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AIBU?

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Original poster

Positive LFT but not taking PCR?

127 replies

DeerMyDear · 27/12/2021 21:10

My SIL has had a positive LFT and intends on not being in contact with anyone for then next 7-10 days (she lives alone). However, she’s decided not to take a PCR. She says she can’t see the benefit - she has (mild) covid, so doesn’t need confirmation of that. And a PCR test will put her in the system and she could be fined if she breaks any isolation rules.

She isn’t breaking the law as having a PCR test isn’t a legal requirement (isolating after getting a positive PCR is legal requirement), but it does feel like it’s going against the grain.

Any thoughts most welcome.

OP posts:
BobLemon · 27/12/2021 21:35

I’ve been wondering what the benefits are. I’ve seen that you may keep testing positive on a PCR for 90 days. But apart from foreign travel, what might require you to take a test?

Fallagain · 27/12/2021 21:36

@DeerMyDear

My SIL has had a positive LFT and intends on not being in contact with anyone for then next 7-10 days (she lives alone). However, she’s decided not to take a PCR. She says she can’t see the benefit - she has (mild) covid, so doesn’t need confirmation of that. And a PCR test will put her in the system and she could be fined if she breaks any isolation rules.

She isn’t breaking the law as having a PCR test isn’t a legal requirement (isolating after getting a positive PCR is legal requirement), but it does feel like it’s going against the grain.

Any thoughts most welcome.

Hang on. She doesn’t want a PCR so she can break isolation rules and therefore infect others and you don’t see a problem here?
BobLemon · 27/12/2021 21:40

“My SIL… intends on not being in contact with anyone for then next 7-10 days”

Literally the first line explains that she intends to follow isolation rules Confused

soupmaker · 27/12/2021 21:40

FFS. She needs to get a PCR test so her positive result is confirmed. Her contacts can then be contacted via T&T. It's not about benefit to her, it's benefit to her community as a whole.

Lovemusic33 · 27/12/2021 21:43

I would do the same. I tested positive on a PCR but never on lateral flow, track and trace calls were annoying, having to answer questions and have them call me almost every day. If I was to get a positive LFT now I would not bother with a PCR and just isolate.

Original poster
DeerMyDear · 27/12/2021 21:49

Not quite - she intends on isolating, she says she won’t see anyone for the whole period. She just doesn’t want to be contacted/hassled by T&T.

OP posts:
DigitalGhost · 27/12/2021 21:56

Two members of my family are currently doing this as they cba with the phone calls and the bother.

humdingle · 27/12/2021 21:56

@Fallagain can you actually read? Try reading it again. It literally says she will not see anyone. 🙄

I have just had covid and thought I'd "do the right thing" by getting a PCR. Also because we plan on travelling soon.

But my god the harassment from T&T x 3 because it was for my kids too and it would be far too efficient to go through the contacts of everyone at once, so you have to sit through multiple interrogations and then each family member gets contacted as a contact even though they themselves have it... such a load of bollocks I don't think I'd bother again.

I worked throughout it all as well. It was a cross between a hangover and a cold, but Jesus Christ here we are still expecting people to avoid public places, work from home, wear masks etc etc and some people are desperate for further restrictions. Load of bollocks.

MolkosTeenageAngst · 27/12/2021 21:59

I have been a close contact for covid and so have had to take daily LFTs for the last few days. I’m off work for next 10 days anyway so if I was to develop symptoms and then had a positive LFT I think I would do the same as your sister and just isolate for the 7-10 days, I wouldn’t see the point in getting an additional PCR. My understanding is that PCRs are to confirm whether an illness is covid but for me the combination of a positive LFT, symptoms and being a close contact would be confirmation enough not to bother faffing around with the PCR.

I don’t imagine a scenario where doctors are going to ask for ‘proof’ of covid in a situation where complications develop, surely the patient saying they’ve had a positive LFT would be enough. The same in terms of long-covid; the only person I know who has long covid developed covid right at the beginning of the pandemic and never had the virus confirmed with a test but that hasn’t mattered in terms of her diagnosis or treatment.

lackingchristmasspirit · 27/12/2021 22:00

@BobLemon

I’ve been wondering what the benefits are. I’ve seen that you may keep testing positive on a PCR for 90 days. But apart from foreign travel, what might require you to take a test?
Any planned surgery requires a negative Covid test beforehand
Happymum12345 · 27/12/2021 22:00

As long as she isolates then it’s up to her.

