Ds glaringly positive lft, pcr just came back negative

[Wagsandclaws]

So I started a thread yesterday about my two ds's who both had positive lateral flows. I booked a pcr and as suspected they came back during the night as negative.

What on earth is going on? Mine, Dh and dd lfts are still negative, these are from different batches too, I've attached this mornings and yesterday's from ds. They clearly have something - I can't understand why the pcrs aren't picking it up?

I've let the school know and sent them photos too. If people are being encouraged to take their children back to school on the basis of a negative pcr it's no wonder it's spreading the way it is.

I'm in the SW near Bristol. It isn't just this area though so I gather.

[quote Wagsandclaws]@Iggly I read that false positives are really rare too.

The chances of 5 positives between the boys and none for the rest of the family are pretty much second to none.

I just can't understand what's going on with pcr's that they aren't picking this up or at the very least are taking days to 🤷‍♀️[/quote]
I don’t know - it’s a worry. It’s like the government have given up taken this seriously anymore.

Given that vaccines for 12-15 are taking forever (absolute no sign of it where I live!), that vaccine boosters are taking forever (you can’t get a vaccine in my town which is ridiculous with the fact we have poor public transport) and god knows what’s happening with flu jabs; it has shit show for winter written all over it.

It is possible there is a slightly mutated strain going around with a genetic code that is no longer a match for the PCR test. I think lateral flows detect something different so could still be positive.

I had a thread on this - dss tested positive twice on lft and negative twice on pcr tests. Had all the symptoms and passed it on to family members. His head teacher made him go to school yesterday even though his ten days weren't up. Absolutely bonkers.

@Tigerwhocameforsupper

In this case does anyone know whether T&T date back the isolation period from your first positive lateral flow, or do they only count it from when you eventually get the positive PCR?

My daughter had an unreadable PCR results and when she finally got her results they did it from first sign of symptoms

There was a news article about this happening last week. They don’t really know if they’re faulty lfts or whether the pcrs aren’t picking up a certain variant.

But it’s happening a lot op you’re not the only one.

I don’t know - it’s a worry. It’s like the government have given up taken this seriously anymore

They’ve been made aware of the issues with positive LFT’s being followed up by negative PCR’s and scientists are looking into it. Not much else they can do!

Just joining in to say DD has a sore throat, cough and temp since Friday, did a LF on Saturday which came out negative so put it down to a winter cold/flue bug, however, her best friend text her Saturday night to she has tested negative on one LF and positive on the second. Sent off a PCR for DD yesterday and waiting now for the results today. Having read this I’m not sure how convinced I will be if it’s negative. College tutor has been in touch to say if negative result she needs to be back in college tomorrow (even though she still feels awful).

@Staryflight445 the thing is I'd have thought that if the lft's were faulty then we would have all tested positive not just those with symptoms.

I'm just a bit  that the advice is to crack on and go back into school/college/work Ect if you have a negative pcr following a positive lft.

@StormzyinaTCup even though she still feels poorly? That's not great is it and it's a recipe for spreading it if she ends up being positive after a few tests?

@TheGrumpyGoat

I don’t know - it’s a worry. It’s like the government have given up taken this seriously anymore

They’ve been made aware of the issues with positive LFT’s being followed up by negative PCR’s and scientists are looking into it. Not much else they can do!

They haven’t told people to continue to isolate - it’s not really that widespread in terms of information to the public.

This is a well known current issue, lots of looking into it going on, I'm sure you can find it all on google or all the threads in the covid topic.

There is some advice to isolate

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/09/negative-pcr-test-covid-symptoms-self-isolate

I know this is from a few days ago, there may have been updates since then

This is all over my son's school (Bristol). PHE have advised the school that no matter how many positive LFTs, if there's a negative PCR, send 'em in (assuming they don't actually feel ill - then it's go back when they feel well enough).

@Tigerwhocameforsupper

In this case does anyone know whether T&T date back the isolation period from your first positive lateral flow, or do they only count it from when you eventually get the positive PCR?

