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Coronavirus: General discussion (see opening post for rules)

Dos_Box

By Dos_Box
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jthompson

jthompson

Posted
Posted
Have you tried reporting a negative result lately... the process is ridiculous.

 

Only twice a week for about the last 18 months or whatever. It's a lot of steps, granted, but I figure it's info that somebody somewherewill need.

 

That depends if its asking you if you had any parties or not...

 

Parties can certainly be difficult to diagnose. Often they're really just a work meeting but with nibbles, or they can actually be a shooting party... just a normal, regular shooting party.

ABR82

ABR82

Posted
Posted
The tests work by containing antibodies, the test line has covid antibodies, and the control line is looking for stuff which is normally in your nose/throat. The reaction triggers a second reaction which causes the colour change. The reason these tests react to food and drink (and the reason you shouldn't eat or drink before taking one) is that they are sensitive to ph changes, it's also the reason they provide a buffer solution instead of just using tap water.

 

When the 'Soft Drink method' became known, we tried it. Interestingly on the fake positive we generated we could make the T line disappear again by rinsing it down with a pH buffer solution.

 

Not as useless as the CO2 meters they sent us. We might have subjected one to a few tests...

 

Although the packaging, leaflet and specifications claimed it could measure from 0-5000ppm CO2, it bottoms out at 400 (roughly the expected environmental air concentration) - the software is clearly set to not report lower numbers - even after 12 hours in a vacuum! It also got a bit upset when we put it in a gas jar we'd filled with CO2, and we found that putting two next to each other in a room would often result in results so widely different that even their rather high stated acceptable range of measurement error was clearly exceeded. However I won't be too critical of the decision to send us a big box of gimmicky semi functional chinese made plastic tat in response to union/press whingeing, presumably sourced from a company owned by Michelle Mone or Matt Hancock's Landlord.

 

In the first week, one of our Maths teachers evacuated an entire Y8 class onto the yard and wouldn't allow them back in to collect their bags and coats, she'd propped all the doors and windows fully open. When this was noted (large bunch of kids slowly turning blue on a cold day in the yard in the middle of a lesson), we went to ask the reason, to be told in a panicky voice that the CO2 meter was reading in the red. When we asked her exactly what the exact reading was, she said 812.

 

Now I shouldn't really need to explain to a maths teacher what 812 ppm means, but I was able to hold in my laughter long enough to point out that your exhaled breath is probably 35000-40000ppm, and we had no policy on evacuating rooms for that either.

 

So those are worth however many millions we paid for them, useless though they are.

Andrew_C

Andrew_C

Posted
Posted
Have you tried reporting a negative result lately... the process is ridiculous.
It isn't ALL that bad. I've been reporting LFTs regularly, until the school moved to a saliva trial. It could easily be better. ie a "Has anything changed" tickbox at the beginning which skips to to the Pos or Neg page.
Ditto

Ditto

Posted
Posted
On the topic on whether case numbers are truly falling, there's an interesting set of views shared. In time, the regular ONS random sampling will provide an indication of what has really happened in the time period in question. It'd be great if, when that time comes, we all post to say if each our expectations was right, wrong or somewhere in the middle.
  • Thanks 1
Ditto

Ditto

Posted
Posted
Right Said Fred can do it with tap water!

 

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They can't even get Those Simple Things right!

 

:) :p

I Ain't Stupid, the statement doesn't Stand Up logically - those lateral flow immunoassay's are different to each other, of course the results could differ.:):p:)

Besides, wasn't water sampling 'a thing' to detect infection levels?!

mikeprice

mikeprice

Posted
Posted

We haven;t done many LFT tests because we don;t really go anywhere except to look after the grandkids - and as their Dad works in the hospital operating theatres he does tests every 5 minutes

and his partner does them several times a week as she works in a hotel and is rather worried after having it a few weeks ago

 

kids have also been tested several times recently due to close contact at their schools

 

all have been negative except DIL when she had it for a week or so - but it didn't spread!

 

 

all the tests have been logged - seemed easy enough once I had it set up

but them I'm getting quite good at the new fangled computer things

Rob_D

Rob_D

Posted
Posted
The tests work by containing antibodies, the test line has covid antibodies, and the control line is looking for stuff which is normally in your nose/throat. The reaction triggers a second reaction which causes the colour change. The reason these tests react to food and drink (and the reason you shouldn't eat or drink before taking one) is that they are sensitive to ph changes, it's also the reason they provide a buffer solution instead of just using tap water.

As I understood it, the control line will "catch" the pigment particles (which are pulled across the test strip by the osmotic diffusion of sample). In which case you should be able to get the control line to appear with most liquids.

6Foot2

6Foot2

Posted
Posted
...Here's hoping the next Martin Shkreli doesn't manage to raise some legal block it or patent themselves somehow so they could charge ridiculous prices.

