To leave isolation when I'm getting a blazing positive LFT (on Day 10)

[TeddySteady]

I really don't understand why I'm still testing positive with such a strong line. I was only mildly ill and my symptoms cleared up days ago. I know the official advice is that you're free to go at the end of the 10-day period. And that if you get 2 negatives 24 hours apart on days 6 and 7 then you're also free to go on your way. But Whitty muddied the waters the other day when he suggested a LFT is a good indicator of infectiousness and you should keep isolating till you get a negative. And I've read that PCRs can pick up dead virus for up to 90 days but that a LFT detects infectious virus. Does anyone know what's what? So confused and I really don't want to mingle with people if there's a chance I'm still infectious....

It really concerns me that there is so much confusion about this. Can the government communicate anything clearly, FFS.

@Choccyp1g so are you saying that you think people cannot stop isolating until they test negative - even if that’s beyond 10 days? Because I’m certain that is not the case. I’m not having a go, by the way, just trying to work out what you mean.

Where I live it was 10 daya isolation at first, now it’s 7 days but they are thinking of changing it to 5. Unless you still feel unwell of course, then you stay at home just like with everything else. It’s weird the rules aren’t the same, it’s the same virus.

@noworklifebalance

NHS advice to staff (caveat: I don’t work in the NHS*) is:

• not to test again even if positive on day 6
• to return to work after day 10 if symptom-free (except for cough that can persist)
• & no need to repeat the lateral flow on day 10

*was head scratching with a friend trying to figure this out whilst she waited for confirmation from her manager.

I work for the nhs and I was positive on day 6&7, I’ve been told from day 10 to test and can go back when I get a negative

@Clueless2000

It really concerns me that there is so much confusion about this. Can the government communicate anything clearly, FFS.

@Choccyp1g so are you saying that you think people cannot stop isolating until they test negative - even if that’s beyond 10 days? Because I’m certain that is not the case. I’m not having a go, by the way, just trying to work out what you mean.

What I was trying to say is that we don't really know.
Ideally we'd have a test that shows whether you are infectious. Then it would be simple: if you are too ill too work, stay at home.
While you are infectious, isolate. Otherwise, general social distancing, masks etc. for everyone.

The problem at the moment is that people are infectious before they feel unwell, and even if they test regularly, they may be infectious before it shows up as positive.

Similarly, you may be infectious after you feel better, and may or may not continue to test positive.

I actually felt fine on day 6, the very day the announced the "2 negative tests rule", but came up with a very strong positive. Faint positive the next day, didn't bother testing again, and stayed home till day 11.

OP symptoms are a better sign of infectiousness on day 10 than lateral flow tests. So if you are running a fever or vomiting, or feel terrible then go back to bed (coughing and loss of smell/taste can last for weeks so you can ignore those).

When I first had COVID in March_April 2020, day 10 -14 were the worst. I'm sure I was infectious then.

Honestly OP, I could have written this.

I'm in exactly the same position. My isolation was up yesterday and my LFT went straight to bright red today.

The ten day thing is because NO live virus was found after day 9 in study. Not infectious. Think about it. Viruses don't work like that?!

DH was contacted by test & trace several times during his isolation. He still felt rubbish on Day 8 and asked the T&T staff if he should still continue to isolate past the 10 days if he felt unwell. They told him that as long as he didn't have a fever/temp he shouldn't be infectious.

@blackcurrantjam

The ten day thing is because NO live virus was found after day 9 in study. Not infectious. Think about it. Viruses don't work like that?!

Have you got a link to that study please?

As I thought, it really is as clear as mud! There doesn’t seem to be any clear consensus at all.

@blackcurrantjam that's not true. In most people, esp asymptomatic or mildly ill, there is no live virus at day 10. In a small percentage of people there is, esp if they are seriously ill or unvaccinated (or both). If you are still running g a fever on day 10 fi you need to stay in quarantine.

noworklifebalance
NHS advice to staff (caveat: I don’t work in the NHS) is:*
- not to test again even if positive on day 6
- to return to work after day 10 if symptom-free (except for cough that can persist)
- & no need to repeat the lateral flow on day 10

*was head scratching with a friend trying to figure this out whilst she waited for confirmation from her manager.

