SARS CoV-2 coronavirus / Covid-19 (No tin foil hat silliness please)

11101

Full Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
21,311
you can get same day result pcr tests but need to pay a bit more

I just booked mine as I'm arriving in Heathrow next week, getting a test at the airport for £139 - result guaranteed by nidnight
Is that Collinson in T2? I need to book one soon.
 

Dumbstar

We got another woman hater here.
Joined
Jul 18, 2002
Messages
21,245
Location
Viva Karius!
Supports
Liverpool
Is that Collinson in T2? I need to book one soon.
I'm glad we're talking about this. My flight is on 27th Dec so obviously I need to be PCR tested by Xmas day / Boxing Day. :nervous: :(:rolleyes:

I'm thinking of using Randox at their clinic on Xmas Eve and praying the results come through. But I will need a backup plan in case I end up also needing that Collinson one at the airport last minute.

Please keep us updated.
 

Mickeza

still gets no respect
Joined
Aug 21, 2012
Messages
14,097
Location
Deepthroating information to Howard Nurse.
Last edited:

jojojo

JoJoJoJoJoJoJo
Staff
Joined
Aug 18, 2007
Messages
38,285
Location
Welcome to Manchester reception committee
An interesting sidenote on the "why does South Africa find these variants" question. In part at least it's because they are one of the countries who do routine sequencing of tests and who upload the data for global scientific use.


It wouldn't be right to take it literally for individual countries, because policies do vary on what to do with sequenced data. Some only upload the cases local scientists see as important/novel/interesting, some just send the lot in case there's a pattern someone is chasing. Others though, either don't do much sequencing, or don't want to discuss what they find.
 
Last edited:

11101

Full Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
21,311
I'm glad we're talking about this. My flight is on 27th Dec so obviously I need to be PCR tested by Xmas day / Boxing Day. :nervous: :(:rolleyes:

I'm thinking of using Randox at their clinic on Xmas Eve and praying the results come through. But I will need a backup plan in case I end up also needing that Collinson one at the airport last minute.

Please keep us updated.
I would be wary of Randox, there was a near 3 hour hour queue last time I used one of their clinics. They have always delivered results on time though.


I booked mine at https://conceptoclinic.co.uk/

I think you have to get a shuttle bus there but they leave every 15 minutes
Thanks, i will have access to a car but i think they will be closed by the time i arrive.
 

jojojo

JoJoJoJoJoJoJo
Staff
Joined
Aug 18, 2007
Messages
38,285
Location
Welcome to Manchester reception committee
Thanks, i will have access to a car but i think they will be closed by the time i arrive.
Most of the companies are still updating their websites and adding new price options timeslots etc. I'm willing to bet there will be a lot of price hikes from now through to Christmas/New Year to go with any extra rapid testing capacity.

The combination of people suddenly needing PCR tests rather than LFT and people travelling to see family/friends near Christmas, who can't afford to wait days for a result, has potential to be a real mess.
 

Shakesy

WW Head of Recruiting
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
9,981
Location
Directly under the sun... NOW!
It wouldn't be right to take it literally for individual countries, because policies do vary on what to do with sequenced data. Some only upload the cases local scientists see as important/novel/interesting, some just send the lot in case there's a pattern someone is chasing. Others though, either don't do much sequencing, or don't want to discuss what they find.
Despite everything, it's still surprising to see China so low on the list.
 

11101

Full Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
21,311
Most of the companies are still updating their websites and adding new price options timeslots etc. I'm willing to bet there will be a lot of price hikes from now through to Christmas/New Year to go with any extra rapid testing capacity.

The combination of people suddenly needing PCR tests rather than LFT and people travelling to see family/friends near Christmas, who can't afford to wait days for a result, has potential to be a real mess.
Of course, and Omicron will already be everywhere in the UK by now anyway. When it comes to controls and testing the UK border has been a total mess since the very beginning.


The first case in Italy has released an anonymous statement about his experience. He got back from Mozambique 2 weeks ago and travelled between Rome, Milan and Naples since then. His entire family from 8 to 81 years old all caught it, and it's been mild or asymptomatic in all of them. Backs up the speculation its more transmissible but less dangerous.
 
Last edited:

Pogue Mahone

The caf's Camus.
Joined
Feb 22, 2006
Messages
133,899
Location
"like a man in silk pyjamas shooting pigeons
An interesting sidenote on the "why does South Africa find these variants" question. In part at least it's because they are one of the countries who do routine sequencing of tests and who upload the data for global scientific use.


