Right, anyone tested negative then positive?!

[Layladylay234]

Is it even possible? Came down with sore throat and temp last Thurs, got a test on Fri, negative result on Sunday. Still feeling generally crappy, full of cold and now have a tickly cough that's defo new.
Someone suggested going for another test due to cough, but if I was positive, wouldn't it have been picked up last Friday?

I would’ve thought so but who knows! Rational thinking would say it’s part of the same virus, which seems to be doing the rounds. I don’t know when you’d distinguish between one set of symptoms and another...
I guess a test is the only way...
My mum (73 and T1 diabetes) has just had a test today for tickly cough. So worried...

I'd have thought if the test wasn't administered properly its definitely possible

@CloudsCanLookLikeSheep

I'd have thought if the test wasn't administered properly its definitely possible

I thought that if the test hadn't been done properly you were told that they couldnt give you a result.

Pretty much anything seems to be possible with the virus, you won't know without another test.

Although 30% negatives are false...

Anything is possible. It’s terrifying...

Lots of tests are incorrectly negative, so it’s worth retesting if you have new symptoms.

Was it a PCR test? From what I understand, if you get tested close to the start of symptoms, those are pretty reliable.

The 2nd tests in my country (not UK) tend to be for those people who were in contact with a positive, but may still be incubating at the time of the 1st test and develop Covid after the date, hence a 2nd test a few days later, even if they were originally negative.

I was tested on the same day as a family member - they were positive I was negative. 3 days later I was tested again and was positive.

All a negative test can tell you is that you were negative when it was done - nothing to stop you being positive a day later.

Of course it’s possible. That’s built into the testing programme.

The virus takes time to incubate. The test is unlikely to pick it up during incubation. That is why people who have been exposed are told to isolate and get tested only when they have symptoms.

As an NHS employee I get tested through work if I have symptoms. These tests aren't done until day 3 of symptoms at the earliest. I think you may have tested too soon.

Thanks all. Have booked another test for tomorrow. Defo a tickly cough that feels more like a throat thing but we'll see

No but I know someone who tested positive then negative the next day.

Although 30% negatives are false...

No - up to 30% of people who have covid may get an incorrect negative result. Say 2% of the population test positive, the true percentage who have it may be closer to 3%, with about a third of those people getting a false negative . If 30% of all negatives were false, the true percentage of the population that had it would be more like 32% - big difference!