Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Are Covid numbers MUCH higher than they seem.

135 replies

Thisisnotreallymyname · 26/01/2022 18:50

Myself and DH have done LFT And PCR and we have Covid.
When talking to others who have had positive LFT ‘s , I am amazed how few people are reporting the results , and very few are taking PCR’s.
This obviously means that the numbers that are reported daily are not correct, snd in fact I reckon the numbers might be nearer double what is reported.
So , given that MNet’s a cross section - if you’ve had it did you report it snd become one of the reported figures ?

Yes?
No?

OP posts:
JanuaryBluehoo · 26/01/2022 19:13

Yep ,it's all so confusing now and being told not to pcr people don't need to register positive anywhere. Just work or school

Dibbydoos · 26/01/2022 19:20

Infection numbers are def higher than reported, but BJ and the clowns are no longer counting imo. The WHO has sent warnings but having caught covid over Christmas because it was brought into our home and having reported it with PCR then having stupid track and trace messages/calls after I'd already tested -ve for 2 days, I get why people CBA testing etc.

CakesOfVersailles · 26/01/2022 19:22

Infection numbers are very, very high. For example, the numbers you see reported are first time infections only! And, like you say, only people who sought PCR testing or bothered to report their LFT.

80sMum · 26/01/2022 19:23

I agree that the official figures are probably incorrect and the actual numbers are higher. A lot of people don't report lft results and a lot more people don't bother testing in the first place. But does that actually matter any more? I think not.

The only meaningful statistic at this stage of the pandemic is the numbers of people being admitted to hospital - and that number is falling. It's falling even though about half of the numbers are people in hospital with incidental covid, ie they were admitted for another reason (broken hip, gall bladder problems, cancer treatment etc) and just happened to have also tested positive for covid on admission.

Thirtytimesround · 26/01/2022 19:24

I know loads of people who’ve got it at the moment and none of them have reported it.

I think there’s a general sense that the government is useless what’s the point of reporting it. People are ill and tired and fed up.

thewhatsit · 26/01/2022 19:25

They always have been. That’s why there is the ONS report which tests a random cross section of people and scales it up.

thewhatsit · 26/01/2022 19:26

ONS is only reported weekly and the last one did show a decline btw. People were quite eagerly waiting to see it to see if the reduction in cases was “real” or not.

Abra1d1 · 26/01/2022 19:28

Falling/stable hospital admissions and deaths matter more than case numbers.

EsmeraldaandTeenytiny · 26/01/2022 19:28

This makes me feel a lot less guilty about not reporting all of our negative LFT results…

PutOnAHappyFace · 26/01/2022 19:29

Reported first case in our house then not the following 4, it's honestly such a faff I just couldn't be bothered and I honestly don't think anyone pays attention to the numbers now anyway.

MerryPoppings · 26/01/2022 19:29

Why aren't they recording reinfections?

aldilemonade · 26/01/2022 19:34

My 9 year old son tested positive on Friday with an Lft and he did a Pcr which was also positive
I tested positive with an Lft on tuesday and reported it with no Pcr taken
My 15 year old Ds has the same symptoms as us and is refusing a test as he knows its positive he is home schooled though so no issues reporting it.

Pascha · 26/01/2022 19:36

I never reported any of ours. Ds1 tested positive 9 days ago and has only just got his 2nd negative tonight so he's back to school tomorrow. Ds2 and I tested pos on Sunday.

Honestly if Covid wasn't a thing both of them would have been back to school within a couple of days. Apart from an evening of tiredness, lack of appetite and a headache there's been nothing wrong with them and I had no symptoms at all.

Of course, we are abiding people so we've been good and stayed home and reported it to the school but I can imagine there are loads and loads of kids who are kept quiet for a day or two and shoved back into school without informing anyone of anything.

Wam90 · 26/01/2022 19:40

I reported mine and I wish I hadn’t. I was bombarded with about 15 messages from nhstracing and they’re still sending them through even though I’ve reported two negatives.

YouHaveNoAuthorityHereJackie · 26/01/2022 19:42

Ds is home having tested positive on Monday. One day of a temperature and feeling a bit grotty and he’s fine now. I tried registering his result but the tests we’ve been given from school don’t actually have any kind of QR code or serial number so it’s impossible to register it. Judging by his school, where at least 4 classes are closed, and ds2 where there seem to be huge numbers off, both staff and pupils, the numbers are still going up here. But in all honesty, if it weren’t covid he’d already be back at school by now as he’s absolutely fine. None of us have caught it (yet) which is how it was over Christmas when DH tested positive, none of us caught it from him either, and likewise he had one grotty day and then was fine.

Mummyoflittledragon · 26/01/2022 19:42

Why are people not reporting lateral flow results?! I do every time. So far all negative.

ElephantandGrasshopper · 26/01/2022 19:44

One of my kids had a positive Lft today, I reported it online but its our second time around so I don't think it will be counted anyway.

I've had three emails from track and trace today, but their website link isn't working so I am waiting for them to phone. However I've already told all of our close contacts.

Crunchymum · 26/01/2022 19:45

I reported DC1's positive LTD test this week as I'm really concerned the figures are becoming very skewed (this is the first time any of us have had Covid and cases are much lower the the national average in our area.... or are they?)

It was fine to report the test but the barrage of emails and texts telling me to complete the T&T information and indeed the information I needed to complete means I probably wouldn't bother reporting any more positives.

I know several people who have this positive cases in the house recently and the majority of them haven't reported. In fact two different people told me it was so laborious, I shouldn't bother Shock

QueenOfHiraeth · 26/01/2022 19:49

You don't need a PCR now with a positive LFT. I tested positive yesterday and was advised by HR that a PCR is not needed and just isolate. I did report it though Halo

Frogsonglue · 26/01/2022 19:51

Didn't report it this time round cos test & trace were such a massive pain in the arse and didn't want to go through that again.

worriedatthemoment · 26/01/2022 19:51

Yes i would say im still not testing positive on lft but have on pcr and have no covid symptoms so many in my situation wouldn't even know

Frogsonglue · 26/01/2022 19:52

@Mummyoflittledragon

Why are people not reporting lateral flow results?! I do every time. So far all negative.
Because life is too short
Iggly · 26/01/2022 19:53

While I can understand it’s an absolute ball ache to get a PCR (although in my experience it never has been!), I don’t understand how they can monitor for new variants if they don’t PCR.

New variants may be able to escape vaccine protections and may be worse than the current variant - which puts us backwards in trying to deal with the situation.

It’s odd how people have leapt on omicron being the last one when there’s no evidence to support it being the last one.

worriedatthemoment · 26/01/2022 19:53

@BugsyDrakeTableScape all i had from test and trace wAs an email to complete which took less than 5 mins

sst1234 · 26/01/2022 19:53

@Mummyoflittledragon

Why are people not reporting lateral flow results?! I do every time. So far all negative.
Sorry but that sounds like a waste of time. And most people don’t have so much spare time to waste.