It wouldn't be right to take it literally for individual countries, because policies do vary on what to do with sequenced data. Some only upload the cases local scientists see as important/novel/interesting, some just send the lot in case there's a pattern someone is chasing. Others though, either don't do much sequencing, or don't want to discuss what they find.
Some big/wealthy European countries surprisingly low on that list!
 

dal

New Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2013
Messages
2,207
Can’t see it being that dangerous based on
Everything I have read. This news comes at a great time to encourage people to get a booster.
 

Dumbstar

We got another woman hater here.
Joined
Jul 18, 2002
Messages
21,245
Location
Viva Karius!
Supports
Liverpool
I would be wary of Randox, there was a near 3 hour hour queue last time I used one of their clinics. They have always delivered results on time though.
There's more positive than negative in your post. I'm planning to book into the Clapham Junction clinic exactly 72 hours before my flight (Xmas Eve afternoon). I don't mind waiting 3 hours as long as they get me the results.

I just hope the couriers and labs continue to work efficiently on Xmas and/or Boxing Days. :nervous:
 

jojojo

JoJoJoJoJoJoJo
Staff
Joined
Aug 18, 2007
Messages
38,285
Location
Welcome to Manchester reception committee
Some big/wealthy European countries surprisingly low on that list!
Yep. I'm hoping that in some cases they're low on the list because they only upload interesting/odd results. But I know some countries (including wealthy ones) don't do much sequencing at all apart from in the odd university lab etc involved in the research.
 

massi83

Full Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
2,596
Yep. I'm hoping that in some cases they're low on the list because they only upload interesting/odd results. But I know some countries (including wealthy ones) don't do much sequencing at all apart from in the odd university lab etc involved in the research.
That list seems to be a bit of a joke. Denmark does a lot lot more sequencing than Finland. And it has Finland at 5x to Denmark. I would probably delete that post. Even though you did say it isn't a perfect list.
 

jojojo

JoJoJoJoJoJoJo
Staff
Joined
Aug 18, 2007
Messages
38,285
Location
Welcome to Manchester reception committee
That list seems to be a bit of a joke. Denmark does a lot lot more sequencing than Finland. And it has Finland at 5x to Denmark. I would probably delete that post. Even though you did say it isn't a perfect list.
As I said in the post, the list reflects what they actually publish not what they do for their own analysis, and some of that was and is about national policies. It shouldn't be a league table, and it doesn't take account of the size of countries or their case rates.

Finland in particular had concerns in February that they'd identified a mutation that made covid difficult to spot on some of the standard PCR tests. Potentially a hugely important discovery. I'd guess that they not only sequenced everything, they uploaded every sequence while that was under investigation. Denmark presumably only uploads interesting sequences.

I suspect everyone will be uploading every Omicron sequence they find over the next couple of weeks. Once we know more about the spread and the behaviour that may change again.
 

massi83

Full Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
2,596
As I said in the post, the list reflects what they actually publish not what they do for their own analysis, and some of that was and is about national policies.
Yup, but you can see that several posters ignored that and took numbers at face value. So posting that list does more harm than good. Not a big deal at all but still.
 

Sparky Rhiwabon

New Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2013
Messages
16,946
Yeah. Let's just isolate ourselves completely. Global village? Pah! Let's drop the "global" and get back to "village"
It would only be a temporary measure, until they’ve sorted themselves out, plus a lot of things can be done remotely now anyway, so it’s not as if we're cutting ourselves off totally.
 

Sparky Rhiwabon

New Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2013
Messages
16,946
Bit harsh for the West to take vaccines off these countries, using them instead for their own boosters, and soon no doubt another round of boosters; and then punish these countries for ”not having a good handle on Covid” :lol:
I'm not sure we're “taking vaccines off other countries”. Plus, this would only be an extension of what we are already doing with the “red list”, it’s just being more proactive because it’s clear that by the time these new variants are identified it’s already too late to stop travel from there.
 

Godfather

Full Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2007
Messages
29,923
Location
Austria
We got the Omikron variant in Austria now too. Do we know anything specific about it? Does it have higher immunity to the vaccines? Does it spread quicker? Is it more dangerous?
 

Shakesy

WW Head of Recruiting
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
9,981
Location
Directly under the sun... NOW!
It would only be a temporary measure, until they’ve sorted themselves out, plus a lot of things can be done remotely now anyway, so it’s not as if we're cutting ourselves off totally. Thanks
As someone living in one of those places that hasn't "sorted themselves out", I find it pretty rich when people from other countries who clearly haven't sorted themselves out either propose targeted isolation. But, all good. I'd say the same, you lucky bastard.
 

