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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To not be surprised that Covid is rife

60 replies

Pugmomma · 08/01/2022 00:22

Background - myself and DP were due to attend an event on New Years Eve, as such had to prove we didn’t have Covid by providing a negative lateral flow test. On NYE we did the test - both of our tests were positive with the darkest red line you ever did see.

Now neither of us have ANY symptoms, no cough, no aches, fever, headaches, loss of taste / smell - NOTHING. Both felt 10/10.

We went for PCR’s to confirm, convinced the lateral flows were wrong as we were both just completely normal - both PCR’s were positive.

We’ve isolated since obviously, but had we not been due to attend an event we wouldn’t have done a lateral flow as we are both so well and symptom free - we would never have known we had it. Only purely by chance due to the event did we take the tests.

AIBU to think that many more people have COVID than what we’re aware of? Just carrying on completely as normal totally symptom free?

If we hadn’t of had our event I’d of been out shopping / gone to work etc etc as we felt totally fine!

Currently on day 6 after our positive tests and still were both completely fine with not so much as a tickly throat, not a single symptom.

I will add that around a month ago, we got some kind of super cold / flu that floored us both, a week of work each, living of night nurse, absolute hell - we did tests every day convinced we had Covid - all negative. That absolutely sh*t on the Covid we apparently have yet we’re totally fine!

Surely many more people are like us but are blissfully unaware? We can’t be the only ones!

OP posts:

ShinyMe · 08/01/2022 08:21

@Covidclaire

LFTs are no use if you have symptoms.

This is just not true. They don’t suddenly stop working just because you have symptoms. They just don’t detect as many cases as PCR tests.

Well no, not NO use, I phrased that wrong. But if you have symptoms, you're advised not to use LFTs but to get a PCR.

tiredanddangerous · 08/01/2022 08:21

Did you do PCR tests when you had your cold/flu?

I know of a fair few people who have had it and been asymptomatic so it doesn't surprise me.

tigger1001 · 08/01/2022 08:26

@Covidclaire

LFTs are no use if you have symptoms.

This is just not true. They don’t suddenly stop working just because you have symptoms. They just don’t detect as many cases as PCR tests.

Agree.

3 out of the 4 of us in the house have covid. Partner tested positive with a lft (with symptoms) on Wednesday and had a follow up pcr to confirm the same day. I also went for a pcr on Wednesday - negative. But rules changed here on Wednesday so lft each day. Thursday am negative lft but started to feel like I had a cold - stuffy nose etc by evening time - positive lft. No longer need confirmation by pcr. Youngest threw up yesterday morning and felt rubbish - positive lft

The governments now say lft are far better than originally thought to test for covid. Symptomatic or not.

HighlandCowbag · 08/01/2022 08:26

Dh was ill just before Christmas and did a lft which was positive so tested me and the dcs daily. We all ended up testing positive but non of us had the traditional 3 symptoms. Just a bit tired (I was a lot tired tbf) and off. I wouldn't have done lfts unless I was seeing relatives, wouldn't have done them on 8 year old ds and dd wouldn't have done her usual 2 a week for school. So would have been clueless if dh hadn't been ill.

Exhausteddog · 08/01/2022 08:34

We've been testing twice a week since schools requested it - i can't actually remember when that was - and picked up DS covid on a LFT (he had very minimal symptoms that wouldn't necessarily have prompted me to do a test) so it's just become habit. We tested before meeting family at Xmas.

Even before they were hard to access I'm pretty sure it's just not on people's radar to test (sometimes even when they do have symptoms). I've spoken to several ,all quite elderly, people who said they had a bit of a cough but wouldn't have thought of testing (when a cough was still a common symptom)
We all caught covid from a family member. He "felt rough" and another relative suggested doing a test, which was positive. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have thought of it unless she had suggested it. I'm not blaming him as I knew there was a strong possibility of getting it and we could easily have got it elsewhere but without the other relative intervening he had plans to see a lot more people who could have been infected.

Whatafustercluck · 08/01/2022 08:35

I'm noticing a lot more asymptomatic cases, but probably because there are many more cases generally. Dsd tested positive after NYE, absolutely no symptoms. She's bored rigid with isolation but otherwise fine. Dniece is also asymptomatic. She caught it off her dad when he returned from Tenerife after new year, he had mild symptoms.

One of the neighbours over the road tested positive before NYE but felt otherwise fine. His wife caught it from him and felt dreadful (both fully vaxxed and boosted). There is literally no way of knowing how it's going to affect you, it seems so random.

Groovee · 08/01/2022 08:38

My daughter gets a weekly PCR test at work. The one done on Christmas Eve came back positive on Christmas Day. The other 4 in the house did LFT and only 1 showed up as positive. The rest of us were negative.

The PCR's confirmed 2 positives and 2 negatives. One of the negatives went on to develop symptoms and tested positive.

