Pcr positive , lfts negative

[Hippywannabe]

Have spent most of the last 18 months wearing a mask all day at school and whenever I do go shopping, rarely go anywhere social until this week when I met a friend for end of holidays coffee.
Felt rough yesterday, lft negative on Thursday (back to work check before term starts) but booked a pcr with DH. Results this morning, he is negative and I am positive.
Just done another lft and it is still negative. I will be isolating obviously as the pcr is positive but this doesn't fill me with confidence for going back!

PCRs pick up the virus better. You might only have low levels of the virus and a LFT may never pick it up.

LFTs do have a lower pick up rate. Seen many stats, but I think the ave is around 70%. So it will miss some.

It will also catch many (all three of us in our house). So it’s not to be discounted as ‘useless’. LFT are just a tool to help ‘reduce’ the spread.

DH did several lft in the lead up to positive PCR, lft is now very clearly and immediately positive. I think of it like a clear blue pregnancy test in relation to a first response now.

I have also tested positive on a PCR but all LFTs negative. Strangely enough, I went for a second PCR 24 hours after my positive test and I tested negative, my husband and daughter also have tested negative. I am wondering if false positive as I just have some very mild cold symptoms, it's hard to believe this could actually be Covid.

Once you have symptoms you need to take a PCR, LFTs won't pick it up.

You should feel confident, you're bulletproof now, at least for a while.

@waxytimes

Once you have symptoms you need to take a PCR, LFTs won't pick it up.

A recent Oxford University study found that LFTs were better at picking up positives for symptomatic patients than asymptomatic. They were also as good as PCRs at picking up positives.

User error does apply to both however

LFTs were negative for DS and I when we both had Covid. I had 2 positive PCRs so there is no doubt I had it.

I think it may be true LFTs are less useful for folk who don’t have symptoms. I had symptoms and my LFT came up almost immediately, my kids and DH have no symptoms and their lateral flows were all negative. All our PCRs came back positive.

As others have said PCRs are more sensitive. If you have a positive PCR result I'm afraid you almost certainly have Covid despite the other negative tests.

I hope it stays mild for you and that you recover quickly.