Day 2 PCR Test

[Sir Cumference]

I know that I need to book (and pay for) my day 2 PCR test on my return - and then "self isolate until I get a negative result" My question is this - just supposing I get a positive result, how would I need to prove a negative one?

(1) a negative (free) NHS Lateral Flow Test

(2) a (free) NHS drive through PCR test - would I be allowed out of isolation to0 get one done?

(3) a new (paid for) PCR test?

 

Yes, maybe I am a "glass half empty" kind of person, but I just like to know my options.

 

Thank you 🙂

[Castle25]

Follow the rules and isolate for 10 days or until symptoms gone (whichever is later)

 

[ferretktf]

Yes - sadly, while a postiive LFT can be superceded by a negative PCR, the same does not apply in reverse. Positive PCR = 10 day isolation and cannot be foreshortened by a subsequent negative PCR Test (in fact the advice is that you should not take another PCR test for 90 days after a positive PCR test)

[GOQ]

I recently returned from a cruise on Ventura arriving home on Dec 5th.

 

The government changed the rules halfway through our cruise so everybody on the ship had to scramble around and try to rebook our now useless pre-booked LFT  tests for PCR tests and fill in completely new PLFs. There was help onboard from P&O in the library, but most people seemed to use 4G when a phone signal was available at port stops. 

 

Because of the short notice to the change in the testing rules the PCR testers were completely overloaded. One of my travel group never received her ordered PCR test, some of us got a PCR test result after 3 days and the rest, myself included, had to self isolate for 5 days until we got our test results.  And if your test result never arrived or was invalid the rule is self isolate for 14 days.

 

Now I live alone and don't have any local family, so I assume I was supposed to starve, but by chance I had frozen supplies of bread and milk before I left home, so I was lucky.

 

So to answer the question, you send your test swab in a little tube of test fluid in a prepaid envelope back to your PCR test company in a priority postbox and hope they receive it ( my postbox was overflowing letters out of its opening). Then you wait for an email to confirm you have a negative test result. And if it is positive you just have to obey the rules and self isolate for 10 days, no appeals, no new tests. 

 

Edited December 14, 2021 by GOQ

[Megabear2]

Family back of Iona on Saturday had ordered PCR tests from Testing for All.  Nothing at home on arrival and now Tuesday and tracking their tests which seem to be on a journey around the entire country. Meantime still isolating.

[wowzz]

23 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Family back of Iona on Saturday had ordered PCR tests from Testing for All.  Nothing at home on arrival and now Tuesday and tracking their tests which seem to be on a journey around the entire country. Meantime still isolating.

As a matter of interest, have they been contacted by track and trace ?

[Megabear2]

No contact from track and trace. They are just doing the "right thing" and isolating awaiting the arrival of the tests.

[wowzz]

1 minute ago, Megabear2 said:

No contact from track and trace. They are just doing the "right thing" and isolating awaiting the arrival of the tests.

Very commendable and public spirited.

[howmuch!]

BIL and his OH were in Benidorm when this happened at the end of November. Similar story, They ordered new PCRs whilst abroad from Expert Medical. Only one PCR was there when they arrived home.

 

The previously ordered LFT from Chronomics that should also have been there haven't arrived either.

 

3 days after arriving home, the 2nd PCR arrived after chasing Expert Medicals. Still no results after several days. No contact from Track and Trace.

 

[ferretktf]

Track and trace do not appear to get involved in the day 2 PCR tests at all.

 

i am aware of several people who did not bother returning the tests and they were not chased up.  It seems as long as you have booked and paid for a test, then that is all gov.uk is interested in.

 

even if you are positive they are not automatically alerted by the testing company - the onus is on you to contact them.

 

obviously not condoning not returning the tests. It seems a bit silly not to bother returning them when you have already paid for them!

 

 

Edited December 15, 2021 by ferretktf

[bbtablet]

Potentially an up to £10,000 fine for breaking the rules is a reasonable incentive to do one's duty!

 

As prison officer Mackay said in "Porridge":

"There are only 2 rules in this prison:

1) Do not write on the walls, and

2) obey all the rules."

[wowzz]

3 minutes ago, bbtablet said:

Potentially an up to £10,000 fine for breaking the rules is a reasonable incentive to do one's duty!

 

As prison officer Mackay said in "Porridge":

"There are only 2 rules in this prison:

1) Do not write on the walls, and

2) obey all the rules."

And exactly how  many  fines have been issued ?

I'm not implying that anyone should disobey the rules,  merely pointing out that should you not comply, due to no fault of your own, it is unlikely that you will be caught.

[Megabear2]

Partial good news for my family!  3 out of the 4 tests have now arrived for them to complete late Wednesday.  Still no sign of No. 4 however and he's the only one not retired so needs to go to work.  Stupidly because they are on the PLF form as belonging to individuals by their numbers he has been advised not to use the one that has arrived yet as we are discussing no one appears to be following these tests up.

[Son of Anarchy]

We used Randox for our Day 2 PCR tests.  Used the click & collect service prior to going on cruise (I appreciate that this may not be suitable/appropriate for everyone).

 

Did the tests when we got home.  Completed the Randox registration stuff online and then I dropped them off at the nearest drop box about a 15 minute drive away in Rochford.

 

Negative results landed in our email boxes about 5:30 this am.

 

Very pleased with their service.

[jimbo1683]

On 12/14/2021 at 4:35 PM, wowzz said:

Very commendable and public spirited.

