Letters - Wednesday, April 26, 2021

The flaw in rapid home Covid tests
Covid testingCovid testing
Covid testing

Someone I know has, because of her job, to undertake two tests a week for Covid.

In setting it up on her phone, she had to double input some details such as her email address.

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Obviously this was to make sure that the information provided would be accurate and would show up if she had made an error in inputting this important information.

In doing a recent test, which was negative, she accidentally clicked the ‘Positive’ test result button.

She realised immediately that she had done this, but there was no coming back, i.e. she was not asked the obvious-to-most question that should have been asked to confirm that she was saying that the test was positive.

Thus, she had to ring up 119 to point out her error and seek advice.

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She was told that someone would be in touch with her and she would be able to explain the test result.

Well, it’s been well over a week now and nobody has been in touch with her by any means. Thus, while the test itself may (or may not) be accurate, providing the actual result to ‘the powers-that-be’ is flawed and the follow-up, after supposedly providing a positive result, is abysmal, particularly as some guy with unkempt blonde hair described it as going to be as ‘World Beating’.

‘World Embarrassing’ more like!

So, to those who set up this system of reporting, you need to re-programme it to ask a confirmation question about the ‘patient’s’ result, and for those taking the test, be very careful how you input your result; positive or otherwise.

NS

via email

ROYALTY

Cambridges are a credit at least

What a credit the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are to the Royal family – and country. They have found a way to champion their charities and causes without fuss while bringing up their three young children.

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My regret is their example is overshadowed by every utterance of the petulant Sussexes from Los Angeles. The sooner Harry and Meghan lose their titles, the better.

Henry Cobden

via email

MEDIA

Radio 2 shake-up spoiled it for us

Richard Godley might like to know that BBC Radio 2 had a big shake-up around three years ago (‘Radio such a turn off’, Your Say May 24) by the then, new head of Radio 2, Lewis Carnie.

He axed the long running ‘Organist Entertains’ and as Mr Godley mentions, the station is no longer of interest to those of us who enjoyed it prior to Mr Carnie, an equivalent to Dr Beeching. His aim was/is to attract a younger audience of listeners, how young I’m not sure but there are only two programmes I listen to now on Radio 2’s i-player, namely, ‘Elaine Paige on Sunday’ and ‘Sunday night (that used to be Friday night) is Music Night’ and the latter isn’t always the kind of music listeners like Mr Godley and I prefer.

However, according to the complaints advisor in his reply (June 20, 2018) to my letter, there is no way they can match every single listener’s expectations, preferences and tastes but hope their general audience are happy with their general approach - research and feedback suggests that this is indeed the case.

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I suspect that ‘Sunday Night is Music Night’ and ‘Elaine Paige on Sunday’ are also on Mr Carnie’s list in the not too distant future and for us one time avid listeners, it will be a fond farewell to Radio 2.

Clifford Chambers

Blackpool

CONTEST

Silver lining to Eurovision cloud?

Surely it is time for the UK to walk away from the Eurovision Song Contest? We can sink no lower, how much does Europe hate us. The only good thing about Eurovision is Graham Norton’s commentary.

Janet Berry

via email

MEDIA

Why didn’t BBC report on protest?

I have always been a supporter of the BBC and have respected their reputation for balanced worldwide reporting.

I was surprised when the BBC did not report on the ‘Unite for Freedom’ rally in London in April, when many thousands of people gathered for an anti-lockdown protest against vaccines and Covid passports.

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Nor did they broadcast any details weeks later of thousands of protestors in Central London marching from St James’s Park to the BBC headquarters to shout “shame on you” from outside the building.

A Nightingale

address supplied

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