"She's fine, we've done a lateral flow"

[Happymchappy]

I just wondered if anyone else is coming across this more and more amongst parents at school. The vast majority of people I chat to seem to be relying heavily on lateral flows these days - less so PCRs for close contacts, coughs etc.
I'm just intrigued how common this is more widely?
I'm sure if a child was visibly ill with symptoms the school would send them home and they'd get a PCR then - I've come across it more in social interactions like playdates etc.

I've just had this conversation with a friend by text who says they're fine (despite a headache and feeling like crap) because their LFT 3 days ago was negative! 18 months and people still haven't got it!

my kids school is requesting we do LFTs daily for a week if another pupil in the class comes positive, and to PCR if symptoms appear.

There was an article doing the rounds last week that said they're more reliable than previously thought.. so its enough for me.

People are relying on Lfts because the government has been totally useless at updating the symptoms that mean you can get a pcr test. Coughs obv should be a pcr but “headache and feel like crap” doesn’t,

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

Confirmatory PCRs were really part of the process for when LFT picked up asymptomatic cases (and to rule out a false postive)

Obv if you have 1 of 3 main symptoms- should still get a PCR.

My daughter's last prc test took 8 days to come back as negative. Multiple lfts from multiple family members came back negative prior to that. I get that you can have a negative lft and a positive pcr but, on the basis of probability, I'm not ashamed to say I took her out and sent her back to school before the pcr result came back. I was sick and tired of waiting and being told by the test and trace people that they wouldn't chase up her results. She was fine and needed to be in school.

My symptoms were a headache and feeling like crap, LFT was negative, PCR positive, so I think there are a lot of people going round thinking they have a cold and spreading covid.

My PCR was positive but I did a few lateral flows over the course of my covid just to see if they ever showed it as positive too and they always came back negative.
We’ve been told so many times to take a PCR if you have symptoms it’s not difficult!

I've just had this conversation with a friend by text who says they're fine (despite a headache and feeling like crap) because their LFT 3 days ago was negative! 18 months and people still haven't got it!

Yes, people are not getting it. A headache is not a qualifying symptom to get a PCR test. The list of qualifying symptoms is by no means definitive, but considering the number of possible symptoms, if we test for everything we will face shortages of tests and a delay in results meaning that people with qualifying symtpoms will have to isolate for longer.

LFT are great as part of a regular routine (2-3 times a week eg). You will pick up some asymptomatic cases this way.

For symptoms and close contacts pcrs are needed. These are bits of extra information that help make good choices. My dd tested +ve on a pcr on Sunday and her LFT did not turn positive until the Tuesday. We would have found it as part of her twice weekly testing on the Wednesday but the extra info on close contacts and the pcr taken as soon as we heard meant that I think she infected NOONE else and the chain of transmission stopped. If we hadn't done the pcr and caught her at the LFT the risk of her infecting someone else was much higher.

I also hate the people doing random LFT when they sneeze and deeming themselves covid free.

We should all be doing routine LFT 2 or 3 times a week. End of. Gavel.

@emmathedilemma

I've just had this conversation with a friend by text who says they're fine (despite a headache and feeling like crap) because their LFT 3 days ago was negative! 18 months and people still haven't got it!

Given that "headache and feeling like crap" don't qualify your friend for a PCR, what is it that people still haven't got? I mean, I can see what you haven't got, eighteen months in, but I'm intrigued as to what you think your friend has done wrong? She feels unwell, she's done a LFT, that's negative, she doesn't qualify for a PCR - she seems to have done everything right!

@pommedeterre

LFT are great as part of a regular routine (2-3 times a week eg). You will pick up some asymptomatic cases this way.

For symptoms and close contacts pcrs are needed. These are bits of extra information that help make good choices. My dd tested +ve on a pcr on Sunday and her LFT did not turn positive until the Tuesday. We would have found it as part of her twice weekly testing on the Wednesday but the extra info on close contacts and the pcr taken as soon as we heard meant that I think she infected NOONE else and the chain of transmission stopped. If we hadn't done the pcr and caught her at the LFT the risk of her infecting someone else was much higher.

I also hate the people doing random LFT when they sneeze and deeming themselves covid free.

We should all be doing routine LFT 2 or 3 times a week. End of. Gavel.

Problem is that LFTs just arent reliable (I tested positive pcr as I had a cough). LFT s have been negative throughout.

Unfortunately having a headache and feeling crap are not symptoms that entitles one to a pcr test. So even though they might be having covid they are not expected to get a pcr. That's what the LFT's are for and if that's negative there's not much that can be done unless the government changes the pcr test requirements 🤷‍♀️

Yup. Everyone I know is relying on them and not getting a PCR.

Because it's too much now. This has gone on too long. Everyone's exhausted with this. It's a losing battle. What more can I say?

In the instruction booklets for the new rapid antigen tests it says that you can use them with symptoms

It's so hard. Colds are extremely common in schools at this time of year every single year and you do expect to send children to school with a bit of a cold or they'd never go. Once you have done a test, what more can you really do?

It's an extremely difficult situation.

My LFT was negative the day I got a positive PCR. My kids’ symptoms were sore throat and feeling crap.

My local NHS trust is telling people NOT to take PCR tests for ‘wider symptoms’ ie headaches and common cold symptoms as it’s cold season. I’ll take their advice over someone on here.

Loads of symptoms don’t qualify you for a PCR. Plus it’s a right hassle to go and get one, you need a car and it takes up an hour of your time.

So when the school emails to say that the whole class needs to be PCR'd because they are close contacts of 1 person in that class who has Covid ... are we meant to take them down to the PCR testing centre (where all the people who have Covid are) and get them infected?

The delta variant symptoms are different to the original symptoms on the government website, they should be updated.

@Marelle

Loads of symptoms don’t qualify you for a PCR. Plus it’s a right hassle to go and get one, you need a car and it takes up an hour of your time.

You can order one online from the same site you book the drive through ones. They arrive within 24 hours, including Sundays.

I think if the turnaround time for PCR results wasn't often as hideously long as they were in @Peanutsandchilli's case, people would be more inclined to take one rather than a quick but fairly useless LFT.

You can order one online from the same site you book the drive through ones
So I have to isolate for 24h until the test arrives. Assuming the postman can fit it through the letter box. Then I have to trail all the way to the postbox. Then wait another 2-3 days for a result, and probably have to isolate during that time too. It’s just not feasible. I have LFTs in the cupboard and can use them and get a result right now.

@PurpleDaisies

People are relying on Lfts because the government has been totally useless at updating the symptoms that mean you can get a pcr test. Coughs obv should be a pcr but “headache and feel like crap” doesn’t,

I agree. Most people who are feeling really unwell are technically 'lying' to get a PCR test.

In fact there's a lot of advice on here to do just that.