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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ignore positive PCR

95 replies

whatshouldIdoo · 26/12/2021 18:21

The whole family unit had Covid a month ago and all have recovered.
Last week a close friend tested positive for Covid and so I booked us all in for a PCR as we had seen her.
However you are not supposed to have a PCR in the 90 days after having Covid:

"Not testing within 90 days of a positive COVID-19 test will avoid unnecessary isolation. It is possible for PCR tests to remain positive for some time after COVID-19 infection as the test can pick up inactive viral fragments (which are not infectious)."

As you can probably guess, one of the kids came back with a positive result.

AIBU to ignore that as we should never have taken the test?

I appreciate I will get flamed for not checking this before doing the test.
If I'm honest I knew there was guidance not to do a PCR within 90 days of Covid. I wrongly assumed the reason was that you were unlikely to be infected again in that period. In my mind I felt that we could have had Delta a month ago and then possibly have Omicron and wanted to have an all clear before seeing any relatives.
Now the results have come back positive I have looked into it more and realise I've been an idiot for going for the test and the reason for not giving PCRs to people within 90 days of infection is the high number of false positives due to left over non-contagious viral fragments. I accept I've been a bit of a twat wasting resources going for the test and wish I hadn't.

All lateral flows have been negative for all of us.

So my question is AIBU to ignore the result of the PCR test (that we should never have had) and presume it is a false positive as within 90 days of infection?

OP posts:

MyrtlethePurpleTurtle · 27/12/2021 18:52

@OakPine

Why on earth would you canvas randoms on the internet for opinion!

I despair.

Phone 119.

Because if the fandoms are on Mumsnet, they will enthusiastically endorse OP in her chosen path of ignoring the PCR result, covid infection and tell her it’s fine to mingle

MyrtlethePurpleTurtle · 27/12/2021 18:52

(RANDOMS)

Ohyesiam · 27/12/2021 19:00

We were wrongly advised and went through this in the autumn. It was a big deal because my husband is a key worker. He talked endlessly to track and trace ( I think , maybe some other govt body) and the upshot was he would still be breaking the law if he didn’t isolate.

Ohyesiam · 27/12/2021 19:04

@BarkminsterBlue

You need to isolate until Test and Trace contact you tomorrow, explain the situation to them, and act on their instructions.

Trust me, they have absolutely no clue what to do. DH must have spoken to 10 People,maybe more. Only 1 has heard of this as a concept, but although it was escalated as high as it could go in T&T, nobody was able to advise, give guidelines or be of any help what so ever.

shamelesschocaholic · 27/12/2021 19:28

My family (all bar one child) covid at the end of Novembers. We are in the Oxford study where they pcr us every month. I’ve just had positive pcr back from that study but I don’t have to isolate as it’s within 90 days. If you had no symptoms the I guess pcr was wrong test to do? Strangely the lateral flows are negative for us but the pcr still came up positive a month on

MrsSkylerWhite · 27/12/2021 21:21

Watapalava

“op ignore it. Dont respond to T&T - nothing will happen, they didnt contact me once for my dc“

Oh, well, that’s alright then. How fucking inconsiderate are you?

Don’t you understand? Your Darling children are just as infectious as anyone else, however wonderful they are.

thing47 · 27/12/2021 23:11

That's interesting, Ohyesiam. Our experience was different – DD (who lives with me) explained the concept of false positives to a senior staff at T&T and he understood it immediately and told her she didn't need to isolate. To be fair she is well qualified to explain the science, but nevertheless it wasn't a problem at all.

chanidoll · 28/12/2021 00:11

Track & trace will have it recorded that there was a positive test within 90 days. Get advice from them. I had a lot of pressure to test my kids for family reassurance and refused on the basis it could be a false positive and would therefore be of no reassurance whatsoever.

1onway1under12and1over18 · 28/12/2021 00:15

Prior to omicron I’d have said false negative but now who knows! My nephew positive delta October and now 24th Dec positive for omicron. My brother triple jabbed feels symptoms coming on 2 days behind nephew. I’d suspect omicron if I were you & not ignore the positive

Mamanyt · 28/12/2021 00:54

LOL, and I never thought I would say this, but I'd ignore the positive. First, you now know that it may VERY well have been false, due to the previous infection. Second, because the child current has as much natural protection from reinfection as it is possible to have.

IF this were 95 days out from the previous infection, I'd have a very different answer, but in your case, ignore it. Test again when the time period is up, just be be sure, but for now, don't fret about it.

montysma1 · 28/12/2021 01:22

Interested in the false positives after covid.
My daughter had covid.

