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Original poster

Should I lie to get PCR test?

62 replies

Coconut49 · 11/10/2021 10:30

Have heavy cold and have also lost voice. Rarely cough - only to clear phlegm from throat. 3 negative LFT's. Friend is adamant I should get PCR test but I would have to lie on form as haven't got continuous cough, temperature or loss taste/smell. What would you do? Surely if government wanted us to test with cold symptoms they would change criteria to access PCR?

OP posts:
WhoWants2Know · 11/10/2021 10:33

If you download the Zoe app, it will probably prompt you to get a test with those symptoms. Some people get around it that way

pommedeterre · 11/10/2021 10:34

Just lie, it is what everyone is doing. LFT are 'blunter' than PCRS. In my experience a LFT means you didn't have covid 3 days ago, no real clue on whether you have it today.

AFuturisticalSound · 11/10/2021 10:35

No one's checking up on why anyone is asking for a PCR test, do you think everyone else is sticking to the rules Smile

I'm not saying you should get one but it's not March 2020, getting a PCR test is like a hobby for some from what I read on here.

TheGrumpyGoat · 11/10/2021 10:36

@pommedeterre

Just lie, it is what everyone is doing. LFT are 'blunter' than PCRS. In my experience a LFT means you didn't have covid 3 days ago, no real clue on whether you have it today.
Same with a PCR. It can only tell you if you have Covid on the day it’s taken 🤷🏻‍♀️
PurpleDaisies · 11/10/2021 10:37

If you have any suspicion it could be covid, I’d just say you have a cough and get a pcr.

PurpleDaisies · 11/10/2021 10:38

In my experience a LFT means you didn't have covid 3 days ago

It just means an lft didn’t detect covid 3 days ago. That’s not the same.

girlmom21 · 11/10/2021 10:38

Yeah get a test if it will give you piece of mind. It's not like there's a shortage of tests or appointments anymore and I suppose the longer we get them for the longer the people at the testing stations will be in jobs 🤷‍♀️

girlmom21 · 11/10/2021 10:38

*peace 🤦🏼‍♀️

whatswithtodaytoday · 11/10/2021 10:41

No-one checks, and cold symptoms are also Covid symptoms. If you're vaccinated a cough isn't always one of the main symptoms anymore. The government don't really care what we do, most other countries have updated their test criteria (some time ago).

I would get a test if you are in contact with other people, especially if they're vulnerable.

pommedeterre · 11/10/2021 10:41

Huh?!

So my dd and her friend and two other cases in other dds school.

Day 1 - neg lat flow, pcr taken
Day 2 - neg lat flow, pcr result back as positive
Day 3 - positive lat flow

So the lateral flow didn't pick up the covid until 2 days after the pcr test. So all the lateral flow on day 2 is useful for is that you probably didn't have covid day 0 and before.

pommedeterre · 11/10/2021 10:42

The taking a LFT as a one off for a sniffle is bullshit. The 2 x weekly testing works better as if no symptoms will at least pick it up when you wouldn't have noticed at all.

whatswithtodaytoday · 11/10/2021 10:44

@pommedeterre The LFT is (usually) not as good as the PCR for picking up low levels of the virus (they are checking for different things, I forget what exactly).

So if you do an LFT and it's negative you probably don't have a very high viral load at that moment, but you might still test positive on a PCR because they're more sensitive. Not sure where three days ago comes into it?

VaguelyInteresting · 11/10/2021 10:44

Yeah have fibbed a few times to get a test when symptoms haven’t been the “classic three” (that are in no way actually classic or at all current for either delta or in vaccinated adults).

When I actually had covid (pre vax) I didn’t have the classic symptoms for the first five days- I had sore eyes, an upset stomach and horrific rib/back pain. No fever, no cough, no loss of taste or smell.The cough started after about 8 or 9 days.

Personally I think if you have symptoms on the covid “long list” that are raising the question in your mind, you’ve been mixing with others, and you can’t explain them (you know like, hayfever, or I fell down the stairs which is why I’m really achy, or eating something dodgy etc) then you’re perfectly justified to test. In my case because I have a child in primary school with kids constantly off with covid, no distancing and no mitigations in place, and we have a few CEV family members Im currently erring on the side of caution and have done since lockdown lifted and cases skyrocketed locally.

