Originally Posted by Dan1113 (Post 33150432)

Fair enough. But. Last summer it matched quite well with what the UK did, which makes sense as everyone would just drive to Manchester and it'd only serve to kill Scottish airports if it's very different. Given what I saw on Instagram etc yesterday clearly if you can go to on holiday from Manchester, all of Glasgow will be doing it regardless of the rules so it would make more sense for Scotland to do as last year I would think and align, so at least if it's happening anyway, the money is supporting Scottish jobs. Nicola did half hint at aligning with England when she named the same earliest intl travel date as bojo, 17 may (while saying Scotland may have to be harsher than rUK). And Wales already announced that they will reopen to rUK in 3 weeks and that if England chooses to allow intl travel they can't really stop it and we know NI would do the same so certainly the 4 nations approach if Scotland wishes to have one would be much more aligned with the English plans than any other.

Originally Posted by VSLover (Post 33150437)

ive watched enough line of duty to know that if someone broke home quarantine, there is enough CCTV coverage to find how many times they took a jolly down the street! ;)

Originally Posted by ledcran02 (Post 33150419)

Great point C-W-S, and makes sense. I guess my question would be about vaccine allocation to the local authorities. Does this suggest that it is adjusted as the programme proceeds based on takeup? So for example, Blackpool sees very high takeup at higher age groups, so gets relatively more allocated as they move down the age groups in anticipation of continued high takeup. So there is enough 'spare' for younger age groups at the end of the day. I had thought (hopefully) there was a possibility local areas were just provided a constant number of vials every week/month based on local population. If that were the case, then Islington for example would get many doses allocated based on high population, but lower takeup by >50s meant that there were plenty left over for younger groups to get jabbed early...which is what I had thought anecdotally given several healthy 20s/30s somethings in London that I know who got jabbed in March. I guess that's not the case. And / or do vials get reallocated elsewhere in the country/region/city on the fly?

Wish there were more transparency on these issues rather than the apparent postcode lottery. Now that the vaccine certification/passport business is getting underway, it ups the ante for the unvaccinated, and it's developing into a perfect storm for frustration among under 50s. With supply halting and 1st jabs slowing drastically it feels like the drawbridge has been pulled up, and all the gov't can say is that the first jab will be by July 31st which is not very reassuring.

Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave (Post 33150358)

HMG's mega deal on Lateral Flow Devices came in at £3.60 per device. A sensible retail price should be below £10 in my view.

Originally Posted by 13901 (Post 33150507)

And somehow we’re talking about £210 these days. Sure, it’s different testing and there’s the variant genome sequencing to be included but there can be no denying that someone is making a killing on the testing world these days. And when there’s a racket there’s going to be people trying to weasel their way out of it, with fake tests and whatnot...

Originally Posted by KARFA (Post 33150521)

I think cws is talking about lateral flow tests rather than PCR and not sequenced, so I don't think think the £10 is comparable to the day 2 & 8 test package.

I guess the comparison would be what would 2 x PCT with sequencing cost and how much mark up is there to £210. I must admit having avoided testing so far I don't know how much a PCR + sequencing costs in the UK.

Originally Posted by bluemoon68 (Post 33150525)

before December lockdown, when there was demand for PCR tests prior to travel Boots was £120 and were heavily booked, local clinics were in the range £125-150, results were taking 48 hours plus. Some central London travel clinics were offering tests with results within 24 hours for £300-450.
in comparison 2 tests for £120 seems cheap, before you even consider the costs of sequencing for the few positive tests.

Originally Posted by KARFA (Post 33150521)

I think cws is talking about lateral flow tests rather than PCR and not sequenced, so I don't think think the £10 is comparable to the day 2 & 8 test package.

Originally Posted by KARFA (Post 33150521)

I guess the comparison would be what would 2 x PCT with sequencing cost and how much mark up is there to £210. I must admit having avoided testing so far I don't know how much a PCR + sequencing costs in the UK.

Originally Posted by bluemoon68 (Post 33150525)

before December lockdown, when there was demand for PCR tests prior to travel Boots was £120 and were heavily booked, local clinics were in the range £125-150, results were taking 48 hours plus. Some central London travel clinics were offering tests with results within 24 hours for £300-450.
in comparison 2 tests for £120 seems cheap, before you even consider the costs of sequencing for the few positive tests.

Originally Posted by 13901 (Post 33150539)

I wrote the same thing.

Originally Posted by 13901 (Post 33150539)

The question for me is, rather, why is Joe Public being asked to pay in the first place for NHS testing especially when the same test is given for free in other occasions. I get the need for paying for a private test before leaving, but on arrival? Are other countries doing that? It feels like an extra tax, an extra visa cost on top of APD and the fact that we, as residents, are paying for the NHS through their taxes. Plus, according to a certain red bus that was cruising the streets not long ago, ther should be an extra £350m going into the NHS's coffers every week... That'll make for a hell of a lot of tests, isn't it?

Originally Posted by KARFA (Post 33150542)

I don’t think there are many countries where arrival testing is free? I would rather not pay/subsidise tests for those who want to travel - they can pay for it themselves, as I would expect to do if I travelled.

Originally Posted by KARFA (Post 33150521)

I guess the comparison would be what would 2 x PCR with sequencing cost and how much mark up is there to £210. I must admit having avoided testing so far I don't know how much a PCR + sequencing costs in the UK.

Originally Posted by 13901 (Post 33150556)

I haven't been charged a penny for testing on arrival in Italy, for instance.

If the country requires me to be tested prior to travelling, sure, it's my choice to travel and I'm OK with paying for testing (there's the exorbitant cost of testing in general in the UK vs elsewhere, but let's chalk it our for the time being). What I really object to is being charged for then being able to exit my self-isolation and re-join society. As I wrote earlier, it's the same tests you'd be given for free if you were told to self-isolate (as you are doing after travel anyway!). It's from an entity that, if you're a resident, you're already paying for. You don't normally pay for NHS treatment anyway. There might be a way that you could "go private" for, I don't know, faster results of whatever but to see the NHS being costlier than private options really shows that they're out there to make money off you.

Originally Posted by KARFA (Post 33150428)

because we don’t live in a police state where people who are not criminals are tracked by the state?

Originally Posted by KARFA (Post 33150569)

there are no "free" tests. either you pay directly, or indirectly through taxes. if i were going to italy i would feel embarrassed that italian taxpayers were paying for my entry tests, especially considering the financial difficulties they are in. we are hardly overtaxed in this country and I would prefer precious NHS resources are not spent on tests for those travelling - i would expect to pay if i were travelling.

EDIT: i note italy's tax burden is significantly higher than the UK so perhaps they can choose to pay for this through general taxation.

to get back to your original point which we have wandered off, it doesn't seem the day 2&8 test package is massively out of line with PCR test costs in the UK.