If you read your lateral flow test long after 30 mins

[Friedbanana]

Does it show a very faint T line (positive result)? I feel like an idiot, I know I should have set a timer for 30 mins- I will next time. I feel really bad for wasting a test as I know I have to do another one now. But it was my first time doing the test and I checked after 25 mins and it showed negative. I then sat next to the test and started doing work on laptop, and got a bit absorbed and completely forgot to look again, until 1.5 hours after I’d taken the test. I will do another one before I go into work tomorrow, but I just wanted to ask if it’s normal for a very faint line to appear long after the test has been taken? It’s extremely extremely faint!

Hi OP,
My daughter and her dad have just recently been to a lateral flow testing centre and you don’t read your own results.
You get a text message/ email within a couple of hours .
So I’m confused as to what you are saying ?

@avamiah lots of professions and situations have home testing kits now. The test is invalid after half an hour, I worked processing them at a test centre. You should retest

Thanks for your reply! Sorry I should have made the post clearer! I have been sent home testing kits through work so you read your own which you have to do after 30 mins, I read mine at 25 mins, was negative, forgot to read at 30 (I know, very stupid!), but at 90 mins it’s positive. But it says you should never read after 30 mins so I guess I just have to redo it in the morning!

Thank you @FelicityBeedle, I shall do!

If its invalid after 30 minutes, but was negative at 25 then you can count it as negative surely? They don't recheck any lft tests in the centre. Presumably it's, the equivalent of an evap line on a pregnancy test?

This probs won’t help you but I’ve been doing lateral flow tests at home and my negative tests stay negative, even when I look the following morning.

I’ve done plenty of lateral tests and they have always remained negative for me so sensible to check again but from colleagues, I’ve heard they go positive pretty quickly when you do have covid rather than needing to wait the full half an hour.

Thank you @Deux and @SunbathingDragon, I will definitely retest. The line is so faint it barely shows up in photo- attempted to take a pic

• [Pic removed at OP's request]

I've done loads of them and then tend to keep them until I get round to logging them on our system. I've never had one showing any line next to the T however long it's been

@Friedbanana

Thank you *@Deux and @SunbathingDragon*, I will definitely retest. The line is so faint it barely shows up in photo- attempted to take a pic

I can see a faint second line too. I would re rest to be doubly sure.

I’ve never had a negative lateral flow test change from showing a negative even after 30mins. Always just the one line even an hour or so later.

I work in a Covid test centre and the most accurate result is between 20-30 mins, however I've never had one change either. Retest as has been suggested.

@DaffodilSunshine

I've done loads of them and then tend to keep them until I get round to logging them on our system. I've never had one showing any line next to the T however long it's been

Same. I sometimes keep mine for hours to remind me to log the result on our school system and the government return, as you need the batch number on the test. I've never had even a faint positive to date Good luck, definitely suggest a retest and hope you're ok.

I have to set an alarm to remember to do mine and then a 30 minutes timer to remember to check the results!
Good that you are going to do another test - it will put your mind at rest.

The information says to wait half an hour as it can take that long for a negative to show. If I was you I would book a PCR to check definitively.

I have had my tests out for longer than 30mins (checking them at 30 mins) and they are still negative.

Sorry for a positive to show

I have never seen a second line appear much later. Do test again and I hope it's negative at 30 mins!

I still have a lft on my desk from last week for some reason. I just looked and it's still negative. I'd definitely take another to check yours.

I have to do these through work too. The leaflet that comes with the pack says " Two lines, one next to C and one next to T, even faint lines, shows the test is positive. You must report this result to the NHS."

It also says on the leaflet you must wait 30 mins before the result is ready.

So it does seem as though your test is positive

I work in a lateral flow centre and we have have had a couple change to a very faint positive once over the 30m. Definitely retest and set a timer and write the time on it with a sharpie to be sure

My negative tests haven't changed at all - as before I keep them until I've got around to registering.

Like others, I keep mine around to remind me to register it. Never had a line appear.

I would assume you’re positive and get a PCR test to confirm.

Same as others - my negatives stay negative. I've just looked at my one from last night and it's still negative, not even a hint of a T line. I hope you get a more conclusive answer when you retest, OP. Fingers crossed for you.

Usually a positive will show up long before the 25 minutes. I've never seen one change from negative to positive after 30 minutes and I've processed hundreds of LFTs.

If you read it at 25 minutes then I'd say it was negative.

Mine usually goes negative within 3 min and stays negative even hours later