit. You drop 2-3 drip of blood onto a card and within a couple of minutes you get the result; then you have to take a photo of the results to send to Kings. Much easier and quicker than the swab test I had to do.

terminal7 wrote:Applied last Wednesday (2/9) for home test kit. ................. I would be interested in knowing whether any Fools out there have done similar because the 'construction' of the box reminded me of those quiz shows of days yonder when participants had to undertake all sorts of tasks.

T7

I was pulled into one of the long overdue (imho) random population selection sampling tests last week. The ICL/Ipsos one. The kit was just as you describe. The various links (URLs) in the instructions lead nowhere, Googling is required to find the correct ones, text and video. There are minor discrepancies between instructions and reality. The collection service is the snarliest part - if I had known a priori I would be required to remain at home between 8am and 6pm I would not have agreed to participate. I got my results back by email within 48h and by snailmail within 72h.

regards, dspp

Mike88 wrote:I did a home test kit as part of the UCL research project. It was easy to do except for some gagging when I brushed my tonsils with the swab. The biggest issue was assembling the box to return the swab. Oh dear! Made a right horlicks of it but managed to get it right .............eventually. If you manage to assemble IKEA furniture you will be fine. It took 5 days for the negative result to come through.

As part of a Kings College Research Project my wife did a home blood test kit. You drop 2-3 drip of blood onto a card and within a couple of minutes you get the result; then you have to take a photo of the results to send to Kings. Much easier and quicker than the swab test I had to do.

Was the Kings College test for the virus being active now or for antibodies? How do you get it? I'd love to know what bug I picked up in January (when I went for my IPF diagnosis) which laid me low for a week and from which I have not fully recovered.

Bouleversee wrote:

Mike88 wrote:I did a home test kit as part of the UCL research project. It was easy to do except for some gagging when I brushed my tonsils with the swab. The biggest issue was assembling the box to return the swab. Oh dear! Made a right horlicks of it but managed to get it right .............eventually. If you manage to assemble IKEA furniture you will be fine. It took 5 days for the negative result to come through.

As part of a Kings College Research Project my wife did a home blood test kit. You drop 2-3 drip of blood onto a card and within a couple of minutes you get the result; then you have to take a photo of the results to send to Kings. Much easier and quicker than the swab test I had to do.

Was the Kings College test for the virus being active now or for antibodies? How do you get it? I'd love to know what bug I picked up in January (when I went for my IPF diagnosis) which laid me low for a week and from which I have not fully recovered.

The test was for the virus now. Apparently we were selected at random for both tests from a list of names obtained from our GP.

Text and email just received - I am negative.

Apparently according to Tony Hancock it's my fault a Mr Cummings of North London was sent oop north to get an eye test. Sorry.

T7

Don't really see what this is achieving.
Yes, it's good to know when one has the bug.

But the notion that testing is a foundation for a resumption of 'normality' is surely a nonsense. All a negative says, is that one doesn't have the bug, now.
One could pick it up in the Post Office, sending off the test.

Going through the motions, verily.

V8

Is this test something that makes you gag, as described by the meeja? Or have they come up with something more palatable?

... speaking as someone unlikely to trouble TPTB unless and until I get so ill as to call 999.

Is this test something that makes you gag

Actually the one up the nostril is more unpleasant than the one down the back of the throat. Overall, not much fun - and would certainly try to get the OH (if applicable) to administer - self-admin is not something I could do (slightly reminded me of the film of the guy who hacked off his foot when stuck in a ravine - I would still be there).

However, I would suggest you certainly do a dry run on getting the box together as this does appear to defeat some oldies. Shame to successfully finish the sampling only to fail on the box game.

T7

terminal7 wrote:
However, I would suggest you certainly do a dry run on getting the box together as this does appear to defeat some oldies.

Shame to successfully finish the sampling only to fail on the box game.

There's a good YouTube video here showing how the COVID-19 UK home-testing kit works, including clearly showing how the return-box is constructed -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdU18gaagyM

The box instructions start at around 20 minutes in..

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

dspp wrote:

terminal7 wrote:Applied last Wednesday (2/9) for home test kit. ................. I would be interested in knowing whether any Fools out there have done similar because the 'construction' of the box reminded me of those quiz shows of days yonder when participants had to undertake all sorts of tasks.

T7

I was pulled into one of the long overdue (imho) random population selection sampling tests last week. The ICL/Ipsos one. The kit was just as you describe. The various links (URLs) in the instructions lead nowhere, Googling is required to find the correct ones, text and video. There are minor discrepancies between instructions and reality. The collection service is the snarliest part - if I had known a priori I would be required to remain at home between 8am and 6pm I would not have agreed to participate. I got my results back by email within 48h and by snailmail within 72h.

regards, dspp

Unlike your test, if you have asked for a test, it would presumably be because you feared that you may have the bug so you would be self isolating anyway, and so it would not matter when the courier collected the test I guess. Once you see from the video how the box is constructed it seems fairly straightforward. I must say that I am not altogether convinced by the self testing model since I assume that it would be only too easy to not provide a proper meaningful sample and so get a negative result and go off into the sunset in the false knowledge that you were negative.

Dod

terminal7 wrote:

Is this test something that makes you gag

Actually the one up the nostril is more unpleasant than the one down the back of the throat. Overall, not much fun - and would certainly try to get the OH (if applicable) to administer - self-admin is not something I could do (slightly reminded me of the film of the guy who hacked off his foot when stuck in a ravine - I would still be there).

However, I would suggest you certainly do a dry run on getting the box together as this does appear to defeat some oldies. Shame to successfully finish the sampling only to fail on the box game.

T7

I can do IKEA. But nasty things in my orifices - no thanks.

it would not matter when the courier collected the test

There is no courier - you have to post it in a designated post box. If you are in quarantine you are encouraged to get a friend/neighbour to post the box - though 'in extremis' you are allowed to post it yourself.

T7

I have done three tests (all at
the request of KCL or ONS) One at Gatwick. One where I posted it in a designated pillar box. One where a courier picked it up.

The first two provided results the very next day. The courier one is still waiting to be collected. Basically they never showed up on the day I booked them.

The courier one was part of an ONS sample. On the feedback I told them that if they intend to use the courier service in the future then count me out. I don't mind the gagging if I'm helping but to do it for nothing is stupid.

Chris

terminal7 wrote:

it would not matter when the courier collected the test

There is no courier - you have to post it in a designated post box. If you are in quarantine you are encouraged to get a friend/neighbour to post the box - though 'in extremis' you are allowed to post it yourself.

T7

There is a courier if you do the test as part of the UCL Research project. However, if you do the blood finger prick test as part of the Kings Research Project the results are virtually instantaneous with the only requirement to send a phone photo of your results to the researchers. The number of participants in these research projects is huge.

The tonsil swab makes you gag. See my post way above.

We've been invited to take part in a Oxford run national Covid-19 study, where health workers keep coming to the door to collect nose and throat swabs we do ourselves. The incentive, apart from helping science, is £25 a visit, which weekly for a month, then monthly for year would be £425. But we aren't keen for all the paperwork, waiting for people and swabbing. They apparently want 220,000 households to take part.

More details at https://www.ndm.ox.ac.uk/covid-19/covid ... ion-survey. They started in May, and are adding 5000 households a week, with an expected 50-60% opt-in rate. I suppose getting tested a lot might benefit me, but less than many others.