DD result negative but 3 friends she was with are positive....

[errorofjudgement]

Sorry - bit of an essay but I’m looking for advice and don’t want to drip feed!

Sorry - quite an essay but am looking for advice
DD is on a gap year, taking a part time course, and also working part time.
A member of her course group that she works with (it’s performing arts so work together in small groups) felt unwell, and has since tested positive.
The other 3 members of the group (inc DD) had/have minor symptoms, so got tested a day later.
2 have tested positive, inc DDs boyfriend, but DD has tested negative.
Tbh while we’re pleased/relieved we’re also not really sure we totally believe it.

DD is due to go back to work tomorrow, it’s a retail job so customer facing and the product/s mean you spend up to an hour with the customer choosing the product then completing finance forms.
Her manager is v keen she returns to work (DD had a bit of kickback when she explained she couldn’t work Saturday as she hadn’t had her results back).

Looking at the covid advice for England. I think that technically she will have to go back tomorrow. But she and we are concerned that she could have covid, though not unwell in herself, and so potentially risk passing on the infection.

I’d appreciate some advice / opinions on whether I’ve read this correctly?
There’s been no contact from track and trace, but as it’s taken 3 days to get the result, I’m not holding out much hope she will hear anything from them anytime soon.

She probably has it in those circumstances with mild symptoms.

I wouldn't believe the result. A lot of false negatives are due to poor swab taking / swab being taken at not quite the wrong time or not far back enough in the throat.

I would assume she is actually positive given the scenario presented and mild symptoms.

"not quite the right time" not wrong time!

Her test sounds as though it gave a false neg, or there wasn’t yet enough virus showing up to give a positive.
Anyway she needs to isolate, as pps have said.

Taken from the NHS website:

When to self-isolate

Self-isolate immediately if:

you have any symptoms of coronavirus (a high temperature, a new, continuous cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste)

you've tested positive for coronavirus – this means you have coronavirus

you live with someone who has symptoms or tested positive

someone in your support bubble has symptoms or tested positive

you're told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS COVID-19 app

you arrive in the UK from a country with a high coronavirus risk – see GOV.UK: how to self-isolate when you travel to the UK

Information:
If you think you've been in contact with someone who has coronavirus, but you do not have symptoms and have not been told to self-isolate, continue to follow social distancing advice.

She does not need to isolate

I think there are multiple factors deciding whether you will pick up the virus, even when you are in close contact with the positive case.

Things like the viral load from the affected person, your own immune defense system and the route of transmission all come into play.

Just because you are in contact doesn't means it is a dead cert for infection.

The main thing to remember now is to practice good personal hygiene and reduce the possibility of transmission, without letting the what-ifs affecting your mental health.

I will probably get burn for saying these 😜

But the person has symptoms including the loss of smell and taste.

The most likely explanation in the circumstances is the test result is wrong.

I’m not sure if as she was in college whether track and trace would be doing the contact tracing? In education institutions, it’s the school/college telling people who needs to isolate.

Something like a minimum of 1 in 5 tests are false negatives.

But it doesn't matter if she's had it or not, she needs to isolate because in close contact with those who are positive.

ALSO - people who live in houses with symptomatic and positive people may not have symptoms but they MAY be asymptomatic cases. In studies done of young people in particular, many are asymptomatic. Unless frequent testing is done, you'll just never know if you're asymptomatic.

Asymptomatic spread is the reason we're in this mess. If people only gave it to other people when symptomatic it probably wouldn't have spread so far and wide. (like SARS 1)

Thanks for the continued replies.

The course is a private course so although it’s an education setting for the purpose of group sizes, I don’t think it’s in contact with HA or PHE directly.

DD has spoken to 119 who say yes she should self isolate and TT will contact those with positive results within 48 hours, and will then contact their contacts. So quite a delayed system, but in the meantime DD will contact work and tell them she is self isolating.

@wuwubaba - thank you! I appreciate your comments. Tbh I’m feeling rather anxious as we are a household of 4, inc DD, so suspect we are all due to get it now

@Ginogineli

She does not need to isolate

Surely there's a difference between "if you think you've been in contact" and knowing you've been in prolonged close contact with a positive person?

Another example of the government's fantastic communication

What is so difficult to understand ??!
If you have been in close contact with someone who tests positive for Covid. You then have to isolate for 14 days. The incubation period of the virus.
You only need to have a test if you start to show symptoms in that period. 🤦‍♀️

The issue is if you have loss of smell and taste symptoms and a situation where you have definitely been in contact with covid cases yet your test comes back negative.

Distrust the odd result seems the obvious pathway.

I was working in close proximity with one of my colleague (literary on top of each other, in a professional way😅) at the start of this pandemic. She was tested positive and her CT value was through the roof, and I was tested negative🤔

Please do not worry too much. If you are concern, just make sure your DD wear mask and kept washing her hands every so often, at the same time try not to make her feels like a plague carrier. We always make jokes at work, calling whoever that has been tested positive a survivor, and gave them a badge of honour 😉

I know of several families where people living together at close quarters have not caught the virus. In some cases, married couples sleeping in the same bed. You can't assume that just because you have been in close contact with someone with coronavirus, you will definitely have it too.

Person has symptoms.

Thank you all for making me feel better 💐

Update
Just for completion, DDs symptoms followed the path of her friends, she felt mildly unwell and tired for a few days but bounced back very quickly.
No one else in the house was affected, and the 2 week quarantine is up today,
I felt it’s an anxious time just waiting to see if you or your family become ill. And was so grateful for posters comments on the unpredictability of catching covid.

I hope this is a reassurance for others in the same situation