LFTs and reporting results - the death of track and trace?

[DelilahTheParrot]

Sorry if this has been done, but has anyone had a positive LFT and not followed up with a PCR?

My understanding from LFTs I have taken is that you don’t have to register the result anywhere, either positive or negative, meaning that:

1. You are less likely to be contacted by T&T if someone you’ve been with tests positive. Therefore (1) you’re less likely to have to isolate (2) you’re less likely to know there’s a chance you’ve got it (3) you’re thf more likely to pass on in both cases (4) we won’t know exactly how many people are testing positive, making it harder to size outbreaks and (5) it will make it harder to sample positive cases for the presence of new variants.

Its only recommended you go for a PCR, but who’s going to bother? I thought T&T was meant to be the answer to all this, along with vaccines?

Surely by giving everyone the chance to just test themselves it completely undermines the principles of the system, the integrity of the data, the control we have over the virus and the 37bn we’ve spent setting up T&T? Especially as self administered tests have MUCH lower accuracy, leading to a rather worrying number of false negatives.

Can anyone tell me if this is right, surely we can’t be about to make such a monumental cock up... again... surely??

I just don’t think someone would be responsible enough to voluntarily take an LFT if they aren’t intending to follow up or report a PCR?

Sorry - I meant report, or follow up with a PCR?

That’s what I’m wondering, but I know several people who have said they wouldn’t bother with a PCR if they had a positive LFT. I was really surprised

www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result

School staff report lateral flow tests on the link above. It can also be used for people in various other job categories or families of children in school.

What do they intend to do with the positive LFT information? If the answer is that they will isolate for 10 days, then what is the advantage of a PCR?

If they intend to carry on mixing with positive LFT, then that's another matter.

That’s interesting thanks. I can see how schools would be diligent to do this but if every adult is now going to be given two tests a week (I know most won’t do it), can we be sure?

@MinesAPintOfTea that’s exactly my point, people will just say what’s the point of it. In which case T&T is useless and potential contacts are walking round not knowing they might have it

The instruction booklet that came with my LFT I did about a month ago (negative result) had a list of ways you could report your result if you were positive. I assume then Test and Trace would contact you.

Thanks @BrizzleMaverick it does seem a big gamble to leave it to peoples discretion doesn’t it. T&T is bad enough as it is

"That’s what I’m wondering, but I know several people who have said they wouldn’t bother with a PCR if they had a positive LFT. I was really surprised"

At least they know they are positive and would hopefully self isolate. The alternative of no LFT would be them not knowing and carrying on as normal.

My understanding from LFTs I have taken is that you don’t have to register the result anywhere, either positive or negative

Depends what you mean by “don’t have to resister the result”. Sure, no one is going to be banging down your door if you don’t, but you are supposed to log every result, and it is what you agree to when you accept the test kit, for whatever reason. I’m not naive enough to think that many people don’t bother, but it doesn’t appear to be the majority by any stretch.

You are supposed to log it on nhs site. If nothing else, it helps the stats. And I have to report neg or pod to school (only one schoolchild here now but dh and I test once a week - ds supposed to test twice).