To self isolate or not to self isolate

[Iimaginethiswillbefun]

Ds is 19, he went to the pub with his mate and his mate felt ill the next day.

Took 3 lateral flow tests, two negative one positive. He has lost taste and smell.

We have made ds self isolate. However, no one has contacted us to tell him to stay inside. I have given him a lateral flow test every day for last five days and it has come back negative.

Have asked him to ask friend whether he had a PCR test. Friend hasn’t had one.

Ds needs to go and collect his A-Level results on Tuesday!! Tuesday will be 7 days. Ds has had one jab.

Should he continue to self isolate and not pick up his results?? I have no idea what to do for the best.

To reiterate he hasn’t been pinged we haven’t been contacted by anyone and I read this this morning on NHS website.

You may want to tell people you've been in close contact with in the past 48 hours that you might have COVID-19.

What does close contact mean?
They do not need to self-isolate unless they're contacted by the NHS Test and Trace service. But they should take extra care to follow advice on how to avoid catching and spreading COVID-19.

If friend has not had a pcr your ds won't be traced. But yes he should si and be emailed his results.

If friend didn’t take a PCR test after the positive LFT, test&trace won’t contact him as friend hasn’t been flagged up as a positive case.

If friend had done a PCR, he would have been contacted to inform them of close contacts. Your ds would then be flagged up and told to isolate 10 days.

But as friend has ‘gone under the radar’, it’s a different story.

The choice is now his.

For what it’s worth - from 16/8 close contacts don’t have to isolate anymore, Boris is already not isolating anymore after yet another close contact , and your ds has not been told to isolate so isn’t legally obliged todo so. If I was your son, I’d be careful and would test regularly but would pick up the results and not isolate.

I know it all absolutely sucks but if your son has lost sense of taste/smell those are genuine reasons to assume he might be positive and he should 100% go for a PCR test. The lateral flow tests are not as reliable if person testing has symptoms, I’ve been told on so many occasions by my son’s school.
I wouldn’t get involved at all in what his friend is doing or whether I’d been pinged. We will never get out of this mess if people developing symptoms refuse to test and refuse to isolate. Please do the right thing.

No my son is fine, it’s his mate that is ill.

Why has friend not taken a PCR?
Maybe your ds should do a PCR test as lateral flow tests aren't very accurate especially if there are no symptoms

Your DS should have done a PCR after his positive LFT

He should continue to isolate - can you get his results for him? Or will school email them to him?

I just re-read my first post.

Ds’s mate is unwell and has lost his sense of taste and smell.

Ds is fine and has continuously tested negative over five days.

@RoseAndRose

Your DS should have done a PCR after his positive LFT

He should continue to isolate - can you get his results for him? Or will school email them to him?

Her ds doesn't have symptoms; his friend does

I’ve just booked DS a PCR test anyway.

He has no legal obligation to isolate

The friend is being irresponsible and should’ve had a test, I assume he isn’t working otherwise his job may request a positive test result.

He was on annual leave anyway as was supposed to be on holiday.

The friend is self isolating and is unwell.

I thought the second line, about the LFTs (one positive) was referring to the DS

Is this even a question that you need to think about? Loss of smell means he's got covid, and the virus is in his brain. There are many research about connection about loss of smell and brain tissue loss recently, regardless of how severe the symptoms are. You know what you need to do do.

Again not my son with loss of sense of taste or smell.

Sorry, OP, I think I misread you op. If he has no symptoms, I would just keep an eye, and let him stay away from other people if possible for time being, but you are being responsible, and being great parent.

Your DS won’t get contacted because his friend hasn’t had a PCR test yet. Close contact means within 2 metres of person with symptoms for more than 15 minutes. It is advice, not legal. Even if your son gets a PCR test and it comes back negative, he should still isolate for the full 10 days.

The rules change on 16 August when you don’t have to isolate, but recommend getting a PCR test if you are a close contact.

@illuyankas

Is this even a question that you need to think about? Loss of smell means he's got covid, and the virus is in his brain. There are many research about connection about loss of smell and brain tissue loss recently, regardless of how severe the symptoms are. You know what you need to do do.

How can you possibly know from this information that anyone has covid? Chris Whitty wouldn't know whether or not the kid has Covid.

You've clearly got some kind of virus in your brain based on your comments...

OP when did they go out together?

How can you possibly know from this information that anyone has covid?
Chris Whitty wouldn't know whether or not the kid has Covid

That made me laugh, did you not know that since Feb 20 the coronavirus topic has been full of posters who know better that CW/JVT/PV/BJ etc about every aspect of the pandemic

The only puzzle being why they have deprived the world of their expertise

Because loss of smell is very strong indication that the person got covid. Loss of smell doesn't happen without cause, and likely cause according to recent study is to do with virus getting into brain.

Anyway, I have apologised to op for not reading properly and misunderstanding.

Also, my bad for my use of English, what I meant was most likely to have covid, rather than definitely.

Without a pcr test this friend does not know for certain that has Covid. He needs to get a test and your son isolates until the results if negative. If he won’t take a pcr test then legally your son doesn’t need to isolate and no one will contact him to do so .
The right thing is isolate have pcr test , contacts told also isolate and have pcr test . The contacts aren’t going to be told so what his friend is doing is wrong . If your tests are negative get the exam results or find out contingency for collecting the results, they must be one with being a pandemic.

"should" in what sense?

As I understand it legally he can do what he likes and go where he likes - he hasn't been told to self isolate by T&T.

Morally - much more complicated, but a PCR test will sort that out for you.

Gov advice is that you do not isolate unless contacted by T&T

It’s clear on their website

It doesn’t matter if he thinks he should or if he can, advice is he doesn’t isolate

Lots of people are now not backing up postive tests to avoid the whole T&T scenario

Whether he’s been a contact or not - it says specifically if you’ve been in contact with a positive case but haven’t yet been traced you do not isolate

He has been for a PCR test today. If that is negative and the lateral flow test I do tomorrow is negative he can go and pick up his results.