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?

@3asAbird they wait for 10% of kids to get covid before warning people?!

@Sugarandtime

If so many people who think they have COVID are getting negative PCR results, why are we still having new infections in the 30000’s each day? as reported in the media.

Presumably because 30,000 is a tiny fraction of the 67 million in the U.K., leaving 66.97 million each day who are not testing positive, some of which seem to have another bug!

[quote Coffeey]@3asAbird they wait for 10% of kids to get covid before warning people?![/quote]
Yes government guidelines

10% of year or school or 5 in 1 class within so many days to take further action.
Only action we been told take is stay away from other year groups which doesn't stop covid spreading within that year group itself.
Year 10 got shut early by phe England.
Phe gone now. Track and trace in charge.. I realy don't want send mine in tommorow as feels like they determined they all get covid in time for October half term.
Why we can't go remote for 10 days and stop the spread I don't know.

If pcr testing is wrong then the south west as a region and schools will have massive problems we were really high over the summer.

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/what-happen-pupil-tests-positive-21416785.amp

Explains the rubbish guidelines.
School haven't mentioned teaching outdoor yet.

The other possible solution mentioned is that now more other human coronaviruses - not sars-cov-2 - are circulating, some of these have an N protein that is cross reactive for the LFTs, giving a false positive for covid-19.

This would actually be good news wouldn't it and a sign that the pandemic is over if other viruses are now getting a look in rather than covid dominating?

feels like they determined they all get covid in time for October half term. yes it is certainly beginning to feel this way to me too

The pos lft followed by neg pcr issue is more than just the south west. We are in south east nr London and it happened to us and others we know

I’ve got three children in my class at the moment with (mild!!!) symptoms and positive lateral flows who have been sent back due to negative PCRs. I’m largely indifferent either way but I would really rather not get covid over half term so I hope they’re actually negative.

We aren't in the south west, but lots of positive LFTs and negative PCRs happening here too. Very strange

All of you up in arms about schools, track & trace, and non isolation.... Teachers did try and warm you over the summer.

It happened to DD. Faint positive LFT and 2 negative PCR's I didn't believe the first one so we went back the next day. And a friend and her DD had the same thing. We're in Hampshire.

This is happening here too (SE) although I only have anecdotal evidence. I work in a school though so high levels of anecdotes!

Out of mine and my sisters kids, 4 have had positive lat flow and only one positive pcr. Some have symptoms, the positive one didn't. They've Spent a lot of time in the same house.

I realise this has no scientific grounding but none of it makes sense!

Interesting to see Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Bristol (mid way between the latter being mentioned) being mentioned and the fact they're clustered together. They'll surely be using different labs.

Apparently there was a whole school (private - part boarding) at a drive through test centre yesterday in one of the above areas yesterday. Would love to know if it's because of a number of positive PCRs in the school and precautionary, symptoms or positive LFTs. It's in an area with relatively low cases, so if it's one of the first two, then you'd expect numbers to be up a little. If they don't rise, then wonder if it's down to negative LFTs within a small contained area. I've checked what the current case numbers in town and by postcode so will post back if they stay the same.

sorry 'false positive LFTs', not 'negative LFTs'!!

@Hercisback

All of you up in arms about schools, track & trace, and non isolation.... Teachers did try and warm you over the summer.

What are you talking about?

I think it’s bloody stupid to be this hysterical about a virus that if you’re double vaccinated isn’t that bad for the majority. And doesn’t seem to effect kids either too badly.

The mix of test results are bonkers.

I don’t know what going on with tests, it’ll be interesting to find out.

But no issue with change in policy, I don’t see many up in arms more relieved isolation is reduced, irl anyway

DS11 is/was symptomatic and was really poorly, had 1 x positive lateral flow and 1st PCR came back positive.
Me, double vaccinated, 3 x positive lateral flows, didn’t get a positive pcr until my 3rd test. Very symptomatic, haven’t been this poorly since I had proper flu 20+ years ago.
DH has had 3 x faint positive lateral flow, negative pcrs and is not symptomatic. Think he probably has it but being vaccinated has prevented him getting ill.
DS15, who hasn’t had his vaccination at school yet, negative lateral flows and is completely fine.
We are in the SW.

Anecdotally I have a number of friends who have been getting positive lateral flows but negative pcrs that eventually got positives.

This is happening in the NW too…

@MarshaBradyo you obviously don’t know many school staff or people with a CEV household member then.

[quote JanglyBeads]@MarshaBradyo you obviously don’t know many school staff or people with a CEV household member then.[/quote]
I do know some but their views aren’t always aligned with mn.

I can see some groups will feel differently but I was responding to the up in arms post. I don’t think the majority are. But yes maybe the groups you mention.

I suspect the issue is related to the drive through. I'm not in SW but have done a number of PCRs over the last 18 months. Until the last one they were all postal or the door step ones when we were 8n a high risk area, all done and results received easily.

Did a drive through test for me and DD, did it exactly the same as we always have and the results both came back as void, unable to give a result.

Only difference was that it was done first the drive through. I noticed on the day that they were putting all the completed tests into insulated cool boxes which is obviously not the case for the postal tests. Does none know if chilling the samples could affect them?

To add to the mystery, case rates suddenly falling rapidly in SW areas when England is climbing quite fast as a whole.
Suggests that positive results are not being correctly identified. I don't have the zoe app by maybe someone who does can see if their figures for these regions agree.

61% drop?!?!! Surely this should be ringing ALL the alarm bells at public health?!?

North somerset also dropped.

That's in my area