The great South west PCR mystery

[3asAbird]

They say they investigating when we going to find out outcome?

inews.co.uk/news/covid-lateral-flow-tests-negative-pcr-1236141

Is it option

1. faulty batch pcr tests only at South west drive through test centres? 2/ corruption or negligence at the local lab? Does the South west have 1 giant lab that processes bath/ Swindon and Bristol pcr tests
2. some new varient that evades pcr tests like the one in France.

Are we even doing much genome sequencing these days?

We did have surge testing in Bristol last winter with varient e48k similar South Africa but that was pre delta.

We had massive cases in locally June and July.
Local r rate seems low currently despite so many off school and 2 Universitys return.

3 kids my child's year have postive lft but negative pcr.
We don't have any set date for covid jabs.
The school is not declaring any cases at all publicly..

Weirdly people saying home tests giving postive results.

That lft more likely to bring us false negative than postive..

Just makes me worried so much covid all over the region undetected with postives not isolating.

So many if these postive lft negative pcr seem to be school children.
ONS forecast 1 in 14 teens had covid last week yet all teens at our school with covid symptoms have negative pcr?

This is just the beginning, Bristol, Bath, Glocs, Swindon et al.

Bit pointless testing again if you tested earlier as you may be over it by now
Wonder how many places were covered ?
Ds2! Has had 2 positive lvt today and have had pcr so will see what result is , he had no real
Symptoms just a slight blocked nose bit has now developed a little bit of a cough and feels a bit rough , luckily he did a lvt test today as does for college as hopefully we have limited the spread a little at least

Berkshire Council said nationally but doesn't mention what other areas affected.
Newbury not far from Wiltshire.

I have a friend who took a load of LFTs after a colleague had symptoms. Pretty much whole office did, all positive LFTs, yet all negative PCRs. PCR results won, so everyone was expected to stay in work. This was Wiltshire.

@XenoBitch

I have a friend who took a load of LFTs after a colleague had symptoms. Pretty much whole office did, all positive LFTs, yet all negative PCRs. PCR results won, so everyone was expected to stay in work. This was Wiltshire.

It’s rife in Wiltshire. Exactly what you’ve just said.

It's happening in wales as well

I’m really stressed about the high levels in my community. I’ve not felt this anxious for about a year. I’ve got friends who are really ill despite being double jabbed (hospitalised). It’s never been this prevalent. People are really ill locally and just not getting better.

(I mean this issue feels as if it is fuelling that!)

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-58921280

So it sounds like from this it is a lab error. I’m guessing they will be finding further labs with the same error as they continue to investigate. What a disaster!

Yes just heard W Berks official interviewed in R4. Announcement from DHSC this morning. (Many appear not to know that Berks is not in the SW!)

@Louiselady500

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-58921280

So it sounds like from this it is a lab error. I’m guessing they will be finding further labs with the same error as they continue to investigate. What a disaster!

Oh dear that's not good at all

According to the Fail -
The false negatives were reportedly caused by one lab - rather than the site - and are now fixed.

'The DHSC has now confirmed that a number of sites nationally may have been affected by this issue, including the one at Newbury Showground.'

Which would explain the sudden leap in Glos reported cases yesterday, upthread.

Oh I see yes, sorry read it only half awake this morning. So they are saying the problem is with one lab that will have affected numerous sites. I wonder how many sites send tests to the same lab.

Yes, it would have been keeping the figures low. I hope the hospitals can manage an unexpected increase.

Why won't they specify which areas affected.
What the issue was.
Also projected amount tests/ cases that could well be wrong.

Theres always a lag so guess hospitalisation rise within next few weeks.
Saw something about Salisbury Hospital struggling on Facebook thats geographically not huge distance from Newbury.

@Louiselady500

Oh I see yes, sorry read it only half awake this morning. So they are saying the problem is with one lab that will have affected numerous sites. I wonder how many sites send tests to the same lab.

Yes and do the postal ones go to the same labs?

So now the dilemma...
DHs PCR negative (after his LFT)was on the 4th. Over 20 days ago.
We go on holiday in December

If he goes for another PCR now will he have to isolate for 10 days, or will they count it from that first test?

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

So now the dilemma... DHs PCR negative (after his LFT)was on the 4th. Over 20 days ago. We go on holiday in December

If he goes for another PCR now will he have to isolate for 10 days, or will they count it from that first test?

They will go by the test that has just been done, unless there is symptoms. If there was/is symptoms then they will go by the date that first started. Obviously 20 days ago they probably wouldn't though.

@Louiselady500

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-58921280

So it sounds like from this it is a lab error. I’m guessing they will be finding further labs with the same error as they continue to investigate. What a disaster!

It is pretty bad. I’m pleased it’s not some kind of test evading new variant though.

I bet there’s zero acknowledgment from the government that thousands, possibly tens of thousands of people basically were told to get
On with their lives while being covid positive

Shocking how long it’s taken to get some kind of news. In the interim they should have just told everyone lft positive to isolate

My 2nd child now has Covid. He went to college as is the law and required despite his sister being + thankfully, we didn’t send her to school for those 48 hours and we could’ve done. That’s why a lot of schools in our area are in a state. I think we’ll be in a very bad way down here in a few weeks. It’s allowed to run rampant and the issue in the SW? Minimal hospital space.

I agree @Itisasecret - I think this has just allowed a couple of weeks of really serious spreading in the south west.

It’s so infuriating because we could see this was happening a week ago: just more utter complacency from the government. Locally people have been getting really ill.

I feel very angry that there were no interim precautions put in place while they were investigating. Instead the virus has been allowed to rapidly spread through communities. Let’s hope the hospitalisations remain manageable.

Has anyone seen a full list of areas this lab covered? I got two negatives before a positive despite having symptoms and close contact - during this period. Am in a county bordering Berkshire .