Coronavirus

[weekevie04]

Apologies, and a bit off topic, but does anyone know of a good Day 2 PCR test place in Dundee or Angus? I am coming back to Scotland on Tuesday but only for 11 days, and stupidly left this late (then again they changed the rules this weekend and last week regarding the variant) Or even a decent/fast one that is outwith Scotland that sends your result via an email or so?

As usual, the information about this is hardly crystal clear. Edinburgh airport has a 'testing' site, but I believe or going by their wording ''make sure to have time before your flight," this only for people departing the UK? And not arrivals? Also, what's with all those labs and sites with the shittest and scammiest looking names ever e.g would you ever trust a website !!!0-100 Covid 19 for ordering a Covid test on your own accord?

Also, two thumbs down to the Scottish government for not even having a simple PDF or table of providers in the 32 counties of Scotland rather than having to scroll through site after site that mentions ''Arrival to England'' copy/pasted shite from the UK Govt site.

https://www.find-travel-test-provider.service.gov.uk/providers#list-of-test-providers

Apologies again, I've ended up ranting, but I do laugh at the UK and ''the beaucratic EU'' you couldn't pick a more word salad, amateur tinpot information page than the arrival to UK page on the UK Govt site.

Thanks for reading haha.

Edited December 5, 2021 by weekevie04

[Orraloon]

What was the question again?

[phart]

3 minutes ago, weekevie04 said:

Apologies, and a bit off topic, but does anyone know of a good Day 2 PCR test place in Dundee or Angus? I am coming back to Scotland on Tuesday but only for 11 days, and stupidly left this late (then again they changed the rules this weekend and last week regarding the varient...havering) Or even a decent/fast one that is outwith Scotland that sends your result via an email or so?

As usual, the information about this is hardly crystal clear. Edinburgh airport has a 'testing' site, but I believe or going by their wording ''make sure to have time before your flight," this only for people departing the UK? And not arrivals? Also, what's with all those labs and sites with the shittest and scammiest looking names ever e.g would you ever trust a website !!!0-100 Covid 19 for ordering a Covid test?

Also, two thumbs down to the Scottish government for not even having a simple PDF or table of providers in the 32 counties of Scotland rather than having to scroll through site after site that mentions ''Arrival to England'' copy/pasted shite from the UK Govt site.

https://www.find-travel-test-provider.service.gov.uk/providers#list-of-test-providers

Apologies again, I've ended up ranting, but I do laugh at the UK and ''the beaucratic EU'' you couldn't pick a more word salad, amateur tinpot information page than the arrival to UK page on the UK Govt site.

Thanks for reading haha.

I went through the Scottish site and just got to that link as well.

Seems you can self swab at home, the only site I can see in Scotland is at Edinburgh airport. I went through about 5 of the ones in that list, so might be one nearer Dundee but I didn't find it.

Also it depends on whether you are coming in from a red-list country too.

There is more info here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-private-providers-of-coronavirus-testing/list-of-private-providers-of-coronavirus-testing

Sorry this isn'tsomething i've done so don't have any experience. Reading through the stuff now it is looking a bit confusing and some of those names scream dodgy but i guess it's just the naming convention for labs.

[phart]

I also see this warning

Upcoming changes to travel rules: if you're due to arrive in Scotland from 4am on Tuesday 7 December, you'll need to be able to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR or lateral flow test. You'll need to have taken this test in the 48 hours before you're due to arrive in Scotland.

[kumnio]

30 minutes ago, weekevie04 said:

Apologies, and a bit off topic, but does anyone know of a good Day 2 PCR test place in Dundee or Angus? I am coming back to Scotland on Tuesday but only for 11 days, and stupidly left this late (then again they changed the rules this weekend and last week regarding the variant) Or even a decent/fast one that is outwith Scotland that sends your result via an email or so?

