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Original poster

Do you HAVE to do a PCR if you have a positive LTF?

39 replies

PeoplePleaserBe · 15/09/2021 11:34

Just that…do you HAVE to do a PCR if you have a positive lateral flow test? Can’t seem to find the answer on the Government site.

Thankyou.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 15/09/2021 11:36

You're supposed to as that then triggers test and protect who will then try to trace any of your close contacts.

dementedpixie · 15/09/2021 11:38

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing/test-results/positive-test-result/

Tells you to confirm with PCR

AFuturisticalSound · 15/09/2021 11:41

No one has to have any test

What is the reason you don't want to confirm with PCR, it's impossible to advise without all the information.

TheGrumpyGoat · 15/09/2021 11:41

It is the guidance, but it’s not a legal obligation.

Roomba · 15/09/2021 11:42

Yes. If you work or attend school etc you need to confirm it with a PCR. Test and Trace can also then notify your close contacts so they aren't risking infecting other unknowingly.

TooWicked · 15/09/2021 11:43

No, you don’t have to have a PCR test.

AFuturisticalSound · 15/09/2021 11:46

@Roomba

Yes. If you work or attend school etc you need to confirm it with a PCR. Test and Trace can also then notify your close contacts so they aren't risking infecting other unknowingly.
I work and have secondary age DC,there is no obligation for any of us to have a PCR test

Are you mixing up good practice/common sense with need?

RumblyMumbly · 15/09/2021 11:49

Ideally you should to rule out false positive on lft. Also to count in the national figures and so test and trace are aware to do any contact tracing.

DamnFoolWhoShotHim · 15/09/2021 12:04

Don't understand why you'd even want to ask that. I'd rather get the PCR and protect other people from getting Covid that being selfish and ignoring.

RubyReigns · 15/09/2021 12:09

Legally you’re under no obligation to get a pcr.

TheGrumpyGoat · 15/09/2021 12:11

@DamnFoolWhoShotHim

Don't understand why you'd even want to ask that. I'd rather get the PCR and protect other people from getting Covid that being selfish and ignoring.
You can still protect people from getting Covid without a PCR Hmm. After a positive LFT you can just stay at home for 10 days.
User090 · 15/09/2021 12:15

It can be useful to prove you’ve had Covid and recovered (things like travelling abroad especially if you haven’t had the vaccine)

DrWhoNowww · 15/09/2021 12:24

Why wouldn’t you?

As PP it’s the positive PCR that triggers test and trace to notify your contacts.

TheGrumpyGoat · 15/09/2021 12:28

@DrWhoNowww

Why wouldn’t you?

As PP it’s the positive PCR that triggers test and trace to notify your contacts.

The OP might not have had any contacts in the past 48 hours. I went to a concert on Sunday night. Apart from dog walks where I didn’t encounter anyone I haven’t been anywhere since, so my only relevant contacts would be the people I live with, who would already be aware.
SvenandSven · 15/09/2021 12:29

I didn't get a pcr after a positive lft BUT only because dh had tested positive on both lft and pcr 5 days before me. So it was obvious mine was a definite positive.
Plus we had seen the same people in the lead up to dh's symptoms and I was isolating as soon as dh got his positive even though I didn't need to.

If you are the first in a household I would definitely say pcr as well.

Sanch1 · 15/09/2021 12:29

You don't have to. If you're prepared to stay at home for 10 days and notify your close contacts yourself there's no need really. I'd get one just in case it was a false positive but you don't have to.

Inastatus · 15/09/2021 12:36

I asked this the other day, I was sure my PCR would come back positive as two family members had covid, I had symptoms and a positive lft.

I was just going to self-isolate and contact people myself which of course you can do but some people pointed out that it’s useful to have proof of having had covid if you need to travel or go to an event in the near future couple of months which might require a negative test as once you’ve had it, you can test positive for up to 90 days.

GoldFrankensteinAndGrrr · 15/09/2021 12:49

Me and DH didn't. We hadn't been anywhere for days beforehand, and even then the only place I'd been was a supermarket briefly (DH wfh and hadn't been out for even longer than me). I just isolated, as did DH. We didn't see any reason to take a test when there was no t&t to be done.

GoldFrankensteinAndGrrr · 15/09/2021 12:51

@DamnFoolWhoShotHim

Don't understand why you'd even want to ask that. I'd rather get the PCR and protect other people from getting Covid that being selfish and ignoring.
Who said anything about ignoring?

If you're going to isolate/have no contacts not having a PCR doesn't make you 'selfish'.

RumblyMumbly · 15/09/2021 12:54

@GoldFrankensteinAndGrrr that's interesting do you think you caught it aat the supermarket then? Were you wearing a mask? Were many others wearing masks?

Jayan77 · 15/09/2021 12:56

I personally would. My husband had a weak positive LFT at the weekend, no symptoms. Did a PCR test and came back negative.

alloalloallo · 15/09/2021 12:59

@DamnFoolWhoShotHim

Don't understand why you'd even want to ask that. I'd rather get the PCR and protect other people from getting Covid that being selfish and ignoring.
I don’t think anyone said anything about ignoring it. As long as you stay home and isolate, and have no contacts, there’s absolutely nothing selfish about it.

My DD and her uni housemates had Covid. DD and one of the others got symptoms, did a PCR, tested positive. The other 2 got positives on LFTs so didn’t bother with a PCR.

They still all isolated - they’d had no contacts other than each other.

Xmasbaby11 · 15/09/2021 12:59

I can't think why you wouldn't, especially if you're going to isolate anyway. If you don't, you'll never truly know. If you're positive it'll be added to your medical records and who knows how important this will be in years to come.

If you're finding it too inconvenient to go to a test centre, get a postal test. It's important for government figures too so we can see what's going on with covid.

User4378645 · 15/09/2021 13:02

You don't have to but if you go out to work it could affect sick pay, I wouldn't as I'm retired so would just isolate and notify anyone myself but it would be very few people if any that would have had contact unlike at a workplace or school.

GoldFrankensteinAndGrrr · 15/09/2021 13:02

[quote RumblyMumbly]@GoldFrankensteinAndGrrr that's interesting do you think you caught it aat the supermarket then? Were you wearing a mask? Were many others wearing masks?[/quote]
I'm exempt due to a neurological condition, but I'd say it was a pretty even 50/50 split. I either caught it there or on the bus home, although the bus was pretty empty (just a few people on a double decker, I sat upstairs at the front with only one other person at the back). I've gone over it loads to they and trace it back!

DH hadn't been anywhere so it was definitely me who inflected him and not vice versa. He was completely asymptomatic and I only had a few sneezing fits and a migraine - I thought it was my allergies and regular migraines playing up (which of course it may well have been), til I did an LFT. Took another from a different batch and a few on subsequent days to be sure.

I'm double jabbed and had covid last year too, hopefully that's me done with it for a while now! I'm also CV so was incredibly relieved that post-vaccination I was more or less asymptomatic.