Are the numbers of false negatives increasing?

[EngravedLabels]

So many people on here have Covid symptoms and live with someone who is positive - but they’re testing negative.

I know that there have always been false negatives, but from my extensive scientific research (reading posts on here!) there seem to be many more than previously.

All the posters here are being sensible and self isolating even though they’re negative. But I doubt the majority would do this.

I’m so surprised that the number of cases are decreasing. Does anyone else think that the false negatives might be contributing to this?

Testing is down (folks don't want to get pinged and have to cancel their planned holiday activities)
People are deleting the app because it's frankly unfit for purpose
Schools are off currently
So of course cases are down for now. I suppose the question is how will we all fare come September with schools returning and the onset of winter?

I'm in that camp @EngravedLabels. My wife tested positive on Tuesday. We both have generic 'cold symptoms' but I also have a cough. 2x PCR and daily lateral flows all negative. I am of course isolating, but the chances of me having it when our symptoms are the same is surely high.
We are both double vaccinated, me since March (nurse) wife had second two weeks ago.

I now know of lots of other nurses (double vaccinated) testing postive. I worry there is more vaccine resistance than the government are letting on, probably as take up is still relatively poor in certain groups and areas. However I also worry this varient is not as accurately detected as the previous.

This happened me as well. 3 positive LFTs and symptoms (sore throat, headache, loss of smell, coughing, high temperature) ....PCR negative....unconvinced so did another also negative!
Never have I experienced loss of smell ever before this and I can also count on one hand the amount of headaches I have had in my lifetime and this was the worst headache ever.
I am completely convinced that I had covid and I self isolated for 10 days from beginning of symptoms, actually ended up longer because I was so unwell and only now feel a bit better although still exhausted and coughing.
Heard of a few cases this week in my circle of people living with covid positives and then developing the same symptoms but testing negative.

I had a positive LFT and then a negative PCR test

Someone on another thread was talking about a lower viral load if you’ve been vaccinated. Which could make it more difficult to pick up on a PCR - or I could be talking rubbish!

I just think there are a lot more people currently with Covid than is showing in the case numbers. Yes people aren’t testing because of holidays, but I don’t think that’s the whole reason. I’ve not known anyone with Covid the whole pandemic. Now know around 25 with it.

And I do realise that case numbers don’t really mean something. Unless of course you haven’t been vaccinated

I thought this. 8 or so positives linked to school BUT at least 4 others with symptoms 2 in the same class had come back negative.
Although pcr is only 80% accurate so 1/5.... Which is why isolation works better.

I have recently been close contact of a positive and I have been sneezing my head off last 5 days. I have done several ltf and two pcr but negative

Case numbers have always been lower than actual cases, but we at least have the capacity to test everyone who requires a test now. Thinking back to last year when you could only get a test if you'd been abroad to certain countries, then only if you had particular jobs- we will never know the actual case numbers but they would have been at least double, probably more. Essentially I think hospital numbers are clearer and arguably the more important metric, but even with cases being missed its probably not to a level where the general upward or downward trend can be observed.

Maybe the people who are testing negative had it asymptomatically/mildly first?

Christ almighty! Vaccine doesn't stop you getting covid. It stops you experiencing it badly. By that token Vaccine doesn't stop you transmitting, which is why EVERYONE needs to get vaccinated, in order to minimise bad cases, hospital admissions and death. Until people wake up (I understand this is now people in their twenties) and get the vaccinations we are not going to move out of this pandemic.

Except healthy people in their 20s are at low risk of being hospitalised anyway…

Interesting.

DD tested positive for Covid a couple of days ago (she's symptomatic). DP (fully vaccinated) has the same symptoms but has tested negative with LFT and PCR tests. I feel under the weather but have also continued to test negative...

I'm finding it so hard to believe that DD and DP who are sharing a household and shared a tent very recently have the same symptoms yet one has Covid and the other a cold.

People could also just have colds.

Think back to pre covid when coughs colds and all manner of symptoms we're experienced by multiple people at the same time.

It is perfectly possible that people have different bugs just like it was before covid appeared. It's almost like everyone has forgotten that.

There’s a really horrible cold doing the rounds at the moment. People are just confusing that with Covid.

I was cuddling a sobbing DD for ages the day before she got symptoms. The night before she also shared a bowl of popcorn with her siblings.
Two weeks later none of the rest of us caught it.
We did a LFT test most days and two PCR tests.
I am still amazed no one else caught it.

The most likely reason for symptoms is other circulating viruses that were suppressed with lockdown etc. they have obviously returned, so more symptoms. Even during the peak of covid the majority of people with symptoms did not have covid, they had other respiratory illnesses, that is even more significant now.

Look at the weekly respiratory illness reports, there are way more kids in hospital on oxygen with RSV (a respiratory illness which in 5-70 year olds is almost always a "cold") than there are covid admissions, despite previously in the pandemic them being almost completely eliminated.

Oh yes, I know other viruses are still around.

We do know that DD has Covid though, not a cold. She has tested positive.

All I'm saying is that it's a big coincidence other household members have the same symptoms, which started at the same time, but have a different virus. Particularly given how on top of each other we have been.

I do hope us adults get away with not getting infected.

Given that everyone has symptoms but only one person tested positive it may be that the covid case is actually asymptomatic and is suffering just like the others with symptoms of a different bug. It isn't given that everyone catches covid.

Stuffin That would be my "ideal" scenario.

The potential fall out from me isolating the next week is huge so it would be good if it didn't carry on longer by infecting us all.

@MandUs

Stuffin That would be my "ideal" scenario.

The potential fall out from me isolating the next week is huge so it would be good if it didn't carry on longer by infecting us all.

Probable different variant but DH had covid at the new year. No isolation between us and I tested negative twice. Fingers crossed same for you.

But if you're out in a place where you can catch covid, then you're also out in a place to catch other things,and you can have more than one respiratory infection at the same time, so it might not even be the covid that is causing the infection in DD.

@DoubleShotEspresso

Testing is down (folks don't want to get pinged and have to cancel their planned holiday activities) People are deleting the app because it's frankly unfit for purpose Schools are off currently So of course cases are down for now. I suppose the question is how will we all fare come September with schools returning and the onset of winter?

The ONS data is on the decline now too though, and that’s always quoted as the most reliable figures.

With greater socialisation people are catching other respiratory germs that they lost immunity to due to lack of exposure in last 18m.