It was rampant in her school, and I pulled her out to try to avoid it. Tested her every day. A full 6 days after she had been in school, she got a big whopping positive lft. Followed by a positive PCR. No symptoms of any sort.

Anyway I kept testing her, out if interest and from that 1st positive lft, the band daily got fainter becoming completely negative long before her 10 days were up.

CharlotteRose90 · 28/12/2021 01:47

You dc needs to isolate sorry. They test it differently if you’ve had covid in the last 90 days. He tested positive so has it. I’d isolate as a family if you can as most likely you will all come down with it. Don’t be that family that thinks it’s ok to go out and infect everyone

Dibbydoos · 28/12/2021 02:20

I would ignore it, but make sure you wear masks in enclosed spaces etc. BTW, you don't need pcr if you know someone with covid a lateral flow test will do and only order a pcr if its a positive result. That firstly keeps costs down (they might be free issue but they are paid for by tax payers and public borrowing) and secondly provides a more accurate Yes/No result.

We've had a covid Christmas - DS caught it from his barber then gave it to me. I'm clinically extremely vulnerable but thankfully 3 x Pfizer jabs have held it mild so far.

I'm going to start lateral flow tests on NYE, in line with hovernment guidelines, we're hoping to get out of isolation before 4th Jan which is what the app advised...

Also interesting, my son tested +ve Christmas eve I was -ve. If I'd followed guidelines I could have gone out. I didn't. I tested +ve Christmas Day. Lord knows how many I might have infected had I gone out....! Thankfully the restaurant were brill and I moved the date...

Government guidance is just that, we all should apply common sense. My DS is hacked off with the barber cos she knew she wasn't well but went to work anyway. He said people should be prosecuted for doing that and I agree with him.

Shelby2010 · 28/12/2021 02:24

I’m not sure that you would expect there to be that many false positives if there is now the expectation that you can have negative LFT 7 days after a positive test. My family all had negative PCRs 3 weeks after having covid (testing for flights).

The logic was probably more that you were unlikely to be infected twice with COVID within 3 months because you’re body would still have the antibodies.

Unfortunately as Omicron is so different to Delta, it seems very possible that you can be re-infected with the other variant within the 3 month period.

Test and trace must have seen this before and be able to give advice.

MeandT · 28/12/2021 06:40

Since you've (DC) had a positive, advice is to isolate- at least until you've spoken with T&T. However...we all developed positive LFT within 48 hours of getting positive PCR. So T&T might well suggested that if child still has a negative LFT days 2 & 3 after PCR sample, then likely to be residual positive from previous infection?

Interested to read that there is a tickbox as you go along PCR booking to say infected within 90 days - did you find this OP?

We have to PCR for travel within 90 days and assuming we'll be told to isolate...I wonder if this is also an option on travel PCRs?

Dontwanttolivewithmylover · 28/12/2021 07:48

I feel sorry for everyone who suffers from the OP's sort of acute anxiety and anxiety over not being able to book boosters, meet others, blah blah.
I decided never to have the vaccine so have no after effects and no frantic worrying about yet another booster or whether I should or should not have a test within a certain time frame or availability of RLF tests.
Worry is ageing and I can do without it.

SofiaMichElf · 28/12/2021 08:34

@Dontwanttolivewithmylover

I feel sorry for everyone who suffers from the OP's sort of acute anxiety and anxiety over not being able to book boosters, meet others, blah blah. I decided never to have the vaccine so have no after effects and no frantic worrying about yet another booster or whether I should or should not have a test within a certain time frame or availability of RLF tests. Worry is ageing and I can do without it.

Presumably you realise (but don't care) that if everyone was like you we would be either in almost permanent lockdown or have no functioning health service whatsoever.

The semblance of normal life we currently have is down to others being vaccinated.

thing47 · 28/12/2021 13:08

@CharlotteRose90

This isn't correct. You can test positive for some time after you have recovered from it (and hence long after you are infectious). OP's DC might have Covid or he might not, there is simply no way of saying definitively.

The safest course of action is to isolate, for sure, but the statements made above are wrong.

LovelyIssues · 28/12/2021 23:15

I know 2 people who tested positive again within two months. Had covid, then got better with negative LFT. Then had the same symptoms again and tested positive. They both knew they had it again so I no longer believe the 90 day thing. I would definitely isolate OP

Moolia · 29/12/2021 14:33

@LovelyIssues

Same here, I personally know 5 people this has happened to now, including my own DS.

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