Would you do a PCR test for a slight sore throat?

[LordOfTheThings]

No other symptoms.

No! I've had several sore throats this summer and did lateral flows. I get sore throats a lot from tiredness.

I did a lft for a sore throat that was barely there and it was positive and so was the pcr.

No. I'd do a LFT first. Same if I got a light cough. Only if it's positive or I'd develop other/stronger symptoms would I consider a PCR.

I'm doing a LFT tonight due to a sore throat. I feel a bit coldy too with sore eyes.

There's tons of bugs going round the school I work at though, and we test twice a week anyway.

Yes because although our symptom list hasn't caught up, it is a covid symptoms

Yes. I did a PCR for a sore throat (plus to be fair a runny nose). Positive. Ds positive too.

I still understand that you should do PCRs with symptoms, not LFTs.

I would do a couple of lateral flows first. Hope you’re better soon op. C

Has the advice about doing an LFT with symptoms changed? I was told LFTs are only if you don't have symptoms.

If it reassures you, then yes x Hope you are OK 👍

Not on its own, but if I had headache or blocked nose I would, as I don't usually get sore throats with colds

Yep. Sore throat was my only symptom.

Yes. I did and it was positive.

I think it would depend if it felt different to one of my usual sore throats - I'm prone due to allergies

It's not me, it's DD. She told me just now that she had a sore throat last night 🙄 but it's almost gone now. I think we should get a test to be sure.

Yes, that was my only symptom. PCR positive

LFT was negative, PCR positive. Get the PCR assp

I had a tickly/slightly sore throat. 2 negative lateral flows. Dh also had a negative lateral flow and tested positive for covid the next day so I went for a pcr and am also positive. If Dh hadn’t tested positive I wouldn’t have thought to test myself after the negative lateral flows.

If you can have covid without any symptoms and can test positive for up to 3 months after infection. How do you know that your positive test with just a sore throat was due to covid and not caused by another infection (and the positive test was just from an historic infection)?

@Almostascot because my pcr a few days ago was negative

It’s my understanding that you can test positive for up to three months due to a small number of fragments of the mRNA which could be missed on one swab but present on the next (as opposed to larger amounts during an active infection which would be difficult to miss). That’s perhaps one of the reasons for not adding sore throats to the official symptoms list. There are so many reasons someone could have a sore throat.