Totally confused now (Sorry, it’s a Covid one)

[DoesSheDoesntShe]

DS met up with his friend yesterday. They spent the entire day together in town. Ate out together and went shopping.

Today DS’s friend took a Covid test for work and tested positive. No symptoms.
The friend’s colleague also tested positive today. DS does not know the colleague.

DS has tested negative as have I.

DS’s friend is isolating
DS’s friend’s family is isolating.

We have different information from different people:

1. DS should isolate for 10 days (online info)
2. DS does not have to isolate if he tests negative as he is not a family member - but, he can if he wants to (the test centre DS’s friend went to - he asked what his friends should do)
3. As number 2 (NHS worker)

So, what does DS do? Isolate or not?

AIBU to think WTH? Conflicting advice or what?

If you work for the NHS or KNOW the actual rules please please reply!

I thought DS needed to isolate for 10 days and now don’t know what to think.

If you get a positive on a LFT it's like you have symptoms so you then have to go on and have a PCR test to confirm if it is covid. That person and their household have to isolate as soon as the positive LFT result is shown just as they would if the testing person had symptoms.

If the PCR comes back positive, close contacts would also need to isolate which should be ascertained by track & trace.

There is nothing stopping those contacts from testing with LFT but a negative result would not mean you are free to stop your isolation.

Contacts should only book in for a PCR if they develop symptoms/test positive after LFT (as should anyone in the general population). A negative on any test does not mean you can cut short your isolation.

Isolation is definitely the right thing to do morally, if you have been in prolonged contact with someone who has tested positive from a LFT.

The way we decide is nhs staff are close contacts is

no masks for more than 15 mins less than 2m apart

I'd say he needs to isolate if he had lunch with the person at a table with no mask on

@DoesSheDoesntShe

That should say ‘He doesn’t have to isolate YET’ only after the PCR test comes back positive.

He will do anyway.

My question remains...

I have been told that if his friend’s PCR test comes back positive, DS should get tested. If DS’s test comes back negative he no longer needs to isolate for the rest of the 10 days.

But if he hasn't got symptoms how will he get a PCR test? I was told to self isolate by the NHS app and I wanted to do a test but the only way to get one through the website was go tell it my symptoms and I had none.

Every single poster: if the PCR is positive your DS needs to isolate. Morally I would isolate from now

Op: but it remains unclear

The problem is is the friend has done five lateral flows. He should have done a pcr straight after the lateral flow. A positive lateral flow is an indication but not diagnostic. 5 lateral flows is pointless and a waste of 4 lateral flows.

The test centre is not track and trace. They probably don't know the rules, I'm not sure if they officially give out isolation rules or are just people doing the tests. And who in the NHS have they managed to speak to about this? Their GP? A random NHS worker will know as much about isolation rules as you

Once the friend has had the PCR the proper track and trace will kick in and your DS will have to isolate.

I am a little unsure as to how your DS friend has not had their PCR back yet but your DS has

@lunar1

NHS staff have been given conflicting advice for ages. Firstly DH was told to turn off test and trace. He was also told not to isolate after a patient he treated was positive, he carried out a procedure in very close proximity too!

Presumably because your DH is supposed to be wearing appropriate PPE to prevent him catching covid from the patient. Thats not conflicting advise

If the NHS isolated every health care worker who'd done a procedure or been in close contact with a covid case their would be no one left. Imagine how thats gonna work in covid ITU or covid theatres

NHS worker here.
So he’s been in close contact for more than 15mins with this person, ie. closer than 2m. Therefore he’s a close contact and isolates for 10days, he tests if he is symptomatic.

If they had both done track and trace he would be contacted at some stage to tell him this

In a school scenario, if a teacher/child tests positive on a LFT, the bubble commences isolation. If PCR comes back neg the isolation ends, if positive it continues. He is a close contact, end of

If the friend gets a positive pcr test then at that point your son will need to SI, backdated to when they met I think.
However I don’t think your son having a negative test gets you out of the SI

Definitely he should isolate. A child in my schools reception class tested positive and the whole class is isolating.

Every single poster: if the PCR is positive your DS needs to isolate. Morally I would isolate from now

Op: but it remains unclear

You’re obviously not following.
Please read my posts.

I dont know what is so hard for the OP to understand.

Sons friend had positive LFT. He goes and has a PCR test and he isolates until the results of his PCR test are through. If they are positive track and trace kicks in and close contacts have to isolate for 10 days. If they are negative he can come out of isolation and carry on as normal.