Sparky Rhiwabon

New Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2013
Messages
16,946
Too early to say on all counts I think.

Edit - @Sparky Rhiwabon has done more reading than I have…
To be fair, thats mainly based on what I’ve read on here, and tweet threads linked from here - it’s better than the BBC :D I agree that it may be too early to say with certainty on any of the questions, these are just the impressions I’ve got.
 

Brwned

Have you ever been in love before?
Joined
Apr 18, 2008
Messages
50,848
Bit harsh for the West to take vaccines off these countries, using them instead for their own boosters, and soon no doubt another round of boosters; and then punish these countries for ”not having a good handle on Covid” :lol:
Again you're making a point that's in direct contradiction with the relevant facts of the case. South Africa aren't struggling to vaccinate their population because they're struggling for supplies. Just recently they deferred supplies from Pfizer.

Nicholas Crisp, deputy director-general of the Health Department, told Reuters that South Africa had 16.8 million doses in stock and said deliveries had been deferred.

"We have 158 days' stock in the country at current use," a spokesman for the Health Ministry said. "We have deferred some deliveries."
Source

Unfortunately some problems are more complicated than your misinformed quips.
 

Shakesy

WW Head of Recruiting
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
9,981
Location
Directly under the sun... NOW!
Again you're making a point that's in direct contradiction with the relevant facts of the case. South Africa aren't struggling to vaccinate their population because they're struggling for supplies. Just recently they deferred supplies from Pfizer.



Source

Unfortunately some problems are more complicated than your misinformed quips.
This is true, but there is also a case to be made that if we had more vaccines at the start then more would've been vaccinated. As time passes, more and more people are infecting others with their pseudo-science in SA. Also, our booster shot drive would've started by now if we had gotten it earlier.
 

11101

Full Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
21,311
At this point, would we be better off just closing our borders to any country that doesn’t have a good handle on Covid, e.g. less than 50% fully vaccinated? Because it’s those countries where new variants are more likely to develop. Closing borders after a new variant has emerged is too late imo.
That would include the UK then. Most cases in Europe and a history of propagating new variants.

Anyway, can't help but feel we are overreacting to this new variant. It's not the first and it wont be the last, and we don't know if its actually that dangerous or not. The world can't keep shutting down every time it mutates.


In other news Scotland and Wales have proposed an 8 day quarantine for all arrivals, fine for them as nobody wants to go there anyway. England should rightly tell them to sod off.
 

diarm

Full Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2014
Messages
16,785
If the BBC are right then the rules for travel from Ireland to the UK are indeed unchanged - that is no tests or quarantine required.

"Everyone entering the UK (other than those coming from the Common Travel Area that covers the Channel Islands and Ireland) will have to take a PCR test by the end of the second full day after their arrival and self-isolate until they receive a negative result."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59453744

That could change of course.
Yeah it came out fairly soon after I started to panic that Ireland and the Common Travel Area were ok. So long as nothing else changes between now and Thursday we should be fine!
 

Anustart89

Full Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2013
Messages
15,952
After how South Africa's been treated after blowing the whistle on Omicron, other countries would do well to put the lid on any new variant popping up in their region. Shameful behaviour from the rest of the world, to be honest. I mean, the Belgian case hadn't even been close to SA, yet they're the ones being singled out for blocked flights for daring to report data.
 

stw2022

New Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2021
Messages
3,687
To be honest nobody cried when everyone called one of the previous one the Kent variant. All this fuss over this ‘South African variant’ seems a bit daft.

If the worst thing about it already is others using the incorrect name then that’s a plus
 

Shakesy

WW Head of Recruiting
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
9,981
Location
Directly under the sun... NOW!
To be honest nobody cried when everyone called one of the previous one the Kent variant. All this fuss over your ‘South African variant’ seems a bit daft.
SA don't care about it being called the "Southern African variant". We care about the reaction of the world after the reporting of the variant.
 

Mickeza

still gets no respect
Joined
Aug 21, 2012
Messages
14,097
Location
Deepthroating information to Howard Nurse.
I seriously don’t get this “after the way SA have been treated” narrative. What are countries supposed to do? Just say feck it - let it in!? Nobody on this forum moaned about the U.K. being stuck on everyone’s red list after Alpha was discovered - why this outcry now?