As usual, the information about this is hardly crystal clear. Edinburgh airport has a 'testing' site, but I believe or going by their wording ''make sure to have time before your flight," this only for people departing the UK? And not arrivals? Also, what's with all those labs and sites with the shittest and scammiest looking names ever e.g would you ever trust a website !!!0-100 Covid 19 for ordering a Covid test on your own accord?

Also, two thumbs down to the Scottish government for not even having a simple PDF or table of providers in the 32 counties of Scotland rather than having to scroll through site after site that mentions ''Arrival to England'' copy/pasted shite from the UK Govt site.

https://www.find-travel-test-provider.service.gov.uk/providers#list-of-test-providers

Apologies again, I've ended up ranting, but I do laugh at the UK and ''the beaucratic EU'' you couldn't pick a more word salad, amateur tinpot information page than the arrival to UK page on the UK Govt site.

Thanks for reading haha.

Just buy it online, get it sent to your address, and do it on the second day. Theres no need to go to a site and do it.

There are a couple of places in Dundee, but they are robbing bastards and are priced around £90.

https://www.alphabiolabs.co.uk/public-testing-services/covid-19-testing-for-international-travel/ £50 on this site

Edited December 5, 2021 by kumnio

[weekevie04]

Cheers Kumnio, Phart and Orra - aye a bit of a ramble earlier.

Just ordered a home PCR test from your link, Kevin. 

Mucho cheers!

[phart]

So omicron seems to be displacing Delta absurdly quick.

Rather than be the bearer of bad news as it progresses i'll acknowledge it now and go into a self-contained existential crisis.

[Morrisandmoo]

Fuck sake man. 

[phart]

9 hours ago, Morrisandmoo said:

Fuck sake man. 

[Lamia]

18 hours ago, phart said:

So omicron seems to be displacing Delta absurdly quick.

Rather than be the bearer of bad news as it progresses i'll acknowledge it now and go into a self-contained existential crisis.

What gets me is that the Government is putting restrictions on  travel when its already here damaging g the travel industry further for no benefit and doing heehaw in the country it is actually spreading in! I have given up now though because the government and generally people in this country seem to be living in some sort of lala land of denial. 

[Orraloon]

10 hours ago, Morrisandmoo said:

Fuck sake man. 

To put a very slight positive note in here. As yet  there isn't much (if any) evidence that omicron will be produce any more severe disease than delta. And it's still too early to know if the vaccines will be any less effective against omicron. Nae need to panic yet. Wait a couple of weeks for that. 😉

[Toepoke]

1 hour ago, Orraloon said:

To put a very slight positive note in here. As yet  there isn't much (if any) evidence that omicron will be produce any more severe disease than delta. And it's still too early to know if the vaccines will be any less effective against omicron. Nae need to panic yet. Wait a couple of weeks for that. 😉

Housewives choice Jason Leitch was on the radio this morning saying Delta is currently putting 3% of positive cases in hospital, which is a rough marker to go by regarding the potency of Omicron.

Going for my booster tonight so 🤞 it does the business with this variant too.

[phart]

1 hour ago, Orraloon said:

To put a very slight positive note in here. As yet  there isn't much (if any) evidence that omicron will be produce any more severe disease than delta. And it's still too early to know if the vaccines will be any less effective against omicron. Nae need to panic yet. Wait a couple of weeks for that. 😉

It's actually seemingly milder than the Delta wave from preliminary evidence. However it's all happening in uneven populations with different age profiles etc, so might be oranges and apples. Also previous delta infection might be blunting the more severe outcomes in South Africa. Where serology showed high infection percentage of the whole population.

So basically as you said we have no idea yet.

[phart]

1 minute ago, Toepoke said:

Housewives choice Jason Leitch was on the radio this morning saying Delta is currently putting 3% of positive cases in hospital, which is a rough marker to go by regarding the potency of Omicron.

Going for my booster tonight so 🤞 it does the business with this variant too.

If you remove vaccines from the graphs and assume delta followed the same case/hospital/death ratio as the original wave we would have been so fucked.