 

Off-topic [Non coronavirus reply]

 

He should have enough problems to keep him busy for a while:

 

Link 1: Jailed 'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli ordered to repay $64m - BBC News

 

Furthermore:

 

Link 2: ‘Pharma Bro’ Martin Shkreli Banned for Life From Drug Industry - WSJ

 

:thumb: :)

 

Back on topic ->

6Foot2

6Foot2

Posted
Posted

Link: Novak Djokovic loses Australian visa appeal - BBC News

 

Tennis star Novak Djokovic has lost his last-ditch court bid to stay in Australia and is set to be deported.

 

Federal judges rejected his appeal after the government cancelled his visa for the second time this month on public health grounds.

 

The government argued the 34-year-old Serb, who is not vaccinated against Covid-19, posed a threat to public health.

 

Djokovic is now unable to defend his Australian Open title in Melbourne.

caffrey

caffrey

Posted
Posted

Ugh, planning a short trip to Iceland (the country) for a joint 50th celebration, my 50th was last year and covid being covid I didn't do anything and now it's my housemates 50th in Feb. I was a bit reluctant in going the way things are but I need the break.

But we have to get tested before we go and the closest test centre is 40 miles away... Annoying.....

elsiegee40

elsiegee40

Posted
Posted

Daughter has postponed her trip to Japan yet again. She had booked a tour where she had to book the flights separately. Originally booked for March 2020, it got moved to October 2020, March 2021 then March 2022.

 

It’s now looking very unlikely Japan’s borders will be open in time for her to go this year and, even if they are open, the cost of booking a last minute flight would be excessive so she’s decided to take a punt on March 2023.

MYK-IT

MYK-IT

Posted
Posted (edited)
Daughter has postponed her trip to Japan yet again. She had booked a tour where she had to book the flights separately. Originally booked for March 2020, it got moved to October 2020, March 2021 then March 2022.

 

It’s now looking very unlikely Japan’s borders will be open in time for her to go this year and, even if they are open, the cost of booking a last minute flight would be excessive so she’s decided to take a punt on March 2023.

Sounds a very similar situation to myself.

 

Was originally booked to go Tokyo, March 2020 for the marathon. COVID arrived, but thankfully managed to get full refund for flights and hotel.

 

Marathon went ahead but for elites only.

 

Marathon was then arranged for 2021, but no international entries (but could had participated as I had a charity entry - Japanese para-athletes association), but deferred to March 2022.

 

Marathon is going ahead this March, but technically it's the postponed 2020 event; With the 2021 event being cancelled altogether.

 

So had option to enter, or defer to either 2023 or 2024.

 

As it stands, I'm running Tokyo 2023 Marathon (14 months to go) so fingers crossed we'll be back to some form of normality and safe international travel by then...

 

It's my last marathon, of the 6, to complete the World Major Marathons. Certainly been a challenge in more ways than one! Nearly 4 years since originally entering to complete the last one! ;)

Edited by MYK-IT
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bald_pig

bald_pig

Posted
Posted
As I understood it, the control line will "catch" the pigment particles (which are pulled across the test strip by the osmotic diffusion of sample). In which case you should be able to get the control line to appear with most liquids.

 

The pigments are bound to antibodies:

  • Thanks 1
Rob_D

Rob_D

Posted
Posted
Evidently, you go to work even when positive now. :mad:

Has someone famous done something silly again?

I thought you had to isolate for 7 days after a positive test (unless it's gone down to 5 already).

sonofsanta

sonofsanta

Posted
Posted

Last Wednesday: had to collect 8yo from school, not enough staff to keep his class open

Last Thursday: notification from 9yo's school that he now needs to test daily, there's been a case in his school

Last Sunday: text from my senior tech saying he'd tested positive and had symptoms

This morning: text from a friend we saw at the weekend saying one of his kids had tested positive

 

Today: government officially shortens the self-isolation period to 5 days, because they're just bored of us having the temerity to catch this plague and be off work sick.

 

I know anecdotes aren't data, but the dissonance is striking, especially when we got through the whole of the 20/21 academic year without any cases in the office.

  • Thanks 1
kennysarmy

kennysarmy

Posted
Posted
Everyone seems to have given up on any restrictions now. I guess me with my 1 jab will be getting very ill very soon.

 

Why do you say "very" ill?

 

Are you overweight?

 

Comorbidities?

 

Bad diet?

 

etc

 

For most people Covid is a very mild illness.

 

Good to keep things in perspective.

Duranis

Duranis

Posted
Posted
I know anecdotes aren't data, but the dissonance is striking, especially when we got through the whole of the 20/21 academic year without any cases in the office.

 

But the number of confirmed cases is falling rapidly, we are over the spike now and it's all going to be plain sailing from now on.....

 

Ignore the fact that the number of hospitalisations and deaths have both stayed the same and increased in the same period of time...

 

Ignore that there have been over a million less tests in the last 7 days, that surely would have no effect on the number of "confirmed" cases....

 

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BOOT

BOOT

Posted
Posted
Why do you say "very" ill?

 

Are you overweight?

 

Comorbidities?

 

Bad diet?

 

etc

 

For most people Covid is a very mild illness.

 

Good to keep things in perspective.

I still haven't recovered from the last time. Nobody I know has had it 'mild'.

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