I work for the nhs and I was positive on day 6&7, I’ve been told from day 10 to test and can go back when I get a negative

Sounds like NHS Trusts are giving slightly differing advice.

@TeddySteady

As I thought, it really is as clear as mud! There doesn’t seem to be any clear consensus at all.

This

There will always be outliers who are infectious past ten days. It’s a guide not gospel.

You should be fine!

The CDC says there's an increased, but still small, chance you could be potentially still infectious past 10 days if you had the illness quite severely or were severely immunocompromised (here).

Otherwise after 10 days from the first positive test (and you've had no fever for over 24 hours) you're all good regardless of the LFT.

The LFT detects the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA - they're reacting with specific molecules on the surface of the virus. In that sense, you getting a positive now isn't actually a 'false' positive - they tend to be reasonably accurate in that sense. You are likely to still have virus in your system, and it's showing that.

However, the amount of virus in your system (and some other stuff) affects whether or not you'd be able to infect someone else, and by day 10 you probably can't, hence why it's a 10 day isolation.

I assume the thinking behind the 6/7 day testing and early release is that if by then you're not harbouring enough virus to test positive you've not got enough to infect anyone either.

@housemaus

You should be fine!

The CDC says there's an increased, but still small, chance you could be potentially still infectious past 10 days if you had the illness quite severely or were severely immunocompromised (here).

Otherwise after 10 days from the first positive test (and you've had no fever for over 24 hours) you're all good regardless of the LFT.

The LFT detects the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA - they're reacting with specific molecules on the surface of the virus. In that sense, you getting a positive now isn't actually a 'false' positive - they tend to be reasonably accurate in that sense. You are likely to still have virus in your system, and it's showing that.

However, the amount of virus in your system (and some other stuff) affects whether or not you'd be able to infect someone else, and by day 10 you probably can't, hence why it's a 10 day isolation.

I assume the thinking behind the 6/7 day testing and early release is that if by then you're not harbouring enough virus to test positive you've not got enough to infect anyone either.

@housemaus Thank you, that is a helpful explanation.

My LFT was positive until day 13. I was paranoid and didn't go out, but thankfully it was negative on the Sunday so I could go back t the office on the Monday

I’m coming up on 10 days and have wondered the same thing (have also been given a huge amount of “we made it up ourselves” advice from HCPs, which has been annoying (before anyone jumps to the NHS’s defense, I’m currently in the US).

What I’ve discovered from all my probing is that although there is still SARs virus in your system, scientists have not been able to culture replicating virus from patients past 10 days unless those patients have been severely ill (when it can be 20+ days). The most common definition of “severely ill” I’ve seen is that you require hospital treatment.

So you can still have virus in your system, but it can’t replicate so it doesn’t matter if you pass it on to others because it can’t make them sick.

However, I haven’t seen an explanation for why having a fever at day 10 requires you to wait longer, even if you haven’t been hospitalized. So I’m still reading.

You can still be infectious and test positive for 90 days after covid.

Follow the rules and get yourself out.

I tested positive on a LFT for 6 weeks after I had covid- I double checked with my GP and she said it was fine to leave isolation as long as I didn’t have a fever

@WreckTangled review: www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5247(20)30172-5/fulltext

[quote Porcupineintherough]@blackcurrantjam that's not true. In most people, esp asymptomatic or mildly ill, there is no live virus at day 10. In a small percentage of people there is, esp if they are seriously ill or unvaccinated (or both). If you are still running g a fever on day 10 fi you need to stay in quarantine.[/quote]
Yes probably although I think people are so unlikely to be infectious and quarantine so awful that if they're ok then at day 10 they're good to go

After day 10 sorry, ten full days