Friend’s friend has tested positive

[Contactscontact]

Dd and I went for a walk with a friend yesterday and she came in for a drink afterwards.

If I’m honest our social distancing wasn’t spot on, especially outside so me and dd would likely be classed as ‘contacts’ should this friend develop the virus.

Friend has phoned me today to let me know that a child she was with at the weekend has had a positive test after coming down with what they thought was a cold. Both families are now self isolating.

Apart from having a massive wake up call that the social distancing guidelines etc. are there for a reason I can’t find anything in the guidance that says I need to do anything except what I should have been already doing unless my friend develops symptoms or has a positive test.

I feel so guilty and am going to scale back what I thought was reasonable social contact much further now I’ve seen what disruption it can cause let alone potential illness. I know I should have realised this but like lots of people i have got more relaxed over the last month or so.

It was probably a false positive.

WTAF @ClarencesMum false positive? Let me guess you believe it’s a plandemic?
OP, I would stay at home and avoid vulnerable people if I were you until your friend gets tested, and even then it might be too early to test her. It’s bonkers testing someone the day after they’ve been in contact and then saying it’s fine to go out as it takes 14 days to develop.

As far as I know, she wouldn't have been able to transmit it to you so soon after the contact, so you're probably safe.

As for the wake up call, well... yes. Be more careful.

@ClarencesMum

It was probably a false positive.

FFS

As the child had symptoms, albeit not classic ones I don’t think it’s helpful to think it might be a false positive.

So your friend is a close contact of someone who has tested positive, she has to self isolate for 14 days. You’re a close contact of your friend. So if she becomes symptomatic, she has to test and you need to self isolate for 14 days. Only if she develops symptoms herself though.

@nex18

So your friend is a close contact of someone who has tested positive, she has to self isolate for 14 days. You’re a close contact of your friend. So if she becomes symptomatic, she has to test and you need to self isolate for 14 days. Only if she develops symptoms herself though.

That’s how I’ve understood the guidelines yes. It’s just brought it home to me how risky it is to have multiple contacts.

@ClarencesMum

It was probably a false positive.

You can't rely on that assumption.

@ClarencesMum

It was probably a false positive.

And this is the attitude that helps the virus continue to spread.

@ClarencesMum

It was probably a false positive.

It's not a pregnancy test ffs!

OP keep an eye out for any symptoms and get tested straight away. Of course if your friend gets a positive test then you'll need to self isolate too.
Although I'd be in the mind to stay at home for a fortnight too.

self isolate if your friend test positive, but I wpuld avoid anyone you know to be vunerable for a while if you can.

The OP will only have to isolate if the friend develops symptoms in the next day or so (under the current guidance, and on the basis that the science currently suggests that people who go on to develop symptoms only become contagious in the 48 hours before hand) or if the friend has decided to go against the guidance and book a test without symptoms that comes back positive.

She could be a super-spreader. No harm in isolating.
We need to stay alert.

I’m not really in a position to isolate unless I have to and neither is dd which is partly why I’m kicking myself. Will do my best to SD and avoid any non essentials for a couple of weeks.

Howmanyhours. I think she should warn her next door neighbours that they should self isolate too. Just incase it can travel through brick.

And this is the attitude that helps the virus continue to spread.

To be fair the false test results are relatively very high. If I got a test I wouldn't have a clue whether to trust the result or not if there's a 1 in 3 chance of a false negative for example.

@annabel85

And this is the attitude that helps the virus continue to spread.

To be fair the false test results are relatively very high. If I got a test I wouldn't have a clue whether to trust the result or not if there's a 1 in 3 chance of a false negative for example.

Having a false negative is quite different from having a false positive.

If it's positive, it has detected a viral sequence, which is there. They can happen, but not often.
If it's negative, it means the sampling didn't pick the virus or the viral load is low.
If I got a negative test with symptoms I might want to repeat it. But not a positive test.

False positives in asymptomatic people when prevalence is low are quite likely. But a positive after symptoms I would assume was a true positive.