PicturesOfLily · 27/12/2021 22:28

It’s not quite the same but when I had covid last year, my dd (3yo) didn’t have any of the main 3 symptoms but seemed under the weather. She’d also been in contact with a positive case at nursery before I developed symptoms (& was already isolating) so she probably had it but I didn’t take her for a test because she had to isolate for longer anyway. The track and trace calls were a bit annoying as I was getting them for both of us. If your SIL is going to isolate anyway then I think it’s fine.

HiJenny35 · 27/12/2021 23:08

It's really not up to her, it's obnoxious, if you test positive or have symptoms you are meant to do a pcr test, that's the end of it. If she needed to attend hospital for any reason in the next 90 days, travel abroad etc she'd need a negative pcr and would still be showing positive so would need it on the record as when she had it. As for trace being a pain, they call from the same number answer once and tell them you want no fuether calls and then block the number for 10 daya its not hard.

HiJenny35 · 27/12/2021 23:09

Also this totally messes up the figures and makes it seem like the variant is more dangerous than it is if people with mild cases don't test.

Lennon80 · 27/12/2021 23:12

I’ve had covid twice confirmed by lateral flows so didn’t see why I’d need a PCR other than for government stats. She’s acting same way millions are.

justasking111 · 27/12/2021 23:17

@Smartiepants79

Well if I’d had to go through covid and isolation I’d want it on record that I’d recovered from it. What if she is forced to pcr test in the near future due to being a close contact? She could still test positive and be made to isolate again!! Even though she knows she’s not actually infectious.
Please explain how you can be forced to PCR test and under what circumstances
Terfydactyl · 27/12/2021 23:25

Absolutely the same here with me.
Pretty sure I've got covid currently (given false positives and all) as I'm going nowhere til the 5th January I see no point having a pcr.

If I suddenly get worse and need hospital treatment then I'll fess up.

LessTime · 27/12/2021 23:33

I don’t see a problem other than track and trace wouldn’t have an opportunity to contact any of her contacts.
Lots of people will have had COVID but no symptoms so I’m not sure what the issue would be with not getting a PCR

Yuledo · 27/12/2021 23:39

Dd presumably had covid at the same time as dh and myself had it, at a time when you couldn’t get a test for love nor money. I managed to get one by trying constantly, dh paid privately for work but we couldn’t see the point of paying for one for her too, so she has no record of ever having had it.

Thepineapplemystery · 27/12/2021 23:42

My dad and partner didn't bother with PCRs. They felt unwell, didn't feel up to leaving the house, had positive LFTs, didn't see the point in dragging themselves out for a PCR.

Namechange12312 · 27/12/2021 23:49

I wouldn’t bother either if I was her.

CodenameEgg · 27/12/2021 23:51

DD had a positive lat flow on Christmas Day followed by several negatives. She’s now had a PCR which was negative.
I’m not sure I trust these FlowFlex tests enough to isolate based on those alone so me personally I’d get a confirmation.

Bobbi73 · 27/12/2021 23:58

I'm just recovering from Covid and I didn't have a PCR. I had a positive lateral flow in the afternoon and planned to go the next morning for a PCR but by the morning, I was far too ill to even get out of bed, let alone drive to a testing centre. I have isolated for the last week and will continue to do so for a while longer and have no plans to travel anywhere.
I think maybe this happens a lot and as long as she is isolating, it won't do any real harm.

Ihearthosesleighbellsringing · 28/12/2021 00:21

Tested positive last week, missed 2 calls from T&T and have not heard from them since.
With the amount of cases now I don't think they have the man power to harass people also you can block them if you don't want to hear from them.

BluebellsGreenbells · 28/12/2021 00:27

PCR testing has been dropped here in favor of LFT and self registration.

They have been redeployed to vaccine as many people as possible.

PCR is available for travel - if you pay and hospital admissions

We have over 500 positive LFT and under 50 PCR positives.

However as only PCR testing is registered as positive cases - it looks like we’ve beaten it to the outside world.