Does a negative PCR test cancel a positive home LFD test?

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I've seen conflicting reports about what happens in the following situation:

• you take a LFD test at home (eg. because you are the parent of a child in school), and the result is positive
• you then confirm with a PCR test, and the result is negative

I've read some reports that you still need to isolate for 10 days, and others that you don't. Please can anyone who's actually been in this situation confirm what happens? The official guidance seems pretty unclear. (Note that this is different to the question of what happens with in-school tests.)

Also, once you've had the positive LFD result, are you allowed to leave home to have the PCR test, or do you need to stay at home and order a test kit? Thanks!

If the test is done at home, a PCR is needed, and of the PCR is negative, that trumps the positive PCR. Yes you are allowed out to the testing centre

Sorry positive LFD

Thanks, that's good to know.

It’s ridiculous there are two different sets of rules. Absolutely bonkers. If I was a parent of a high school child, I’d be withdrawing consent for school testing & doing it at home myself!

This is the where you are hearing conflicting things OP.

Children being tested at secondary school getting a positive LFT have to isolate for 10 days regardless of if they take a PCR & it comes back negative. For these kids, the LFT trumps the PCR.

If you take a LFT at home and it’s positive, you must take a PCR. If that’s negative, the PCR trumps the LFT.

It’s unbelievably illogical but I probably shouldn’t be surprised 🙄

It is ridiculous.
I have posted this elsewhere but because the prevalence rate is so low, even a highly specific test is going to pick up a lot of false positives.

I don't think some politicians get this.

Data from Government link

www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-11-11-oxford-university-and-phe-confirm-lateral-flow-tests-show-high-specificity-and-are

Bayes Theorem

But I though kids only do first 3 at school. After that it is home testing.

Yes we have had confusion in our school because schools are designated as Testing Centres and and so any positives from tests done in school are deemed ‘real’ and pupils told not to get a PCR test but to self-isolate.
This is regardless of the fact that they are being run by parent amateur volunteers, not medical experts.
On the other hand, tests done at home that prove ‘positivé do get the second chance of a PCR and so this negative will trump the LTR ‘positive’ and there is no need yo srlf -isolate.
After the first three tests are in school sll others will be done at home snd do hopefully at least then less chance of unnecessary isolations, of which we have already had one in school.

@chomalungma

It is ridiculous. I have posted this elsewhere but because the prevalence rate is so low, even a highly specific test is going to pick up a lot of false positives.

I don't think some politicians get this.

Data from Government link

www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-11-11-oxford-university-and-phe-confirm-lateral-flow-tests-show-high-specificity-and-are

Bayes Theorem

Isn't that article saying false positive rates are very low (0.32%)? So if you get a positive lft, the chances of it being a false positive are very low.

Isn't that article saying false positive rates are very low (0.32%)? So if you get a positive lft, the chances of it being a false positive are very low
Yes this is my understanding. You are only supposed to have a pcr if you are symptomatic arent you? Because LFT and PCR pick up different proteins. So it would be entirely possible to have covid asymptomatically and picked up on LFT but too early to be picked up on PCR