[TDYER63]

Just back from Jersey. On arrival over there you get lined up at the airport then taken through in tranches to a makeshift type of hospital with staff in masks and scrubs. You need to have proof of double vaccination or have had a negative PCR test 72 hrs before arriving . 
Once you are out the airport though no one seems to give a fook about masks. Infact, my husband was wearing a mask in the hotel and a member of staff approached him and said masks were not mandatory in Jersey. He was almost telling him to take it off. Of course it just made him more determined to wear it . Its weird, when you are somewhere no one else is wearing a mask it makes you feel like a freak. 

[Morrisandmoo]

11 hours ago, Orraloon said:

To put a very slight positive note in here. As yet  there isn't much (if any) evidence that omicron will be produce any more severe disease than delta. And it's still too early to know if the vaccines will be any less effective against omicron. Nae need to panic yet. Wait a couple of weeks for that. 😉

I wouldn't wait a couple of weeks. I think we should be mandating some of the most effective measures now (e.g. limiting large groups inside). I'd rather we protect Christmas itself (and the Ayrshire derby obvs) than Christmas parties. In all seriousness, I'm worried it could be out of hand in a couple of weeks. And I am generally very optimistic and risk tolerant (when it comes to living with the virus)!

I think the signs that it spreads more easily is worrying. The potential for vaccines also to be less effective is another downside. In my opinion we should not be clutching to the hope that it causes enough less severe disease to bail us out. 

Edited December 7, 2021 by Morrisandmoo

[chaff]

On 12/3/2021 at 3:03 PM, phart said:

Perhaps chaff could help us he was in Berlin were armed police running into places demanding you show your covid passport?

They weren't no but, every time we entered a restaurant, shop or pub the proprietor would be anxious that we had shown our COVID passports as "the police could come in at any time"

The police would do slow drive bys in some pubs we were in

[Lamia]

1 hour ago, Morrisandmoo said:

I wouldn't wait a couple of weeks. I think we should be mandating some of the most effective measures now (e.g. limiting large groups inside). I'd rather we protect Christmas itself (and the Ayrshire derby obvs) than Christmas parties. In all seriousness, I'm worried it could be out of hand in a couple of weeks. And I am generally very optimistic and risk tolerant (when it comes to living with the virus)!

I think the signs that it spreads more easily is worrying. The potential for vaccines also to be less effective is another downside. In my opinion we should not be clutching to the hope that it causes enough less severe disease to bail us out. 

It’s probably already too late. 

[Morrisandmoo]

8 hours ago, Lamia said:

It’s probably already too late. 

I am horribly sharing your pessimism. 

Hopefully my gut feeling is wrong and just normal human anxiety. 

We will get through it, either way, but a nasty way to end/start the year. 

[phart]

What can the government do? They have just been shown to not give a fuck themselves with all the party stuff that came out. A sizeable amount of folk aren't going to listen to anything over christmas as they missed out last year.

No ones going to be banging pots at the doorstep like the first lockdown.

Although I think they are scheduling something according to some journalists.

The first in lab tests for omicron have came back. 2 Jags show partial escape in infection, thankfully not full escape. Just neutralising antibodies though so not an indicator of severity as that factors in other modes of the immune system.

3 jags wasn't tested but they're hopeful will be a lot more effective cause 2 jags and infection with a previous variant proved fairly robust in neutralising.

This is all in vitro though.

Here's the guy on the team who reported the first study. All data totally preliminary.

 

[phart]

This study using different techniques had less of s reduction, so that's the start of the data coming in.

[phart]

Someoen been crunching the numbers, with a lot of assumptions though, which they list upthread. However a wee bit of copium as they say

Also assumes same outcome if gets passed immune system and may not actually be the case.

[Orraloon]

[fringo]

28 minutes ago, Orraloon said:

😄

[kumnio]

I was looking at going away over Christmas. A fit to fly PCR certificate in Dundee is coming in at between £99 and £109, the same test in Taiwan, Panama, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil was between £30 and £45. Absolute robbing bastards.