Dd is sick, lateral flow negative, PCR necessary?

[ThesecondLEM]

Do I need to get PCR? Local testing centre is 20 miles, she is really poorly and has slept all day?

Obviously I will keep her out of school as if she is positive. She has had covid before but I know that means nothing, I am assuming that she has it again? Will do daily lateral flow tests

Threads like these are exactly why this stuff isn’t going away. The reliance on LFTs is ridiculous. Symptoms? PCR and stop dicking about with LFTs

@Lucythewonderdog excuse me but as a result of this thread I got a PCR for my child.

This isn't working because the government are incompetent and are shifting the blame onto the public.

I have been told I have to go into work even if DD tests positivewhilst I await my own PCR results which of course I haven't done yet as I have no symptoms.

You can get a PCR by post.

@NuffSaidSam but we don't have symptoms. Hopefully she will be negative.

We currently have a covid positive staff member who was advised to do LFTs for three days because they were negative. So that's three days of exposure for the team because of pressure from management.

If DD tests positive I will refuse to go to work until I get negative test.

[quote ThesecondLEM]@NuffSaidSam but we don't have symptoms. Hopefully she will be negative.

We currently have a covid positive staff member who was advised to do LFTs for three days because they were negative. So that's three days of exposure for the team because of pressure from management.

If DD tests positive I will refuse to go to work until I get negative test.[/quote]
Sorry, I misunderstood I thought you meant you couldn't get a PCR for DD.

TBH though I would have just said you had symptoms/had been in contact with someone and ordered tests for all of you at the same time. It may be technically against the rules, but it's infinitely more sensible!

I was torn to be honest, but I know someone who had a negative pcr only to later test positive so I didn't want to get false negative if that makes sense.

Am hoping to get DDs results before I go to work tomorrow as I'm on a late shift

@Lucythewonderdog

Threads like these are exactly why this stuff isn’t going away. The reliance on LFTs is ridiculous. Symptoms? PCR and stop dicking about with LFTs

The problem is what are you classing as symptoms?

In order to get a pcr the symptoms are still

Cough
Temperature
Lost sense of smell/taste

Lots of people have none of these symptoms and it does seem every conceivable thing could possibly a symptom of covid. People would never be away from test centres if every single time they felt under the weather they got a pcr. Not only that lots of people just can't afford the time off while waiting on the results.

My son tested positive. He had a headache. Not unusual for him at all as he gets migraines and the presentation was the same to him. We did a lateral flow just to check and there was a faint line so we followed that up with a pcr.

I also was suffering from headaches at the same time as my son. But far more likely to be related to Peri menopause and I've had a negative pcr.

@brazenandstrange

Can anyone tell me why a lateral flow won't pick up the virus if you already have symptoms? Surely that would be positive if you're in the first couple of days of having symptoms?

Lateral flow tests are antigen tests, so they are testing for your bodies immune system response to the virus, rather than testing for the virus itself. They are only as good as your immune system/response and are massively dependant on timing of the test too. PCR tests are testing for live virus.

Interesting all you hospital workers having to go to work. Our trust specifically states household positive contact means employee stays off work for full 10 days.

Same here (Wales), not allowed to attend in a “patient facing role” if household member positive.

[quote ThesecondLEM]@Lucythewonderdog excuse me but as a result of this thread I got a PCR for my child.

This isn't working because the government are incompetent and are shifting the blame onto the public.

I have been told I have to go into work even if DD tests positivewhilst I await my own PCR results which of course I haven't done yet as I have no symptoms.[/quote]
Yes you have got her a PCR test as a result of this thread but there are plenty of clueless parents out there not posting here and relying solely on LFTs when symptoms are present.

Test was negative, good news, although she is quite unwell. There is a nasty bug going around school apparently.