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....

@shoofly
Because some of us don't get sick pay, can't work from home/didn't get furlough (self employed) and don't earn any money for the whole isolation period. Because we still have to buy food and pay the bills. The fuel bills that are higher because we're in all the time isolating.
Ffs- some people have not got a clue how other people struggle.

@blackcurrantjam thank you that's really interesting. I wonder why government guidelines are saying that health and social care staff shouldn't return to work until a negative LFT

@shoofly

If there's any chance you're still infectious (as supposedly evidenced by a positive Lft) then why on earth would you Not still isolate?

Do you have to ask?

People like to understand rules in terms of categorising things as safe or unsafe, but there's no binary distinctions here. In the same way that there was no rational justification why 6 people were safe to meet together as lockdown eased but 7 people weren't allowed, but nevertheless that was the line that was drawn to get people to reduce the amount of household mixing. In the same way that standing 1.9m away from someone is really broadly similar in risk to standing 2.1m away.

When you are infected with covid you will be at peak infectiousness about 5 days after infection and will then get gradually less infectious. The 10 days isn't a cutoff after which you are safe and before which you are an unacceptable risk. It's a line drawn as a sensible balance between reducing the risk to a reasonable level vs the harms that are done when normal activities aren't allowed.

You've completed your 10 days so no longer have to isolate. Given that you still have positive LFTs I would think it would be wise to be a little more rigorous about wearing your face mask when mixing with others, and not going to anything like a theatre or concert just yet, or visiting anyone vulnerable unless the harm done by you not visiting outweighs the relatively modest risk that you might still be a little bit infectious. Expecting people to fully isolate until they get a negative even if that takes a month is an unreasonable balance and is asking too much.

[quote WreckTangled]@blackcurrantjam thank you that's really interesting. I wonder why government guidelines are saying that health and social care staff shouldn't return to work until a negative LFT [/quote]
You're welcome. I don't know. It's all a bit with the latest change from whitty. On one hand he said the lfts are good at infection control but failed to mention the 10 day thing alongside it plus he dodged the 90 day question which was annoying which had people not testing for 90days because of potential for positive results that were non infectious positives

Tbh I think if Omicron continues to be relatively mild, they're going to have to allow people out covid or not.

People like to understand rules in terms of categorising things as safe or unsafe, but there's no binary distinctions here. In the same way that there was no rational justification why 6 people were safe to meet together as lockdown eased but 7 people weren't allowed, but nevertheless that was the line that was drawn to get people to reduce the amount of household mixing. In the same way that standing 1.9m away from someone is really broadly similar in risk to standing 2.1m away.

I do understand what you’re saying and I appreciate that some things in life are not black and white. However, what I’m trying to establish is whether a LFT test can show a positive result with ‘dead’ virus or whether a red line means you’re likely infectious. It seems hard to discover that info and there must be a yes or no answer.

Also, I’m curious what the virus lingering on with a long-lasting positive result means. Does it mean you had a high viral load? Some people on here are talking about getting a positive result for several weeks. Could it be linked to long covid or anything like that?

I’m now on day 11 and still as positive as ever. I know I’m free to go but I do wonder what it means, given I had a mild symptoms and they disappeared days ago.

I was in the same position and agree it’s completely unclear. I have scoured the internet and still none the wiser about it. My parents were due to visit on day 11 when I was still testing positive. They decided they still wanted to come, and are still testing negative after a week so I’m taking that as a completely unscientific indication that I was no longer infectious. In the end I decided to stop testing and go with the guidelines.

I do understand what you’re saying and I appreciate that some things in life are not black and white. However, what I’m trying to establish is whether a LFT test can show a positive result with ‘dead’ virus or whether a red line means you’re likely infectious. It seems hard to discover that info and there must be a yes or no answer.

Yes, LFTs can pick up “dead” viral particles and show positive after you’ve stopped being infectious. LFTs detect proteins on the surface of the virus. They can (but won’t necessarily) show up long after the virus has been neutralized and you are no longer infectious.

A lay explanation from MIT’s medial school is in this article.

There are some well informed people on this thread so may I piggyback on with a query?

I’m day 12. Was pretty unwell for about 8 days. Very, very slight cough. Finally tested negative on day 10 and felt good to go.

Day 11 I developed a filthy cough and shortness of breath on exertion. I can go long periods without coughing but then cough a lot. Small amount of chest pain on coughing occasionally.

Is this a new illness caught from goodness knows where since I haven’t been anywhere? Or a new stage of covid albeit uninfectious?