Is a strong positive a good or bad sign?!

[Covideous]

Sorry for the unashamed traffic seeking. I am hoping for a bit of anecdotal experience.

I’ve been regularly testing with LFTs for work and have always been negative. Am negative today. My H has tested (first time in a week he’s tested as he works from home) and he’s got a mega strong positive. The line appeared before the test line and is still much brighter.

He hasn’t really been anywhere other than an outside walk with some mates on Wednesday. He tested as his sense of smell has weakened. Taste is still fine.

My question (I know it’s not an AIBU) is, does the strong positive suggest he’s had the virus for a few days, or is it likely you can test strongly positive straight off the bat?

Our kid went back to nursery for two days this week (Wednesday and Thursday) and has immediately got the obligatory runny nose and been sneezing, but is currently testing negative in LFTs (I did two just in case I wasn’t as thorough as I needed to be the first time).

Also we’ve all booked in for PCRs tomorrow although frankly I’ve lost track of what the hell the guidelines are now.

Not sure if this is helpful at all but my first positive LFT was exactly the same - strong test line before the control line appeared. It then took a full 9 days to get a negative LFT and a friend has said she thinks it’s because I caught the positive early. Not sure you need a PCR anymore do you? I can’t keep up!

Our ds2 caught COVID on a Friday, negative Sunday night, strong positive Monday. So in our experience you can get a strong positive from the get go.

Thank you everyone. I was hoping he’d been harbouring it for a few days and that it might mean me and the toddler had got off lightly, but that’s looking less likely isn’t it? Bugger.

I’ve got a psychosomatic sore throat and headache now of course. 🙄

He’s booked a PCR for the morning. I thought that was no longer necessary but apparently it being ‘no longer necessary’ doesn’t come into force until the 11th. Sure.

Honestly, I can’t keep up.

Is the advice that, because we’ve been ‘exposed’, the toddler and I need PCRs too? I’m sure that used to be the rules. 🤷🏼‍♀️

In my experience with myself and my family the colour/strength of the line doesn't mean anything.

It probably depends on how well the sample was taken and processed.

I've had darker lines then pale then dark again. (Testing for day 6/7 for possible negatives to end isolation)

@Covideous

Thank you everyone. I was hoping he’d been harbouring it for a few days and that it might mean me and the toddler had got off lightly, but that’s looking less likely isn’t it? Bugger.

I’ve got a psychosomatic sore throat and headache now of course. 🙄

He’s booked a PCR for the morning. I thought that was no longer necessary but apparently it being ‘no longer necessary’ doesn’t come into force until the 11th. Sure.

Honestly, I can’t keep up.

Is the advice that, because we’ve been ‘exposed’, the toddler and I need PCRs too? I’m sure that used to be the rules. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I might be wrong, but I believe they close contacts just need to do daily lateral flow tests for a week and only book a PCR if you get symptoms.

I got a positive on the 30th dec that took a while to come up but was def positive. Positive pcr as well, on the 4th I tested as 6th day it was weaker then from 5th onwards they have been really strong coming up in seconds. I have no idea what it means and I'm on day 10 now so really not sure if I'm contagious still??? DH and DD have stayed negative throughout so far and hoping it stays that way!!

Omicron takes 3-5 days for symptoms to appear. I know as we are on day 10 isolation. Ds1 picked it up Christmas day with symptoms starting on 28th and pcr 29th. Dp and myself had symptoms on 30th positive pcr 31st. Ds2 developed symptoms 31st but no pcr as pointless when we all have it. I would say he definitely has it and to start isolation gor 10 days from the positive test. He contest daily from days 6 and 7 with the hope of 2 negatives to release early. In our house ds1 was free on day 8 but the rest of us still testing positive. Luckily we are free tomorrow either way so long as feel OK.

He’ll go for a PCR and we’ll keep LFTing. Fortunately I managed to get a couple of boxes of tests in when they were available as we have a very poorly family member and wanted to be able to rest before visiting them.

It sounds like there’re so many variables. Thanks for your stories everyone. Fingers crossed we stay negative and he stays well.

I’m not anxious about Covid at all, but my H has had some fairly serious health issues with his heart and once it’s in the house, it’s a bit unsettling isn’t it?

I don’t suppose anyone cares much but we all went for PCRs, which just came back negative.

I tested my H again with a LFT out of interest (and impatience waiting for the result this morning) and it was negative.

So I can only presume it was a rogue false positive LFT in the first place, which oddly coincided with my kid bringing back some nursery germs. I googled false positives and it is claimed they almost never happen (they’d rather people act on them as though they’re true I suppose), but I struggle to believe that now as since talking to people about it, it has happened to lots of people I know!

I have tested negative throughout.

So I’m still none the wiser about the guidelines, neither were the testing staff, but we appear to be Covid-free. Good news. I had a rare hair appointment on Thursday and I was looking forward to it.