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Original poster

LFTS are pretty much useless with Delta, aren't they?

68 replies

MareofBeasttown · 16/08/2021 07:16

DS, 17, is positive. He had his first Pfizer jab last week, and then had mild body ache and fatigue, which we thought were due to the vax. Did two LFTS, was negative on both. Symptoms persisted and he got a sore throat, so we got a PCR. Positive! Isolating now but I guess we may all get it.

We should have done a PCR right away but we did confuse the symptoms with the vax side effects.

OP posts:
sashagabadon · 16/08/2021 15:10

They worked for us - dh tested positive LTF and postive PCR afterwards. We've always known they are not perfect haven't we? But they do pick up some infections that would be otherwise missed.
US stopped using them but I read somewhere the other day they now consider a mistake and want public to use again

whatswithtodaytoday · 16/08/2021 15:20

My friend has just tested positive today, very mild symptoms since Thursday but feels worse today so took a test. Negative first thing this morning, positive at lunchtime. It's so weird! She's in another country at the moment so can't easily access PCR tests - she's looking into how to do it now. Feels ok though, she has been double-vaccinated since May and just feels a bit fluey, not properly ill.

Heathofhares · 16/08/2021 15:23

LFT do work some times- family of 4 did LFT and 1 tested positive. All repeated with PCR and exactly the same result- maybe this is unusual?

Frazzled2207 · 16/08/2021 18:09

I know lots of people who’ve had a positive lft who went on to get a positive pcr. They def quite often work but nowhere near 100% of the time.

The trick is to understand that event if you get a negative lft it doesn’t mean that you definitely don’t have covid. If you have a positive pcr you almost certainly didn’t have covid when you took the test

puppeteer · 16/08/2021 18:44

Are you getting at the point that PCRs are so sensitive that they can pick up viral fragments from long past infection, @Frazzled2207?

breadwidow · 16/08/2021 18:51

I got a neg pcr initially; symptoms then worsened the next so I did a LF & it was positive and I've since had a positive pcr

Frazzled2207 · 16/08/2021 19:44

@puppeteer

Are you getting at the point that PCRs are so sensitive that they can pick up viral fragments from long past infection, *@Frazzled2207*?
No. First time testing positive in all cases. Just saying they got positive lft followed by positive pcr so clearly these particular LFTs worked
Peteycat · 16/08/2021 21:12

Hellsbells99, you are assuming that it's Delta variant. Nobody knows. You can't say oh it's probably Delta, because you just don't know. You believe its that because you have been told its high in your area. That is not evidence.

Darbs76 · 16/08/2021 21:18

Shouldn’t be using LFTs for symptoms anyway. We don’t know if we had delta variant but we all tested positive on lateral flows and PCRs

boon · 16/08/2021 23:20

@breadwidow

I got a neg pcr initially; symptoms then worsened the next so I did a LF & it was positive and I've since had a positive pcr

Thus is what happened to a work colleague last week. They had symptoms, did PCR, came back negative. Did another PCR this week which was positive. Apparantly there are issues with Delta and PCR results.

traumatisednoodle · 17/08/2021 17:28

Our PCRs were matched exactly by our LFTs.

Lanique · 17/08/2021 17:33

I had almost asymptomatic Covid and only knew due to a precautionary PCR test which came back positive. All my lateral flows came back negative.

welcome2021 · 17/08/2021 17:37

I know of three people within the last week who have had positive LFT tests

Harumff · 17/08/2021 17:50

All four of us got COVID in July (assuming Delta as it’s the most dominant). 1 of us didn’t test positive on LFT at all but the other 3 did straight away. So I wouldn’t say they’re useless at all. Just not perfect which we knew anyway.

Benjispruce5 · 17/08/2021 17:53

I understood that LFT only picks up when you’re well into infection whereas PCR is more sensitive.

Benjispruce5 · 17/08/2021 17:55

60% effective I think.

Borington · 18/08/2021 09:13

I did lft and got a positive last week, which was confirmed by a pcr later that day. The lft came up almost immediately, and I wouldn’t have done a pcr without it as I had none of the classic symptoms.

I’ve been ill for ten days, haven’t been able to get out of bed (although no cough or fever). It’s not been a pleasant experience - I really wish I’d had a milder version like others on this thread! And I am double jabbed.

Benjispruce5 · 18/08/2021 09:15

What were your symptoms @Borington?

Borington · 18/08/2021 09:21

I just felt really rough and knackered. Achy, no energy, swollen glands. Ill enough to take the day off work.

Benjispruce5 · 18/08/2021 09:26

Sounds nasty. I know so many double jabbed people that have felt ill with it. I felt so relieved when I had my second jab but its not the golden shot we hoped for is it? Get well soon.

Borington · 18/08/2021 09:29

On the positive side, I have had no respiratory symptoms at all, and have never felt worried that I might need medical attention. I am grateful for that.

However, it is not like a cold and I do very much wish I hadn’t caught it. It’s a lot worse than I was expecting.

Wimowehwimowehwimowehwimoweh · 18/08/2021 09:57

@careandattention

In June this year the US Food and Drug Agency (FDA) warned the US public to stop using the Innova test for detecting infection and suggested that any unused tests should be destroyed, binned, or returned Well, that's unfortunate - the NHS staff are given the Innova ones in huge boxes. We do them as a family and assume that if we are all negative that is a confirmation in itself. I wouldn't necessarily just do one test on one person and take it to be accurate. But the accuracy increases when several negatives are produced at the same time within one household.
We were also given the Innova ones @careandattention (primary care) but have now been told to order via www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests I’ve just opened the box this morning and they are a different brand.
hellsbells99 · 18/08/2021 10:05

We have just done pcr tests as a family and all are negative. DH and both DDS are currently unwell - 2 on steroid tablets and antibiotics. I was expecting at least DD2 to be positive as her friend that she has just spent a week with is positive with the same symptoms. Obviously a different virus going around.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 18/08/2021 10:28

@Borington

I did lft and got a positive last week, which was confirmed by a pcr later that day. The lft came up almost immediately, and I wouldn’t have done a pcr without it as I had none of the classic symptoms.

I’ve been ill for ten days, haven’t been able to get out of bed (although no cough or fever). It’s not been a pleasant experience - I really wish I’d had a milder version like others on this thread! And I am double jabbed.

Sorry to hear that. It's strange how differently it affects people! I'm on my third day of isolation but probably 6th day of actually being infected. I'm phlegmy, sneezing, high temp and lost all sense of smell and taste but I'm not bed bound and still able to potter about, tidy up and cook meals. For me it's like a moderate cold. I'm single jabbed and had to miss my second due to testing positive! Angry
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