AIBU - to think that PCR results are being tampered with?

[tuesdayschild17]

A week ago, COVID symptoms hit me like a bus. I developed a high temperature, muscle aches, a dry cough, headache and within a couple of days I couldn’t smell at all. I’m talking stick your head in the dog food bowl and still nothing!!

I have had appalling night sweats as well and have heard this is common for the Omicron. I honestly have not felt this unwell for years.

I took a home PCR test and have just had the results and they’re negative! I followed the instructions religiously and made sure I really swabbed my throat/nose properly. I’d gamble large sums of money I had/still have COVID.

Does anyone feel that there are accuracy failures in the PCRs we aren’t being told about? Or that even worse the government may be trying to suppress the number of positives that happen in this huge wave of Covid crashing down on the UK?

Has anyone else had a negative PCR but been sure they have COVID?

Anyway OP I would assume that you’ve had it in your case. Hope you’re feeling better

No. I was convinced that I had it October negative prc, there is lots of flu viruses goings-on.
I was sick again December and had a positive result for c19, double whammy.

@rightsideoftheroad thanks for the sarcasm but people do make mistakes, generally people have lfts at home and go for a pcr at a testing centre so I was querying if perhaps she'd got mixed up.

Hope that's OK with you.

@Tealightsandd no - watch the video attached from 16 minutes. There is a graph with very high rates of other respiratory infections and covid, and the incidence of it being covid is 1 in 5
The rates are changing - this was 2 days ago,

follow the scientists, not the media

People often think that a heavy cold is flu. I remember the difference being described as “if you have flu and there’s a £50 note on the window ledge about to blow out of the window you can’t get out of bed to save it”. It’s why we have a massive flu vaccination campaign every year as people often end up in intensive care and die from it.
This is peak flu/respiratory virus time of the year. Add in the fact that we’re all been distancing/wearing masks and so haven’t been exposed to other viruses as we used to, so have less immunity.
It absolutely could be a false negative, but could equally just be another virus. I recall having a chest infection back in the mid 1990s where I completely lost my sense of taste and smell. I vividly remember eating a peach. It was foul, like eating a wet sponge, no taste or aroma, just wet and squirty!

Friends of mine went down with covid a week ago , positive tests. Then son went down with exactly the same symptoms- negative test. Unfortunately nothing in 100% accurate.
I had near same symptoms with covid as my bad cold. My body is still tired aching 3 weeks after covid.

I'm on the Zoe study and get the information directly from that Nettle

Listen, as well as follow. Add in common sense and balance of probability. And you're there.

I’m suffering from something similar that is not Covid - 2x PCR and daily LFT proves this. Really horrible heavy cold. Could even be flu. I’d rather it be covid and get it out of the way frankly. The prospect of another week like this is not fun

apologies @Tealightsandd - that article was London specific. It does show that OP probably doesnt have covid though, due to test results, as there are high levels of other viruses about

Oh FFS!

There are millions of respiratory viruses out there. Not every single one of them has a COVID.
What a blood ridiculous thread!

I think everyone has got Covid in the mind right now, I think that may be the problem.

FFS, it’s like people think no one was ever ill before covid. Coughs existed, flu existed, bronchitis existed, pneumonia existed, colds of varying degrees of severity existed and millions of people got them, particularly at this time of year. One of the reasons Covid is such a problem is that it’s got so many of the same symptoms as other respiratory viruses.

If you’re that convinced it’s a conspiracy, do another PCR. It’ll be a complete waste of resources, but you do you.

People who have cold-like symptoms in London are more likely to have Covid than a cold, according to the scientist behind the Zoe coronavirus symptom tracker app.

OP is in London.

He added: In London, where Covid is increasing rapidly, it’s far more likely to be Covid than it is to be a cold. We’re seeing doubling in the numbers equivalent to what’s being seen elsewhere, every two and a half days.

I know the test results can be wrong. There were 43,000 false negatives in one area

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/15/public-urged-to-retake-covid-tests-after-false-negatives-in-berkshire

I don't think it's on purposes though.

*Sorry at least 43,000

Whole household tested negative first then positive on second test 2 days later. Have another PCR to rule it out.

I don’t think Tim Spector is suggesting people who have cold symptoms and a negative PCR test are more likely to have covid. And presumably a bunch of negative LFTs as well. It seems a bit irrelevant anyone as if someone is feeling that ill you’d hope they were staying at home in bed anyway. I’m not sure that a positive test adds anything in this scenario.

But yabu to think the results are being tampered with

@tuesdayschild17

Okay I definitely rescind the idea that they’re tampering with results. I think I’m just frustrated generally by their lack of transparency. I’m more convinced it could be a false negative, and that there isn’t a clear indication of how common it is/what to do if you believe you’ve had a false negative on a PCR.

I’m sorry but I don’t believe it is flu. I’ve had flu more than once in previous years and whilst it is horrendous, it’s just not this bad. I’ve had a temp of over 39 for 4 days.

Also I have never lost my taste and smell this completely. I can literally feel food/liquid/toothpaste in my mouth, with zero taste at all. I can’t smell even the faintest trace of garlic or dog food or anything that has a strong smell. I have never experienced total loss of smell/taste with a cold.

DS has had exactly the same. Temp over 39 since Tuesday. Terrible cough. Incredibly lethargic. He's had a negative PCR so I think it's just a shitty virus. He's much better today although the cough will linger because it always does.

@NettleTea

apologies *@Tealightsandd* - that article was London specific. It does show that OP probably doesnt have covid though, due to test results, as there are high levels of other viruses about

Do you have a link on the high levels of other viruses about?

Unlikely. Covid, especially Omicron, is rapidly becoming the dominant virus right now (and it's predicted to be the same outside of London soon too). Small numbers of other viruses, maybe, but the most likely is currently Covid.

Oh my word, I had covid years ago! I need to tell someone. There are loads of respiratory viruses and people in the same family can have different viruses at the same time even if they have the same symptoms. How can anyone still be confused about this?

The OPscomment about the conspiracy is just laughable, maybe the tin hat you’re wearing is causing your fever.

Can you go for another PCR at a walk-in centre where they do the swab? Maybe you were just testing too early or too late. Would be interesting to know what further PCRs from different labs come up with on different days, and with different people doing the swabbing.

But even when the probabilities say something is much more likely to be Covid, that still leaves thousands of people getting other illnesses too, so you are probably just one of the minority who does just have a cold or other virus.

Time for brunch. Have a good Saturday everyone. I hope all those of you currently unwell with whatever virus it is feel better soon.

I think I’m just frustrated generally by their lack of transparency

What lack of transparency?

You have three options:

• its covid but your test was in the tiny percentage which misreports
• its non covid flu or similar which is also widespread this winter
• there is a sekrit team of superspy types breaking into test facilities to change recorded test results, all coordinated from a bunker in Whitehall.

Gosh its a puzzler.

Did you have the flu jab? My vote is you have a virus.

What do lateral flows show up as for you?