So for OPS son he isolates until the results of the PCR test are known. If they come back negative son can go about his business. If they are positive then son continues to isolate for 10 days since last contact with friend. A PCR test for the son is only required if the son gets symptoms. After 10 days son stops isolation.

Having a PCR test and getting a negative result in those 10 days doesn't mean he can come out of isolation. Your son will still have to isolate for the 10 days no matter how many negative results he got. It can take 10 days for symptoms or the virus to show.

Isolate but until test and trace have notified you don’t have to isolate but I’d recommend you do.
Test and trace would ask who they have been in contact with over the last few days . We’ve all had to isolate as a few of us in our house had Covid.
My dd has had to isolate a few times due to school bubble and also school transport bubble she’s been negative but had to isolate .

@Mummyme87

NHS worker here. So he’s been in close contact for more than 15mins with this person, ie. closer than 2m. Therefore he’s a close contact and isolates for 10days, he tests if he is symptomatic.

If they had both done track and trace he would be contacted at some stage to tell him this

The test and trace will contact him later today when/if the PCR comes back positive.

The question has always been about the advice DS has been given by the test centre and an NHS worker.

1. Get HIS OWN test immediately (even with no symptoms) and
2. DS’s isolation can END if/when His OWN test comes back negative.

This is what came as a surprise to me and this advice is what I’m questioning here.

I assumed before all this from what I had read that he would isolate for 10 days. End of.

Today 07:10 ItsSnowJokes

I dont know what is so hard for the OP to understand.

Read my last post.
I’ve explained it again.

And who in the NHS have they managed to speak to about this? Their GP?

The triage nurse at our GP surgery.

OP, it doesn't matter if your DS gets a negative PCR test; he has to isolate. He could develop COVID over the net 10 days so he isolates.

Trust me; teacher dealing with this for 15 months now who I also isolating as a close contact despite multiple negative tests as we are surge testing in both mine and DPs school.

@TheSmallAssassin

I think it's pretty clear on the website?

Yes but NHS worker and the Covid Centre staff need a refresher or they are giving conflicting advice.

If DS tests negative (any test) it makes no difference at all he still must isolate because he’s been in contact with a case (the incubation period is about up to 10 days).

This is what I thought I knew!

The talk about cutting short the 10 days if DS himself has a negative PCR is what confused me. (Along with get a test immediately even without symptoms).

In some local areas directors of public health have made a decision to tell people that all contacts of a lateral flow should isolate (not just household). So yes there are inconsistencies, deviations from the national, and sometimes people get it wrong.

Only family here after LF.

It’s very odd BlueDucky.

I get what you are saying. Also after watching the panorama where they showed how the lab tests are processed I'm not sure I'd even trust a negative PCR test!

So why is my whole child's class isolating for 10 days then, when only one child in the class tested positive? If people are saying its only if a family member tests positive? Is that why there are so many cases at the moment because people are doing this? My son now has covid so I'm pissed off tbh. It's not difficult. If you've been in close contact with someone who tests positive then you isolate?

Whyarewehardofthinking

OP, it doesn't matter if your DS gets a negative PCR test; he has to isolate. He could develop COVID over the net 10 days so he isolates.

This is what I thought before all this started.

On the NHS website under track and trace it says that if you get symptoms during the 10 days isolation after being in contact with a positive case then to test

*If you test negative:

keep self-isolating for the rest of the 10 days – you could still get symptoms after being tested*

I know he won’t necessarily have symptoms but clearly the NHS are saying you have to do 10 days isolation from the date of the last time you were in contact with them. DH was a close contact and was told to isolate for 6 days, regardless of having a negative test.

If you get a positive test in that time your 10 days starts from the date of your symptoms (you only have a PCR with symptoms or positive lateral flow test)

I think the triage nurse is confused and definitely wrong. Test and trace will be more clear on how long he needs to isolate for if they contact. But he should be isolating until his friends PCR result and then if positive for 10 days since his last contact with his friend. No need for a PCR unless he has symptoms himself.

The talk about cutting short the 10 days if DS himself has a negative PCR is what confused me yes I thought he still had to isolate but you wouldn't.

@TheVolturi

So why is my whole child's class isolating for 10 days then, when only one child in the class tested positive? If people are saying its only if a family member tests positive? Is that why there are so many cases at the moment because people are doing this? My son now has covid so I'm pissed off tbh. It's not difficult. If you've been in close contact with someone who tests positive then you isolate?

LF - only family members

Confirmed PCR - All close contacts.

There is a delay of 48 hrs min between the two tests.