Tested positive again.

[NameChange74567]

Me, DH, and out 3dc tested positive for Covid at the end of January. We all had mild symptoms, and recovered after about 2 weeks. On Saturday I had a temperature and a cough again, DH has had a cough, temperature, and feeling exhausted, aches and pains again since Thursday. We both thought it felt like we had it again. DH went for a test on Sunday and it came back positive this morning. Is it possible to have it again so soon? Could his most recent test pick up a covid infection from January? Obviously we are isolating again, and will continue to do so, but just wondering if we are likely to actually have it again so soon.

Incidentally I have a high temperature today. First time since January.

And I have no idea what that means, could I be contagious again?

@JS87 No negative tests since January, it was only one test we done. Is it worthwhile testing the children again? It was difficult the first time, 2dc are under 2.

I think it seems more likely it is a different virus e.g. Cold or flu etc but still testing positive from previous covid as it is within 90 days

@Onamissionn

You shouldn’t retest for 90 days after testing positive as the virus can remain.

Utter nonsense

We were told by track and trace not to test within 90 days if no symptoms as a pcr can still pick up virus remnants.

However, if you are having symptoms again I would test.

Hope it's not come back that quick. I am dreading getting it again.

[quote NameChange74567]@Onamissionn even with symptoms?

When booking the test they ask if you have tested positive recently, would they not be able to tell the difference between an old infection and a new one?[/quote]
Please ignore the twaddle about picking up "old virus" within 90 days.

They suggest not using LF tests within a 90 day period because generally it's thought people WON'T catch it again within such a short time frame. Indeed this is backed by the SIREN study, which followed UK healthcare workers and looked for cases of repeat infection - generally few were found - at least as far as the strains circulating in the UK last year are concerned, "natural" immunity was found to be as good as "vaccine" immunity for the period monitored - so far it's just over 6 months.

Obviously SOME people got reinfected, however, I'm slightly concerned that ALL of you have tested +ve again so quickly AND with symptoms. This isn't due to residual virus - presuming we're talking PCR tests both times, you've certainly been infected again - and it would seem very likely with a different strain - I'm wondering if this is one of the variants of concern as they would be most likely to dodge existing immunity.

@HairyFloppins

We were told by track and trace not to test within 90 days if no symptoms as a pcr can still pick up virus remnants.

However, if you are having symptoms again I would test.

Hope it's not come back that quick. I am dreading getting it again.

No that's crap.

They don't bother retesting +ve's within 90 days because generally speaking it would be a waste of a test - almost nobody should get infected again THAT quickly.

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/duration-isolation.html

However, for SARS-CoV-2, reinfection appears to be uncommon during the initial 90 days after symptom onset of the preceding infection (Annex: Retesting and Quarantine of Adults Recovered from Laboratory-diagnosed SARS-CoV-2 Infection with Subsequent Re-Exposure). Thus, for adults recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection, a positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR result without new symptoms during the 90 days after illness onset more likely represents persistent shedding of viral RNA than reinfection.

We were told the same from test & trace, not to retest within 90 days. This was because DPs work insisted on a negative test before returning and it remained positive for over a month before we gave up and spoke to them.

At work, NHS, we are told not to do another PCR test for 90 days, if we have tested positive, as it will likely show positive again - the test isn’t sensitive enough to tell the difference between live or dead virus. We were also told not to have the vaccine for 1month after a positive PCR test. We PCR test weekly, but my colleague who tested positive in January is still not having one yet.
It’s possible to have a false positive at any time, but I hope you are clear, OP, and that you all feel better soon.

It is only DH that has tested positive again, so far, my results aren't back yet, I haven't tested the DC. They don't have any symptoms.

Spoke to test and protect today and they seem to think it is another strain he has tested positive for.

I hope you feel better soon OP. I think reinfection is unlikely given that levels in the community are much lower than they were when you originally had it. I'm not sure TTP would have information about genomic sequencing, especially so soon?

@sproutsandparsnips Thank-you. I was thinking along the same lines as you, but we have, tonight, been made aware the plumber who was in our house last week has recently tested positive. If he had a different strain from us then it is possible we have caught it from him.

A friend had to have regular tests before being allowed back to work after having Covid.... she was testing positive for weeks and weeks and wasn’t able to go back til she had to negative.

TWO negative I mean!

Sounds like reinfection give your symptoms, probably with a different strain. Especially given recent exposure to someone with it.
If any of you have passed it on to someone else, that would answer the question better as you'd know you have it actively.

My test was negative

Glad the test is negative, OP. I developed long covid and had the same relapsing and remitting symptoms. Rest up!

dd was told after testing + for covid she would for 3 months
DH tested positive on a Tues and by the following Thurs, so 9 days later (ONS study) was negative

Glad yours was negative OP. Looks like your DH has been unlucky enough to get a different strain

@TiddleTaddleTat

Glad the test is negative, OP. I developed long covid and had the same relapsing and remitting symptoms. Rest up!

I didn't even think about long covid as a possibility. When I had covid, I had a tightness in my chest and it felt like my lungs were full of smoke. I had that feeling again over the weekend. I haven't smoked for 4 years.

Its strange your DH is positive and you have symptoms but are negative. Was the test an LFT or PCR?

@XiCi

Its strange your DH is positive and you have symptoms but are negative. Was the test an LFT or PCR?

PCR tests. Unless we just have a cold and DH is still testing positive from January.

The pcr doesn't pick up 30% of positive cases so its seems far more likely that you have had a false negative

I would have thought that if you had been ill for two weeks, you had had it badly enough not to get it again. Being ill for two weeks doesn't sound mild to me - even with proper flu I've not been ill for that long. It sounds more like a flare-up of the original. Or something else, but the virus is still in your system as it's less than 90 days ago.

@notrub

"Please ignore the twaddle about picking up "old virus" within 90 days"

From your link:

"for adults recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection, a positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR result without new symptoms during the 90 days after illness onset more likely represents persistent shedding of viral RNA than reinfection."