MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Anyone else doing this? We, as a family, have signed up for 16 tests.
A friend of my sister tested positive despite being asymptomatic. The only reason she was tested was due to the survey! I guess that is the whole point of it.
One slight problem is that they’ve cocked up our payment as three of us are on the same email address and they’ve only sent one. Hopefully that’ll get sorted in the next couple of days.
Yes, we are. They asked if we wanted to include our 3yo boy too. Couldn't see that going well so said no.
Had two tests so far, got the £50 voucher. They were a day late with the 2nd test, and haven't heard from them this week.
Can you apply or do they randomly select you?
Selected invite, location based I believe. We'll be moving later in the year which will mean they'll stop testing us due to new location.
My in-laws are doing it and have received quite a few vouchers already from it!
MrsP has been contacted by Imperial for a study, test apparently in the post next week. No payment though.
Can you apply or do they randomly select you?
We've done them in the past for other things so are on their database. They contacted us about the Covid one and asked if we would take part.
Mate at work is in the right area and doing it, he initially let his kids chose how to spend their payments and has now told them the payments are less because of all the crap they bought (they are about 4 and 6 though!).
Would be nice to have someone drop round to test you for virus and antibodies on a regular basis, the proles (like me) just have to drive to far off reaches for a test.
Yep, did my second test yesterday. Had the first voucher through but no test results yet. How long did people's take to come back?
I got the letter inviting me but binned it.
Forgot to look, but who is it that's funding it ?.
Ours is ONS and Oxford University. We only hear if we get a positive test.
MrsP has been contacted by Imperial for a study, test apparently in the post next week. No payment though.
Is that the REACT one? Different thing I believe. Testing a point-of-care assay I think vs the ONS one which is looking at regional patterns / asymptomatic trends of infections using a standard assay.
I think the ONS one pays handsomely. I don't think the same applies for the REACT one (Guess which one I've been selected for?).
Yup, done my third test today
Vouchers gone towards more tools 😁
I think the ONS one pays handsomely.
😀
...and we've just that had the call that one of us has tested positive! No symptoms.
Which begs the question: How many people are spreading it without knowing?
Which begs the question:
What is the false positive rate for the test?
Dunno. Getting tested again today. It has been running riot around his school though.
We got invited to be part of the ONS/Oxford University/Scottish Government one. We've signed up (and would have done even if there weren't a financial reward to be honest) and had a phone conversation with them but haven't heard back yet - how long was it between signing up and getting the first test booked in for people?
About 2 weeks for us.
We're doing it, 3 of us, 2 grown ups and a 9 year old, no positive test results yet.
9 year old is spending his money on xbox games, we're paying for some of the weekly shop with it.
They seem surprised when they ring up and ask if we'll all be in to have a test at (say) 1.30pm on a Tuesday when I say that the 9 yo will be at school.
We've been doing it for a while, I think we are at 8 tests each now. The vouchers have helped offset the cost of worn out xbox controllers over the summer.
We got the letter from ONS/Oxford, phoned up and have heard nothing yet.
I very interested to see if I've got any antibodies, I had the classic flu-but-not-flu symptoms back in December that floored me for a couple of weeks. Funnily enough a mate had been working in China in November/early December...
Hmmm...
They didn't turn up this week for the family test and they have only paid two out of four of us.
Tried to phone them but got cut off, so I requested a call back.
Shambles?
I'm not in it, but I will say thank you to anyone who is. this data is absolutely Gold Standard and allows us to see just how the epidemic really is progressing - forget the NHSTT noise. This and the REACT Imperial study (a replicate if you like) are the ones that matter.
Don't underestimate 1) the scale (100k tests per week) and 2) the speed with which these were set up. I'm not surprised by glitches to be honest, but you won't hear from the 99k people who's test ran smoothly. So not really a shambles HTS.
Shambles?
As pointed out they’re dealing with thousands of tests it’s possible some don’t turn up just like ordering brake pads.
Ok. Fair point.
First student to test positive at my lads college was one of these random ONS tests. Totally asymptomatic.
None of his college contacts who had to isolate showed any symptoms either. It's a nightmare trying to keep in top of this thing
My niece is in year 11 and has missed four weeks in school so far this term. The second isolation was due to her mate who tested +ve on the ONS study who was also asymptomatic.
We suspect that my lad got it from school too from an asymptomatic carrier.
Just had the call. Getting swabbed tomorrow.
We're in it - had our first notification last Monday (19th) that we were all negative.
Which was nice, given that we were tested on the 2nd. :rollseyes:
All the other times we've not heard a thing afterwards.
Saving up for a big telly!