Three tests, One postitive, two negative....confusing

[NoMoreLimbo]

Well as it says above. DC was asked to be part of the react study. Tested at home (throat and nose swab) on a Monday. Results on the Thursday 'indicated DC tested postive'. Cue much scrabling around and everyone that had been in touch with her (separated family and support bubbles) tested at drive throughs. Everyone else negative. DC tested (quick result test) at home on Thursday. Negative. Third test at drive through test site on the Saturday also negative. It is all very confusing. DC has had absolutely no contact with outside world other than via the four adults in her life whom all tested negative. I would assume false negatives as test may not have been done properly etc, but a false positive? I would have thought that at least someone else around her would have had it. Oh and DC has had no symptoms whatsover.

I share your confusion. 4 of us tested due to symptoms. All 4 positive. This was at a drive in test site with lab confirmation. Then 3 days later track n trace rang me to say 1 was a "false positive" and to get that one retested. I could not see how one of us could possibly be negative when around the other 3 positives! Went for a retest and it was negative for that one person. I am totally confused. When I rang the 119 team for clarification they said a false positive could not happen, and yet I have email to confirm this.

As you recover and clear the virus from your body the test will becomes negative. This happens over a matter of a few days. It is possible that one person in a household is positive but nobody else. False positives are rare on both the full nasal swab and rapid (lateral flow) test. You need to act on the positive and stop swabbing.

There was a case on a cruise ship in December where a passenger tested positive and the cruise returned to port and all the passengers disembarked. The original sample was retested and returned negative and a further sample also tested negative.

False positives definitely occur. SAGE reckons the rate for PCR tests is about 0.8% to 4%. Matt Hancock suggested 'about 1%'. On the days when we do over 700,000 tests a day that could be significant.

@BoredMumofTwins Wow! That is confusing too especially if they had symptoms.
We may do an antibody test at some point.

False positives do happen. We’ve had them at work. It’s also possible no one else picked it up. And it may not show up in antibodies so you may never know. What a weird virus this is...

She got a positive on the Monday.

Potentially she could have picked it up the Monday before that. From anyone in your house who was shedding the virus at that point. Or anyone she passed in the community.

@partyatthepalace weird indeed. I have friends who has had partner who had it or a DC and no one else picked it up. The false positives/negatives makes me feel so apprehensive about all the DC's going back to schools and schools relying on the tests