I appreciate testing costs money, but so would potentially treating my extremely vulnerable ex husband in ICU for a month or whatever if we passed covid to him so... 🤷🏼‍♀️

TheWoleb · 11/10/2021 10:45

@pommedeterre

If she had a PCR, then she had symptoms?
LFT tests are not to be used when you have symptoms because they are designed to pick up asymptomatic cases. They only pick up about 60% of cases when you have symptoms.

Original poster
Coconut49 · 11/10/2021 10:46

I have taken LFT's on day 1, 3 and 5 of cold. 3rd one done yesterday. All negative. I don't actually think I have Covid as it just seems like a normal heavy cold. And I am prone to laryngitis also. Friend is just making me feel guilty for not doing PCR. I personally don't see need to waste NHS resources. Not in contact with vulnerable people.

OP posts:
TheGrumpyGoat · 11/10/2021 10:47

@pommedeterre

Huh?!

So my dd and her friend and two other cases in other dds school.

Day 1 - neg lat flow, pcr taken
Day 2 - neg lat flow, pcr result back as positive
Day 3 - positive lat flow

So the lateral flow didn't pick up the covid until 2 days after the pcr test. So all the lateral flow on day 2 is useful for is that you probably didn't have covid day 0 and before.

Any test can only tell you if you had Covid the day it was taken. PCR’s are more sensitive, so more likely to pick up a case. No test can tell you if you did or didn’t have covid 3 days ago!
Original poster
Coconut49 · 11/10/2021 10:52

Also LFT's are actually better if you have symptoms

www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n823

OP posts:
TheWoleb · 11/10/2021 10:56

@Coconut49

What that says is that the test used in the UK identifies 58% of symptomatic cases. Which is what I said?
Other LF tests can be up to 97%, but we dont use those in the UK.
If you have symptoms, get a PCR because a negative LF does not mean negative.

It also says that the tests pick up 58% of non-symptomatic cases, but the sample size used for the study was 10 times less than the symptomatic sample size and too small to draw a statistically significant percentage.

Kettletoaster · 11/10/2021 11:14

Just tick the box to say you are a close contact. It’s easy to get one that way

Original poster
Coconut49 · 11/10/2021 11:16

My point is that I don't have Covid symptoms per se so if I have a PCR test I would have to lie and also risk getting a false positive result (0.8 - 4.3% false positives so potentially up to 43 people per 1000 people having to isolate unnecessarily). See link below:-

www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/falsepositivityrateofthecovid19pcrtest

Why should I take this risk when I don't have any of three covid symptoms in the requested criteria?

OP posts:
girlmom21 · 11/10/2021 11:24

Well don't take the test if you don't want to take the test...

sonjadog · 11/10/2021 11:25

Don't take one then. It sounded like you were worried about having covid and wanted to take a test in your opening post, not that you were trying to find reasons not to take one. If you don't have any classic symptoms and aren't required to take one, then don't.

I also have a heavy cold and am going for a test in an hour. I also will be very surprised if it turns out to be covid, but I am going to visit my elderly mother on Thursday and I want to be sure. So for me the reasons for taking one outweight the potential inconvenience. But it is up to you to weigh up your own situation.

TheWoleb · 11/10/2021 11:25

If you dont want to take a test then dont, but dont peddle false information.

What you said was that LFT are most accurate at derecting symptomatic covid, implying they are more accurate than a PCR.

What that study says is they are more accurate than the government initially said. Our government gave a lower percentage when they were first introduced. After study, the percentage is now 58% of symptomatic cases being detecting.

"More accurate at detecting sympomatic covid" is very different than "more accurate than initially though, but still only 58%"

Dont peddle false information. If you dont understand what a study is saying, dont misquoted it to suit your agenda.

bluelavender · 11/10/2021 11:37

If you believe that you have been in contact with an infected person then you can access a PCR test. Its one of the options towards the bottom of the form

DesertSky · 11/10/2021 11:39

My symptoms were that of a cold. I filled a bin bag full of tissues from blowing my nose in just 2 days. I was positive. Get a PCR. My husband only tested positive on a lateral 4 days AFTER getting a positive PCR - he had no symptoms to start with so only tested because I had it!