I know a lot of you are very suspicious about the fall in the number of cases, and as yet we have no obvious explanation as to why it has occurred. However there is now a fall in hospital admissions, which does suggest the fall in cases is real.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
My doubts are fuelled by the Zoe App which shows that cases are rising strongly in Barnet. It's up by over a thousand the last 2 weeks in a row! They have been pretty accurate all along so far.
I can't see a national site that shows school break up dates by region. Some of it may be explained if the school break up was staggered over a period of a week over the country.
Is it cynical to think that holidays in general play a part in this? How many people, if they'd booked a holiday, would get a sniffle/headache or whatever and ignore it because they don't then want to isolate and miss out - where they may have tested had they been at work still? But that only works for staycations doesn't it - as don't you have to prove negative to travel abroad?
Still don't see how that fits with hospital numbers potentially coming down (time lagged) though.
Here's my experience of travelling back to UK fron France, an Amber Plus country. For those who don't know, Amber Plus means that even if you're double-jabbed you have to quarantine at home for 10 days and take PCR tests on days 2 and 8, and you have the option take an additional PCR test on Day 5 which if negative releases you early from quarantine ("test and release").
We booked all our tests, pre-travel (fit to fly), 3 post travel (we went for test-and release), and also had to take a test in France within 48 days of leaving. 5 PCR tests each in all, and at great expense since you have to do it privately and down here all service providers seem to rely on a single accredited supplier, called Oncologica - a nice cushty monopoly for them.
On our return we received our pre-booked day 2 tests only on day 3, and got the results of our day 2 tests on day 5.
Our day 5 tests did turn up on day 5, or at least some of them did. Two of them were never received.
On day 8 we got the results of our day 5 (test-and-release) tests, meaning the extra money you pay only knocks 2 days off your quarantine and not the advertised 5.
And best of all, the day 5 test results (received on day 8), included negative results for even the two tests that we never received in the first place!!!
@borgadr, the fact that you received results late, is irritating &inconvenient but the real issue is the receipt of results for tests that were not received by your family, have they given you someone else's results or just made results up? All these labs should be accredited to iso 15189 standards, they are clearly in breach of this. I would report this to your MP.
@Allotment Boy - irritating and inconvenient is an understatement. We have done everything that was asked of us, at a cost of over £2000 in PCR tests for 6 people. I suspect Oncologica have bitten off more than they can chew hence the delays, missing tests and made-up results, so I'm sure we're not the only ones. But what do they care? They still get paid.
When I went to Belgium in June I had to have a clear PCR test before I left, quarantine when I got there and take another PCR test on day 8 then wait for the results. Email in France, text in Belgium. All this despite being double jabbed and Belgium bringing in a Covid pass for the double jabbed during that week. I then needed another PCR test on returning home. However, the tests were free and the service efficient and friendly at both ends.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
@Allotment Boy - irritating and inconvenient is an understatement. We have done everything that was asked of us, at a cost of over £2000 in PCR tests for 6 people. I suspect Oncologica have bitten off more than they can chew hence the delays, missing tests and made-up results, so I'm sure we're not the only ones. But what do they care? They still get paid.
I agree but my point is they are in serious breach of the regulations that govern such activities. It used to come under a scheme called Clinical Pathology Accreditation which has now been superceded by the ISO standard. They need reporting to the regulator who has the power to stop them .
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When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
We booked all our tests, pre-travel (fit to fly), 3 post travel (we went for test-and release), and also had to take a test in France within 48 days of leaving. 5 PCR tests each in all, and at great expense since you have to do it privately and down here all service providers seem to rely on a single accredited supplier, called Oncologica - a nice cushty monopoly for them.
On our return we received our pre-booked day 2 tests only on day 3, and got the results of our day 2 tests on day 5.
Our day 5 tests did turn up on day 5, or at least some of them did. Two of them were never received.
On day 8 we got the results of our day 5 (test-and-release) tests, meaning the extra money you pay only knocks 2 days off your quarantine and not the advertised 5.
And best of all, the day 5 test results (received on day 8), included negative results for even the two tests that we never received in the first place!!!
The whole thing is a complete scam
When I went to Belgium in June I had to have a clear PCR test before I left, quarantine when I got there and take another PCR test on day 8 then wait for the results. Email in France, text in Belgium. All this despite being double jabbed and Belgium bringing in a Covid pass for the double jabbed during that week. I then needed another PCR test on returning home. However, the tests were free and the service efficient and friendly at both ends.