So 4 out of 5 tested positive. The one who had negative tests had 3 PCRs. All negative. But the LFT did not say that 2 out of the 4 were positive.

sparepantsandtoothbrush · 08/01/2022 08:43

But it's well known many people are asymptomatic 🥴 Do you think you're the first one to have realised this is one reason it's spreading so quickly?

JanuaryBluehoo · 08/01/2022 08:48

It's hard for adults to comprehend this, for older teens it's even harder. Many won't do lateral flows, they don't understand or care about covid, if they get it you might not even know.

phishy · 08/01/2022 08:48

Op, you’re posting like you’ve made some miraculous discovery, when known for a LONG time that many people have asymptomatic covid

DanglingMod · 08/01/2022 08:54

Funny isn't it? I don't know a single adult who had had Covid (and tested positive -
and everyone I know is lft twice weekly minimum) and not had symptoms, even if they've come out after a few days. Everyone I know has been mildly ill, quite ill or very ill with it.

I believe there are lots of asymptomatic cases but I don't know anyone who's tested positive and also felt fine (ie wouldn't have known but for the test).

JabNotInArm · 08/01/2022 08:56

@TheUnquestionedAnswer

I think that's why lateral flow testing is encouraged twice weekly.

This!

MarshmallowFondant · 08/01/2022 09:01

@Lacedwithgrace

That's why most of us avoid events, especially at Christmas when everyone's seen 20 other people that day

Most of us are not avoiding events though.

DD tested positive on 17th December after several cases at her school. She had a sore throat and a headache for 24 hours. None of the rest of us in the household tested positive.

PeachesandCream2020 · 08/01/2022 09:15

I do LFT every day at the moment due to work (NHS)
My son had symptoms on 27th Dec and done a LFT which was positive, mine was negative as was my daughters. We went for PCR tests and were all positive. When waiting for results LFT were still negative for me and dd… so if my son didn’t have symptoms I would never have known I had it those first few days.. I did develop symptoms 4 days after testing positive. But I’d have gone to work based on the negative LFT results possibly infecting elderly and vulnerable people!

Fedupsotired · 08/01/2022 09:17

I'm surprised you are surprised, why do you think that schools are testing twice weekly 🙄

RedHot22 · 08/01/2022 09:19

I’ve had classic Omicron symptoms for a few days now, feel awful and LF testing daily.
All negative

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 08/01/2022 09:20

I’m not surprised, either.
Just before our extended family gathering over Christmas - 4 x 40s adults, 4 x 70s adults, 3 small children, every single one of us had tested negative (LFTs).

By the evening of the 28th, we’d all tested positive except the baby, and she tested +ve a couple of days later. And still was +ve yesterday.
Only one of the adults (all triple jabbed) has had anything but very mild cold symptoms.

Whattochoosenow · 08/01/2022 09:22

All this is good because shows that covid is now not as severe as it once was.
Hopefully we can soon stop with the ridiculous testing.

NOTANUM · 08/01/2022 09:31

There are also people who are not doing any LFT at all because they don’t want to know. That’s whether they’re vaccinated or unvaccinated.

Exhausteddog · 08/01/2022 09:31

I’ve had classic Omicron symptoms for a few days now

What are classic Omicron symptoms?
I thought it tended to present like a cold?

RedHot22 · 08/01/2022 09:37

@Exhausteddog

I’ve had classic Omicron symptoms for a few days now

What are classic Omicron symptoms?
I thought it tended to present like a cold?

Incredibly bad sinus issues and cough. I’ve lost my voice. So tired.

These symptoms have been mentioned on a other thread. I will LF test again today.

user1471538283 · 08/01/2022 09:41

It is rife but it was always going to be because nothing has been controlled. My step daughter went out new years eve and set one foot in a club and left because it was so packed people were getting squashed. A lovely superspreader event.

But if the government doesn't care...

MisgenderedSwan · 08/01/2022 09:43

The latest box of lfts I got said for testing both with symptoms or without. I was surprised as before I've generally accepted that if symptomatic you need to book a PCR. I wonder if this was a precursor to the rules changing?

Exhausteddog · 08/01/2022 09:48

The latest box of lfts I got said for testing both with symptoms or without.

I don't think that's changed? I think the advice is to get a pcr if you have symptoms but we had boxes of lfts months ago that had instructions saying you could use with or without symptoms.

tigger1001 · 08/01/2022 10:00

@Exhausteddog

I’ve had classic Omicron symptoms for a few days now

What are classic Omicron symptoms?
I thought it tended to present like a cold?

Three of us in my house currently have covid. Can only assume it's omicron given it's the dominant strain.

All three of us have different symptoms. My youngest just doesn't feel well and has physically been sick. My partner has flu like symptoms and generally feels like he's been hit by a bus. Headache that painkillers don't touch. I have mild cold symptoms and a mild headache that pain killers get rid of. I'm tired though but not sure if that's insomnia catching up with me or covid.

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