Lateral Flow Tests

[Bessicasbum]

I had planned to take my five year old and two month old for a garden visit to my mum's next week. She obviously hasn't met the baby yet. I asked mum to do a LFT before we meet just for peace of mind (I know they're not necessarily accurate) She refuses. She has had her vaccine. Now my sister is weighing in very aggressively on mum's side after I appealed to her to talk to mum about how it might be a good idea to do one. I'm left in a situation now: do I forget it and take baby anyway and or still insist on test and risk a breakdown in family. BTW, my mil is more than willing to do a lft and dh is pretty peeved that my family think different.

@saraclara

No, her DM is respecting her own boundaries. Her body, her decision. Disrespecting the OP's boundaries would be if she lied about doing a test

Exactly. It's funny how MN is really hot on posters' own boundaries, while dismissing anyone else's.

OP, if you're going to test every single person who comes into contact with your baby, every single time they do so (which is what logically follows from your plan for your mum), it's going to get ridiculous. Do you test your daughter every single day?

Seriously, chill. Numbers are right down, and the stats seem to be saying that vaccinated people are unlikely to pass on the virus. The likelihood of your mum pickling it up is minimal, and if she did, on top of that, the risk of her then passing it on is also very small. You're over-thinking a risk that's barely there.

How can you talk about boundaries in relation to sticking a little cotton bud in your nose for a few seconds on the one hand, and then on the other tell the OP to chill. I would argue it is her mum who needs to chill and just do the painless test to make her daughter happy. I would die for my adult DC so doing a five minute test would be a no-brainer.

OP I don’t think that you are asking about the LFT I think you are asking if it’s mean of your mum to deny you peace of mind, and yes I personally think that it is a bit mean. Sending you a big hug xxx

@midnightstar66

I’m assuming you meant they tested negative on the pcr test? So they had false positives?

No, false negatives on LF. I'm not sure if it's nationwide but here in Scotland you're asked to take a PCR when identified as a contact. PCR's were positive in several people who had taken LF the same day as routine.

These aren't false negatives. LF doesn't test for covid infection, it tests for high viral load/ shedding virus/ likely to infect others. It is perfectly possible to have negative LF and positive PCR taken on the same day.

The town where I live (in the North East) has six community testing sites where anyone can have a test. Open seven days a week. Many of the people who come in for tests are doing so before meeting with family members. I work in the testing programme and we have lots of regulars.

The LFT is only an extra layer for reducing transmission by hopefully identifying a few (not all) positive cases in school/work environments and taking them out of circulation. Keeping to the guidelines is more important.

It will not mean your mum is safe to visit and you shouldn't be using school provided tests for this purpose as a negative result will be meaningless.

I think there’s more risk from your 5 year old
Being in school. Saying that, your baby, your health, your decision.

To clarify as I've seen a few inaccurate posts about the vaccine: People who have been vaccinated can still get and die of covid.

2 people on my ward died of covid yesterday. 1 had had 2 doses of vaccine and the other had had 1. You can also get covid if you have previously had covid. One of my colleagues has had it twice.

I'm a vaccinated doctor and I still have to test twice a week because vaccination is not about individual protection (although it does decrease your individual chance of getting covid by between ~60-95%), it is about reducing transmission and cases so that eventually covid is eradicated at a population wide level. No vaccine is 100% effective for the individual, but may be 100% effective at population level if uptake is hogh enough by reducing and eventually eliminating the virus (like what happened with small pox).

Sorry to derail, I just thought people might find this helpful.

These aren't false negatives. LF doesn't test for covid infection, it tests for high viral load/ shedding virus/ likely to infect others. It is perfectly possible to have negative LF and positive PCR taken on the same day.

Ok but I assume OP wants to know that her mum doesn't have covid? The fact is they aren't accurate so even if you are shedding the virus they may or may not pick it up, plus the element of human error in self testing. Of course it's possible, we know that, which is why it's not a good way for OP to let her mother hold her baby safely and risk free. Far safer just to stick to distancing rules for now!