If you read your lateral flow test long after 30 mins

[Friedbanana]

Does it show a very faint T line (positive result)? I feel like an idiot, I know I should have set a timer for 30 mins- I will next time. I feel really bad for wasting a test as I know I have to do another one now. But it was my first time doing the test and I checked after 25 mins and it showed negative. I then sat next to the test and started doing work on laptop, and got a bit absorbed and completely forgot to look again, until 1.5 hours after I’d taken the test. I will do another one before I go into work tomorrow, but I just wanted to ask if it’s normal for a very faint line to appear long after the test has been taken? It’s extremely extremely faint!

I had same issue and the faded line appears after 30 minutes passed for my DS; in around 35 min to 1hour. I am away from the U.K. and don’t have access for PCR at the moment. We have been self isolating for over a week now and not sure even if that is a positive result or a negative! I did the test to my DS again and same issue keeps just going on. I tested myself twice after and I am always negative but also double vaccinated so just confused about it. Can anyone just advise if been in same situation before.

My children have both had LFT negatives turn to a faint positive after 40 minutes. Both then positive on PCR.

Ds and I are currently waiting for results with something similar. All four members of the family took lateral flows yesterday and all appeared negative but my phone died so could t register and left them out. A few hours later, his and mine had very faint positive lines, the other two still perfectly clear. I redid mine and thing happened. His had already been done as his previous one that day had weird blobs on it that could have been a line but couldn't tell. These are the new orient gene ones. Have never had a negative show any extra lines with the old Innova ones and have had some lying around for days.

We had this with 2 from the same old-style box. Interestingly the middle ‘diamond’ on the tests never went purple in either. We had a different box and did 3 more, all negative and stayed negative. We had no symptoms and had done the lateral flow as the twice weekly ones for school.

Also the area between the T and C was all pinky purple.

This is happening in our house @Friedbanana. DH who is isolating keeps getting these faint lines show a bit after the 30 min window. Today is the first day he has done a LFT and it hasn't come up. However DCs and I have also tested daily (not required to isolate) and not getting the lines at all. If it's reassuring DH has been for 2 PCR's this week and both are negative. He has no symptoms but did feel tired earlier this week. We assume he is negative but I can't help wondering if he has had a very very low level of infection hence these faint lines. He was a close contact with someone at work 9 days ago. He had Covid last year and was only very mildly ill so we have been very careful as I thought second time be could potentially be asymptomatic.

@Friedbanana have you been exposed to Covid that you know of?

I've had friends/colleagues who have had this happen several times and then had negative pcrs.

My dds had this and then had positive pcrs.

I'd get a PCR and prepare for isolation but hope for the best.

I'm not sure what you mean by the middle diamond? Ours were just routine lateral flows as well. No symptoms. Thinking I probably overreacted with getting the PCRs now. Hoping for a fast result

I have noticed the middle diamond normally goes purple, like this one. It just means the test strip carried the dye all the way to the top. On the dodgy ones we had a few weeks ago, the test strip dye was dark purple all between the C and T, with darker lines at C and T. And the dye hadn’t gone up to the ‘diamond’.
We had just done a pcr (in a trial) and it was negative and had not been out in days. So pretty confident the test was wrong. Three other lft were all negative.

My test came back negative about an hr ago. Assuming sons will be negative too but still waiting. Hoping it's not too long so he can make it to football training. Will be binning the tests bang in 15 minutes from now on.

I've left mine all day (because i didn't get chance to log it online before I went to work etc) and it's not changed.

In their defence, lft were 100% correct for all the Uni students who I knew got it. Theirs all showed positive around a day before symptoms

I received some LFT training this week and the trainer stressed the importance of reading at 30 mins - she said (she’s the clinical lead for all our local Covid-19 testing) that the LFTs can do funny things if left .

Me too. It's never happened before which is why I went for the PCR. Especially as we are meeting up with mil this week who has just finished chemo and won't get vaccinated - didn't want to have any uncertainty. Both have come back negative though. It's the new style tests so maybe it's more of a thing with them.

Just came here to say there was a poster not long ago who said her husband had to take lateral flow tests twice a week for work and ever single one he took would turn positive after half hour. Not sure why but it clearly does happen to some people, and he couldn't have been positive for months on end, so I'd definitely take yours as a negative!

My daughters read negative at 30 minutes but then a line develops around 40 mins. It is faint but obvious at 60 minutes. It never used to happen but now happens everytime. I did get a PCR the first time we noticed this and she was negative. Last Sunday I gave all of us a lateral flow as was seeing older relatives. Same thing happened. She ended up in hospital on Monday (broke her wrist) and they gave her a PCR. I don't have the results but assume we would have heard if she was positive.

I think if it's the first time you see it happen you need to get a PCR for reassurance but speaking as a mother of a 9 year old who's lateral flows always do this and has now had 2 negative PCRs - I always read at 30 minutes. otherwise we would all be permanently isolating.

There are clearly people for which this is a positive result but equally there are clear people who have some weird saliva going on .... like my daughter ...

Since acid like lemon juice makes it go positive, I wonder if it’s a very acidic spit if people have breathed through their nose and had their mouth closed all night? This is if you do the test as the first thing you do when waking up.

my negative lft from 6.30 this morning, is still negative 4 hours later

Totally given up on LFTs.

Had several occasions or false positives now (negative pcr) leads to much stress and issue with work.

Just to update that PCR was negative after all. I

Just wanted to chime in here - I’ve just had this exact same thing. Did an LFT before work, negative, returned 10 hours later to clear my desk and saw two very clear lines. Cue panic. Did 3 x more LFTs there and then (all three different brands lol) and all negative. Still wasn’t convinced as had been found my friend who then tested positive and have CEV partner. Booked a PCR for that night. Whilst waiting for results I rooted through the bins for all the ones of that brand and they ALL bar one had 2 lines and they’d all been negative at 30 mins.

Got my PCR result today negative. The gov advice and NHS site advice say if you’ve left it longer than 30 mins do not log it as positive and conduct the test again. The people at the PCR test centre all also said it was a void LFT and not to worry. Just wanting to put people’s minds at ease :)

Also, the brand this happened was the Orient Gene ones which has been mentioned to do this before. X

DH’s negative tests also turn positive after a few hours. PCR in between those tests was negative. No symptoms either. I have stopped worrying.

This has happened to me this morning and i'm in a flat panic - my lft has a faint line after 30mins. 2nd test after waiting half an hr is negative but i'm trying to get a PCR test and being told there's none in my area unless i drive 65 miles..

Supposed to be travelling to an amber country at the weekend - no testing needed just proof that your double vaccinated, but if i'm positive i won't get back to the UK! I guess i'll have to keep trying for PCR in my area. Home tests won't get me results on time.

When does the line occur? Is it at minute thirty? Before thirty minutes or after? Sorry I just can’t discern the way it’s written.

If it appears after 30 mins UK gov guidance is clear that the test is void and should be repeated.

Only results up to and including the 30th minute are valid. :) hope that helps.