UKH

Has anyone here been tested? As a member of the public with symptoms, not through the workplace. If you tested at home, how long did it take for the kit to arrive? If you tested at home, or at a drive through, how long did it take for the results to arrive.

I know what the guidelines and the Gov website say, but I'm looking for for personal accounts. 

We have weekly testing at work. For ages the results were next day. The last two have taken 3 - 4 days. I guess more people must be getting tested so it is slowing down? Our swabs are taken by a staff member then someone from the testing team comes to collect all the swabs.

Tested at a drive through in Stirling, having had a high temp for a day 3 weeks ago. Result came back the day after, which was negative. Surprising, because I've been feeling rubbish (fatigue, aching joints, brain fog etc) for several months now.

Either it is something other than covid, or the testing isn't accurate enough to detect mild symptoms.

I'm in England. The mailing address for my test kit was in Scotland... Sent Thursday PM, result arrived this morning. Disappoingly, negative; I was hoping to have got it over and done with, and acquire some immunity.

A friend went to a testing centre in Glenrothes yesterday and got the results (negative) through this morning.

The OP wants to know about virus tests, not antibody ones.

The OP didn't mention the type of test they wanted (antigen or PCR). They just asked if anyone has had a covid test, and how long it took.

The antigen test is a virus test; it identifies the presence of the virus by flagging the presence of characteristic spike proteins.

The home test kit you get sent by calling 119 or using the website, or going to a drive-in centre will be an antigen test.

"As a member of the public with symptoms....." probably tells us which they wanted to know about. The PCR/antigen test doesn't tell you whether you previously have had Covid, for that you need a blood test for antibodies

The antigen test isn't a test for the presence of antibodies; it uses a test that contains cultured antigens that bind to the spike proteins, and are then visible, via some marker, such as a fluorescent marker. The antigens identify the presence of the active virus.

I know all that (my wife  is a doctor by the way), you are the one who wrote about finding out if you have gained immunity to Covid for which a PCR/antigen test is completely useless. 

Tested Friday morning (drive through at Aberdeen airport), results Sunday afternoon.

Jason

No, I said I was disappointed to get a negative (antigen) test result, as I was hoping that I might have the virus, and thus gain some natural immunity.

I never said I wanted an antibody test, or had had an antibody test.

Thanks for the replies (apart from the two posters having a wee tiff), I've found out what I needed to know. 

Sorry about that: my first post directly addressed your question.