Last week I felt as if I had a cold coming on Wednesday - sneezing & catarrh. On Thursday I had a low grade headache all day. On Friday I felt really tired. On Saturday I got an email saying they were sending me a postal swab test. It came on Monday. Delivered by Amazon - (why not Royal Mail, who do pay their taxes)?
There are 9 separate elements in the pack. 12 pages of A4 Instructions printed on very expensive paper! 5 complex steps in total. Just getting to grips with the instructions needed several readings & a highlighter. You need to be very computer savvy.
The first thing is to book your free courier collection on line. The special weblink didn't work - it was the ordinary Royal Mail site. So I had to phone the help line - which was fine & they booked the courier. Then you have to register your test online before you do the swab. You get a text message confirmation with a link to complete the process. All of this is fine if you have the necessary tech & skills. It took me a while.
You have to do the swab between 9pm & 7am the night before the collection. I found the throat swab impossible to do. You need a mirror & have to swab your tonsils right at the back of the throat without touching your tongue, teeth or gums. I simply couldn't stop gagging & touching my tongue. The nasal swab was fine.
Then you have to put the swab in a vial, label it & put it in the first plastic bag with a cushion. That all goes into a Biohazard bag which you seal & label with another barcode. The lot goes into a cardboard container which you seal & label.
The courier comes between 8am & 4pm & is supposed to follow protocols, mine didn't. I'm supposed to get the results within 2 -3 days. I really don't think I've got Covid.
It is a complex & fairly unpleasant process. I can't imagine how very young or very old people will cope with it. I wonder why you can't simply spit into a vial instead of doing the throat swab which is the worst part. I hope I don't have to do it again.
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