LFT Reminder

[MichaelJH]

Just a quick reminder that today is your last chance to order free Lateral Flow Tests (LFT) provided you haven't done so in the last three days.

My contact says the indicative price will be £20 per box of 7 tests.

[Thanksnhs]

I tried to order them yesterday (Scotland) and the website wouldn't let me,I also tried the chemist and they said they are not supplying them anymore. I doubt I will be paying that for them! Char

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Thanksnhs]

Try giving EON your meter readings as tomorrow is All Fuels Day when variable tariffs shoot up! Other energy companies are available...

[Thanksnhs in reply to MichaelJH]

I am on a fixed tariff with British gas, char

[Heather1957 in reply to MichaelJH]

SSE/OVO so busy you can't log on - I don't trust any of them!!

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Heather1957]

TLA (Three Letter Acronym)s again! 🤣

[Heather1957 in reply to MichaelJH]

Looked it up and it seems to be the case!!

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Heather1957]

I've been transferred from SSE to OVO too Heather. I've already been notified of yet another price increase, have you?

Jean

[Heather1957 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

The messages are coming thick and fast and this is before the price increase! My electricity DD has gone up by double!! I will pay it for a few months just to gauge what the cost will actually be. What really bothers me is the amount they are increasing the standing charge!

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Heather1957]

I don't know how some people will be able to live with the cost of utilities going up so high. I've turned my heating down. Fortunately in the south west of England it hasn't been a cold winter. I hadn't noticed the standing order increase.

[Handel in reply to MichaelJH]

😂 Hope you're keeping well Michael. All the best. Jan xxx

[gilreid1 in reply to Thanksnhs]

Where in Scotland are you

[Thanksnhs in reply to gilreid1]

Johnstone

[gilreid1 in reply to Thanksnhs]

Test kits available free

On-X, Linwood - Friday 1 April (10am to 5pm)

[Thanksnhs in reply to gilreid1]

Thanks I will pop over tomorrow

[Jonno45 in reply to Thanksnhs]

I qualify for free LFT's and tried to oder online today (England) but there are none available !

[Thanksnhs in reply to Jonno45]

I thought they might have sent a phone number if we can't order online

[Gumbie_Cat in reply to Thanksnhs]

Also in Scotland - I tried again yesterday evening, and managed to order a box.

[Thanksnhs in reply to Gumbie_Cat]

My pal did as well, I have tried another three times answer always the same no home delivery available, I even used the same link she got hers with and it still said no, I have definitely given up now

[080311 in reply to Thanksnhs]

I checked this morning on line couldn’t get a home delivery but they gave me a list of places you could pick up from. Chemists testing centres. Have a go at that.Hope you are feeling ok.

Pauline

[Thanksnhs in reply to 080311]

Hi the nearest seems to be Glasgow which seems strange as you would have thought at least somewhere in paisley would have had them I doubt there will be any by next week, I am ok the usual aches and pains but in general all right at the moment. How are you, is John still in hospital xx

[080311 in reply to Thanksnhs]

Yes he is still in hospital, we are having to look at him being moved to a nursing home, he needs 24 hour nursing and they say I am just not strong enough to take care of him now. His brain is really scrambled and the consultant says since this brain trauma he isn’t going to come back from this. Finding a place is proving problematic, with the virus places are open one minute and then closed again. We have a discharge team who are doing all the hard work, I haven’t seen John for over 3 weeks with no visiting allowed. It’s so very difficult. I know it’s the only thing to be done but it’s hard.

Pauline

[Thanksnhs in reply to 080311]

I don't no what to say Pauline, I am so sorry to hear he did not recover from his fall I cannot imagine what you and the family are going through made even worse with the restrictions for visiting still in place, it must be awful, I really hope the hospital will be able to sort things out soon and you will be able to visit, take care I will be thinking about you, char xx

[Dovaston]

No more home delivery slots for them according to website

[SheldonC]

Mine are still free ☺️

[gilreid1]

Still free and boxes of them at local testing center. In Aberdeenshire

[080311]

Still handing them out at the gym, (Scotland)

[Thanksnhs in reply to 080311]

It must have just been the pharmacy I go to (well) that had none

[JennyRx in reply to Thanksnhs]

In England no pharmacies will be involved in the free LFTs from 1st April. Some groups, eg NHS workers, vulnerable patients can order them online as previously. In our pharmacy we have had a notice up telling customers this for a while. Cheapest so far seem to be Superdrug. There will be competition which will drive down prices but you need to check on whether the make complies with regs ie do they actually test anything.

[Buddy00 in reply to JennyRx]

Here’s a little idea. Do what we did in the good old days ( 2020) and if your feeling a bit under the weather then stay away from others , have a day off work etc. stop the obsession of test test test.

[Hidders in reply to Buddy00]

Although usually I would wholeheartedly agree with you the lack of testing means that if you are unfortunate enough to be like me and end up with Long C without a positive test as proof access to the few services there is may be limited especially if you have never been hospitalised. This is the experience of many from early 2020 and we are now going back to those early days again just with more treatment options.

[JennyRx in reply to Buddy00]

I was merely imparting information. Not offering an opinion. But thank you for your insight.

[Buddy00 in reply to JennyRx]

I didn’t mean to come across rude. But people have become a bit obsessed with testing.

[JennyRx in reply to Buddy00]

For some people with anxiety, testing can be a help, for some it just makes everything worse. If you’re triple vaccinated LFTs aren’t that precise as you will get symptoms for a few days before it shows on a LFT as your immune system gets to work so the viral load can take a while to build to a level that shows on a LFT.

