Following the Guidelines

Yesterday morning I ordered a Covid home test as one of my first symptoms on feeling unwell was a funny taste on eating (our nearest test centre would be a 2 hour return trip). It's fulfilled by Amazon and was delivered at lunchtime. The admin around it is overly complicated involving using your National Ins no, NHS no, order no, test no, and Royal Mail no. The test itself is difficult to do, particularly swabbing your tonsils without touching your teeth, gums or tongue - I doubt I managed that correctly. Then you return it in a priority mailbox - we only have two small wall type postboxes which I could barely get the return box in. I now suspect the reason why a third of home tests don't get returned!!!

Other than the test, I set up my replacement fitbit (nice and easy) and made my first loaf with my new breadmaker which came out nicely (also very easy!).

Day 136 / Full Day 128 of Lockdown / Day 26 of Step 3 (for my record only)
UK deaths up 83 to 45,961 with new daily cases up by 763. Global cases to date pass 17m, again up 1m in 4 days. The WHO's Europe regional director say 'We're receiving reports from several health authorities of a higher proportion of new infections among young people' and this could be driving spikes in cases. The Govt signs a deal for up to 60m doses of a 4th potential vaccine, this one by Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline, each being a different type of vaccine. The Public Accounts Committee reports on the ‘appalling error’ of discharging 25k people from hospitals into care homes without doing a COVID test first, even after clear evidence of asymptomatic transmission The strain of coronavirus in Vietnam is different to one seen previously and there are some reports it's more contagious - we have seen it in Britain. Barclays made provisions against bad debts of £3.7bn in H1. Six studies are being undertaken with Govt funding into why people from a BAME background are at greater risk from Covid.