Well you could be contacted by phone, sms or a home visit and there is a risk you could recieve a £10,000 fine if you are found to not be following the rules. That may be a small risk but it is a risk, it's not entirely alturistic.

[jimbo1683]

On 12/15/2021 at 12:31 AM, ferretktf said:

 

 

even if you are positive they are not automatically alerted by the testing company - the onus is on you to contact them.

 

Thats not true. The testing company are obliged to notify the government department within 24 hours of the result.

[jimbo1683]

Don't use Oncologica. They advertise results within 24 hours of receipt of swap but dont deliver on that.

In fact at this time in particular I wouldn't use any service which requires you to put the test in a Royal Mail post box as RM seem to be on the verge of collapse with christmas post and staff shortages - it took them almost a week to deliver my swab which was priority and 'tracked 24'.

As someone above mentioned, use Randox with its own dedicated drop boxes, or even better find a provider where you can drop the swab at their building yourself.

[Son of Anarchy]

If our Feb 22 cruise goes ahead, we will probably use Randox again.  Their nearest click & collect point to us is Thurrock Lakeside, which although not particularly local, is convenient for me to combine with doing other things.  They turned around our test results in less than 24 hours of using the nearest dropbox.

[wowzz]

4 minutes ago, Son of Anarchy said:

If our Feb 22 cruise goes ahead, we will probably use Randox again.  Their nearest click & collect point to us is Thurrock Lakeside, which although not particularly local, is convenient for me to combine with doing other things.  They turned around our test results in less than 24 hours of using the nearest dropbox.

Let's hope that by Feb the test will not be needed.  By then the Omni variant will have come and gone.

[picsa]

14 hours ago, wowzz said:

Let's hope that by Feb the test will not be needed.  By then the Omni variant will have come and gone.

 

Wishful thinking - by then the next variant will be rampaging and the UK will be in lockdown again and every other country will have banned the British from visiting.

 

But in respect of Day 2 PCR tests, I arrived back at a deserted Gatwick on Friday evening, and then on Saturday morning used the £34.99 Randox PCR test I had picked up before I had gone away and then dropped it in one of their 'drop boxes' at 10am.

 

At 6.30pm Saturday evening I got an email telling me it was in their lab for processing, and then at 5.30am Sunday morning I got the negative result and certificate.

 

Frankly at this time of the year there is no way I would use anything involving normal post.

[Son of Anarchy]

22 hours ago, picsa said:

 

But in respect of Day 2 PCR tests, I arrived back at a deserted Gatwick on Friday evening, and then on Saturday morning used the £34.99 Randox PCR test I had picked up before I had gone away and then dropped it in one of their 'drop boxes' at 10am.

 

At 6.30pm Saturday evening I got an email telling me it was in their lab for processing, and then at 5.30am Sunday morning I got the negative result and certificate.

 

Frankly at this time of the year there is no way I would use anything involving normal post.

Similar experience of using Randox recently.

[backbiter]

Used a company called Covid Travel Clinics. Ordered on 2.12.21. Was not delivered in time for our arrival (Day 0). It is now Day 2 and still no sign.

Worried now because we are spending Christmas with our family in Ireland, flying out early on the 24th. If it arrives tomorrow (21st), it should be Ok to get us the result in time. But their failure to despatch it in time to ensure it was here waiting for us will have caused a very stressful 72-hour delay, and a panicky 72 hours ahead waiting for the result.

It seems they have been inundated with complaints and bad reviews in recent days, culminating in this report in the Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/dec/17/bradford-gp-behind-covid-test-firms-scores-unhappy-customers

This does not full me with confidence that they will process the tests in time for our Christmas Eve departure. Their statement (dated 17.12.21) claims "we are not experiencing any delays". If that were true, our tests would have been here by 18.12.21.

Any suggestions for a Plan B to ensure we make our flights to Ireland?

[Gettingwarmer]

Is there an airport same day result option. Even if you went to airport day before. 

[backbiter]

17 hours ago, Gettingwarmer said:

Is there an airport same day result option. Even if you went to airport day before. 

There appears to be. Flight is from Birmingham, which has a few options, and East Midlands also looks a possibility. UK Government regs stipulate that Day 2 tests must be PCR, even though Ireland are happy with professionally-administered LFTs (and the UK are happy with LFTs for admission to the country, as we had on Iona).

 

Update: DHL now have our testing kits, and if you track the package it is due for delivery on... 25th December. They received it from CTC on 20th Dec, two days after our return date. CTC should have despatched no later than 17th Dec to ensure it would be delivered on our return date. 

I think we have a very strong case for a full refund, especially as the company stated to the Guardian on or before the 17th "we are not experiencing any delays".

[jimbo1683]

7 hours ago, backbiter said:

There appears to be. Flight is from Birmingham, which has a few options, and East Midlands also looks a possibility. UK Government regs stipulate that Day 2 tests must be PCR, even though Ireland are happy with professionally-administered LFTs (and the UK are happy with LFTs for admission to the country, as we had on Iona).

 

Update: DHL now have our testing kits, and if you track the package it is due for delivery on... 25th December. They received it from CTC on 20th Dec, two days after our return date. CTC should have despatched no later than 17th Dec to ensure it would be delivered on our return date. 

I think we have a very strong case for a full refund, especially as the company stated to the Guardian on or before the 17th "we are not experiencing any delays".

Their ts and cs will state there is no obligation for them to get the results to you within any time frame whatsoever and any timeframe they used for advertising is merely their 'best endeavours'.