[Lezzers in reply to Buddy00]

My husband attends hospice every week, he tests to ensure he's not putting others at risk. My sister tests before visiting me as my husband is vulnerable. Rather than being obsessive most people test to protect others!

[Buddy00 in reply to Lezzers]

And what did they do prior to 2020. ? Flu virus etc.

[Lezzers in reply to Buddy00]

When you've got the flu you know about it, that's not always the case with C. If people want to continue testing why shouldn't they, I really don't get why it bothers other people? My local FB group is constantly going on about people wearing face nappys (masks) why on earth do they care if someone wants to continue protecting themselves or others?

[Heather1957 in reply to Lezzers]

I also find this very strange, I continue to choose to wear a mask when indoors in a public place and on public transport yet am ridiculed by several people for doing so as it I am doing something wrong.

[Lezzers in reply to Heather1957]

Yep, we'll continue wearing our masks, sanitising, testing etc, can't see us changing that at all going forward. I truly don't understand why what I'm doing bothers anyone else when it has zero impact on them? Very strange!

[Heather1957 in reply to Lezzers]

I can't get my head around it either, I have quite a selection of masks and I will get my wear out of them!! LOL

Welsh mask

[Heather1957 in reply to Buddy00]

I have had flu and boy did I know I had flu - people can have Omicron (or other variants) and be asymptomatic so easily spread the virus to others. It isn't the same thing at all!

[Heather1957 in reply to Buddy00]

I visit my 90 year old mother at least twice a week to get her food, supplies, meds etc. I do a test before going as I want to protect her, I do it for the protection of others not just to test test test.

[Buddy00 in reply to Heather1957]

Did you not visit prior to 2020 ?

[Heather1957 in reply to Buddy00]

My mother lived with me until 2021 but we never had Covid pre 2020? I am not sure what point you are making?

[Hidden]

My local pharmacy (Scotland) has a poster up saying they have no stock & won’t be renewing stock . I wasn’t looking for any since I got a box at the weekend that I’d ordered online but just noticed the poster . Apparently there’s plenty at the local community centre

I’m fairly fortunate that when work needs me to go into the office / etc , we’re being supplied with tests for the time being & expected to do them before any face to face work. There’s no end date to that. Eek I feel sorry for management having to deal with it.

[VelvetSky]

I’m with EDF, cannot log in to send readings. No test kits in SE Hants, I am deeply shielded and tried getting them online, a notice at the top of the page says no kits available, l filled in form anyway and have received 3 kits, who knows what’s going on?🙀

[Janma123]

They are still free in Scotland online. I ordered again last night. I’m testing daily as hubby is in hospital at the moment.

[Thanksnhs in reply to Janma123]

I tried to order them online last night and it said there were none and I have just tried again with the same response, I have had a transplant and being extremely clinically vulnerable I thought I would still be able to get them. I was told that I would be eligible for the new anti viral treatment, but if I don't know I have it how can they treat it 🤔, there are no Tests at all in the town I stay in . Char

[Hidders in reply to Thanksnhs]

I suspect you would be sent them by 111 only once you had symptoms.

[Gundoglady]

Have been trying all week, and haven't been able to get any.Our local pharmacy are apparently going to stock some for sale, but, can't tell me when or how much they'll be.

Does anyone know a definitive list of who will be eligible for the free test kits?

[Blyth1 in reply to Gundoglady]

Do not know who will be on the list but like lots of people here I am classed as extremely clinically vulnerable. I received a box of LFT in the post today, not ordered. Who knows how the cogs of various departments work 🤷‍♀️

[Cat04]

No tests available but I did manage to submit my elec reading to SSE yesterday 🤣

[gladliz]

Anybody know of the situation in N. Wales. Local pharmacy had none and not expecting any more. Other nearest none either. Have one box left for the two of us and several meetings scheduled. We have been testing before we go and on return as we have been notified that there have been positive results from some attendees.

[Alison_L]

In England Boots, Superdrug, Lloyds (and probably others) have them for just under £2 per test - in packs of 2, 4, or 5 (same price per test however many you buy). Obviously postage is payable if you order online, but that's free if you buy lots of them!

NHS staff, including volunteers like me, can still get the free packs online.

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Alison_L]

I suspect they should all really be supplied by the NHS as it is opening things up for fake tests. Having fallen for Girtling (no) brake shoes in my youth and received fake BG (blood glucose) test strips a year ago I think people need to be concerned!

[Alison_L in reply to MichaelJH]

Agreed. Folks should only order from known companies, rather than cheapmeds4u.com

[Qualipop]

Re meter readings, take a photo of yoru meter alongside a newspaper that shows the date then you can submit it later when things quieten down. Gas and electrics websites all went down yesterday.

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Qualipop]

Maybe they could not afford the electricity to power their computers!

😀

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Qualipop]

The big irritation is that my standing charge has gone up 60% when it is independent ofgas/oil/coal supplies. They are taking the sample bottle!

[Qualipop in reply to MichaelJH]

I assume that's electricity. Ours more than doubled too. As you say- taking the proverbial. I bet the bosses get their massive pay rises. Yet my friend in Germany is really struggling, not only the pay rises but threats of rationing with industry having to give way to domestic users; empty shelves of bread, flour, pasta , milk because Ukraine can't supply. Why did our lot demolish all our gasometers and storage places and sell the land off for housing? We could have had huge stores of gas.