We were told that in the absence of symptoms then you had to take the date of the positive PCR test as the first day of isolation. Which seems bonkers - we did our LFTs, got postal PCRs which probably took in all about 4 days (2 to arrive, 2 to get the results) and yet we had to isolate for an additional ten days beyond that?

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/students-with-false-covid-positives-from-lateral-flows-doubles-in-a-week-xbfjct8tr

Just read this in the Times. It mentions a theory by scientists that LF tests rely on "non-viscous" liquid in the sample, and that the colds going around could be causing false positives in LF tests which is interesting.

We've been telling people if they have symptoms and their LFT is positive and PCR is negative they still have to isolate. If they don't have symptoms then they don't have to isolate (in wales, not sure if it's different anywhere else)

Ahhh bollocks DH and I have just tested positive ☹️

@EmmaStone

This is all over my son's school (Bristol). PHE have advised the school that no matter how many positive LFTs, if there's a negative PCR, send 'em in (assuming they don't actually feel ill - then it's go back when they feel well enough).

This is being said here as well.

A friend has been roundly told off by the HT for refusing to send her DS in. Three kids - one with symptoms, all with positive LFTs so ordered PCRs. The one with symptoms is the only one in the house whose PCR came back negative.

School are insisting he should come in.

@Wagsandclaws

Ahhh bollocks DH and I have just tested positive ☹️

@Wagsandclaws - oh that sucks😷 Rest up and hoping a speedy recovery for you both.

That came on so quickly. THis morning I was fine; all of us were testing negative apart from the boys. By this afternoon all three of us remaining were positive and I've got a temp of 38.3 already.

I hope it's a case of the faster you get symptoms the faster it's over with ( probably not ) but one can hope. I'm roasting!

Our school has just emailed us to say if your child has a positive LFT and a negative PCR, then they should stay home and isolate. (also SW but not Bristol)

@EmmaStone

This is all over my son's school (Bristol). PHE have advised the school that no matter how many positive LFTs, if there's a negative PCR, send 'em in (assuming they don't actually feel ill - then it's go back when they feel well enough).

My sons school (also bristol) emailed to say that PHE had advised getting a repeat pcr if positive on lft but negative on pcr. I think there’s been quite a few cases though.

This happened to my youngest son.
Positive lateral flow and he became quite poorly, the doctor wanted to see him due to his symptoms and once we’d got there we were sent to a red room at the paediatric department of the hospital to bring his heart rate down.
The doctor and the nurses at hospital thought it was covid as he had tested positive on a lateral flow test and had a nasty virus spiking his heart rate.
Pcr test was done at the hospital and it came back the next evening as negative.
He recovered fairly quickly but it was very strange.

Crazy advice from the college above to send in a sick child. I would ignore that Stormzy and keep her home until she is better.
A teacher friend has all the symptoms of Covid, including loss of taste and smell, but tested negative on her PCR . Very weird. I agree with above, maybe this is a strain the test is less efficient at picking up.

@SolitaryTree do you know what his heart rate was?

Ds2 (8) was 40.2 at 3am and his heart rate was 129 - I just don't know when you are supposed to get help really. To be honest the calpol bought it down ( I stayed up for two hours afterward to make sure ) .

Maybe it's if it doesn't come down that it's an issue 🤷‍♀️

I'm going to do the boys postal pcr's tomorrow and see what that comes back with. We are all positive in the lateral flows now ( Dh dd and me were negative yesterday morning then all started to feel rubbish by the afternoon and tested positive in the lateral flows by the late afternoon.

Dh temp and coughing, me temp and sore skin, dd (29) feels rough and sleeping a lot. I've ordered us home pcrs which I'll probably do the day after tomorrow.

I think it's a scandal how many people are walking around with this and being told to just crack on in the community as their pcr is negative. Surely they can see that something doesn't add up?

Meant to say his temp was 40.2 at 3 am.