How accurate are the lateral flow tests?

[Themadcatparade]

My child’s dad tested positive for covid on Monday evening via lateral flow test. We are separated and have shared care. Said he got it from work (so must have been last week or week before?) and the whole office is down with it.

Me and my partner have been feeling ropey since last Friday. Dodgey stomachs, feeling dizzy and generally unwell. My partner woke up yesterday pale as anything saying he felt ‘poisoned’. It alarmed me as he very rarely falls ill. I have had stomach cramps, ear ache, nauseous in waves all weekend and a mega headache for the past two days.

My child was so her dad all the weekend before and also stayed last Thursday until he dropped off on Saturday morning - two days before he tested positive.

Me and my partner went for a quick lateral flow test late last night suspecting the worst, but low and behold they both came back negative, which was a surprise.

Im not convinced. I’m still suspecting we might have caught this, I woke up this morning feeling like I have a ‘head cold’ but without the runny nose.

How accurate are the lateral ones?

Lateral flow have a high false negative rate.
You would be better using PCR tests
Did their dad confirm with PCR test?

No, he just got the lateral flow as it was too late to book a pcr and he needed to see if he was in work in the morning and everyone in his office block had it. Came back positive within 20 mins.

I was hoping we would be lucky to get away with it but I need to do a pcr don’t I

I know someone who got negative on lateral flow same day as positive on PCR.

My understanding is that lateral flow are better at picking up higher viral load (which surely makes little sense for their current use in asymptomatic testing...)

Do a PCR.

You are supposed to follow up a positive lateral flow test with a PCR.

Yez, all 3 of you need PCR

Have you sent DD Into school?

Get a PCR but it might be the 'nocebo' effect, you think you're going to get ill so you feel ill.

I definitely had that when I was exposed to Covid, and was shocked beyond belief when it came back negative!

Lateral flow have a high false-negative rate but a low false-positive rate. They are not supposed to be used in the case of symptomatic testing, only to catch asymptotic cases. You really need to get a PCR test.

You shouldn't have gone to a LFT centre with symptoms for a start. I'm surprised they let you in if you were truthful when you were asked the any symptoms question.

Get a PCR test.

3 of my family got negative lateral flow night before getting pcr test which were all positive, they are useless

Lateral flow - if the swabbing done by a trained professional is ~70% accurate, if the swabbing is done by yourself that goes down to ~40%. (I'm working in a school testing centre using them, we've had several negative lateral flow tests that have been positive when the person takes a PCR test the next day) It's all for show to say we are doing something.

Thanks everyone I think we probably need to discard that and get a proper test done don’t we. It’s just all so confusing and worrying.

@Lynora

I don’t have symptoms of covid though? No high temp, no cough, no loss of taste/smell.

We literally are just feeling ropey and head-coldy if that makes sense, and with the HIV advice saying not to pcr unless you have those symptoms we took the other option.

Lf tests are about 50/50 in detecting positive cases.

Their ONLY useful use is when you blast test a population who would otherwise NOT be tested at all, in order to root out some asymptomatic cases that would be missed.

They are totally unsuitable for testing someone WITH symptoms.

It sounds like you both have it - you need to be isolating and get PCR tests done ASAP.

My phone meant to say GOV not HIV, apologies

Agree with @notrub

Cheers guys, I’ve booked in for a pcr for this afternoon

Just FYI mine and my partners pcr’s came back negative!

Still feeling very rough and head cold and feeling very fortunate to have dodged that as my child’s father is very much struggling bad with his chest now! must have been a badly timed coincidence