Do you need to get a pcr test if positive on lateral flow....?

[Lollolloll]

....if you are able to isolate for 10 days and let contacts know?

Dd tested positive on LF at start of half term (a couple of days into first week). Has spent 10 days upstairs revising. Hasn’t been out. Symptoms for one day only. Caught it off a friend who she spent the day with 5 days before who subsequently tested positive.

We let close contacts know and tested the rest of our household who haven’t had it already. (Dh and youngest dc had it one month before and dd’s And me didn’t). We were all negative.

Haven’t been anywhere because we cancelled our plans so couldn’t see the point of pcr testing. Is it mandatory, or just recommended? And if so why?

Mandatory so they can track where Covid is in the country and also screen for variants. And wouldn’t you want to double check it’s not a false positive on LF??

Not mandatory to get a PCR test, the confirmatory PCR means it's counted in the national statistics, and means that you can have access to grants/isolation payment if you're eligible.

The counting in statistics is really important for working out what's happening locally. If everyone didn't do a PCR, then you have no idea how rampant it is in certain areas i.e. at the moment schools are being hit hard - but that could change to a workplace or care home, local councils act on this information to check on infection control practices.

It’s mandatory, which has been well advertised for a long time. You can find the info you need about testing quite easily by googling it.

The confirmatory PCR means you also get a call from track and trace who can run through the correct dates for the isolation period, and also double check close contacts.

No one is going get into trouble for not doing one. It’s great you could tell all your contacts and if you off for half term maybe it doesn’t affect you. But your friend may need more to tell their work than I had a close contact so I’m Off for 10 days. Getting PcR would mean track trace are involved and they have evidence for work.

Plus could been false negative and just a cold and would all been for nothing.

The PCR is a different test, it picks up on something else, so you are supposed to do it. The lft might give a negative when the Pcr is positive. Your child should have done PCR to kick start the test and trace people into action and so should all your child's contacts. If we don't all use the system put in place to try and control this thing how can we expect to limit it.

Yes you should have it confirmed officially so it is correctly recorded on medical records as well as being screened for variants etc. It also means you are exempt from testing for 90 days.

It's not mandatory no but it's recommended. I guess it's because lft tests can be inaccurate and also for statistics, track and trace etc. It might be good to have a record that he's had it too on his records! You are exempt from testing for 90 days after positive pcr...

@Angel2702 that’s a very good point - if done one doesn’t do PCR and therefore has no “official” confirmation of infection if they later need to test to travel they are likely to still test positive whereas the proof of infection would presumably be taken into account

It is not mandatory at all. We did them this week as DS11 had a positive LFT and we'd been at a family event. I've had emails and dozens (50+) of missed calls (they are going straight to voicemail) from T&T so I dont think we'll ever bother doing PCRs again so if you've not been anywhere and have effectively isolated for 10 days then I wouldn't bother doing them in your shoes.

Surely it’s better to have proof of prior infection officially recorded on your health records?

I think it's a bit selfish not to tbh.

It helps track the spread, keep an eye on the numbers, helps with forward planning for the NHS etc. We all benefit from this.

Plus it gives access to support measures. Isolation note for work. Confirmation of an accurate lft etc..and what if long covid develops?

It's the right thing to so.

You should have done a PCR test as it’s more accurate and you will get a definite yes or no, whereas LFT are not always accurate, so now you really don’t know for sure if DD had covid or not.

When you say you tested the rest of the family and they were negative did you test with PCR Because LF's can be inaccurate and if you are living with a positive case you are supposed to do a PCR. Out of 6 of us only I had a positive LF but 4 PCR's came back positive

It's not mandatory and if you take a PCR test, you will have test and trace harassing you daily with endless calls.

I have no idea if it's mandatory, I've never had to check but it's a good idea for all of the above reasons.

Also it will give you a record of 'proof of recovery' if you might need it in the next 3/6 months. To prove you've had it and finished isolating but can't do a lft/pcr. Needed if going to some concerts/shows/sporting events/abroad travel etc.

If showing covid symptoms then I'd probably accept the LFT result and not PCR if your going to isolate anyway, if you've let close contacts know I'm not what difference a PCR makes. If a positive LFT with no symptoms then I'd probably PCR just to make sure. Another reason I wouldn't PCR unless I had too is to avoid the harassment from T&T, a friend of mine was positive a few weeks ago the amount of calls to both mobile and landline and texts she got was ridiculous.

Important for tracking the disease, I think.
Probably a good idea to have it on her medical records as there may be future health implications or she may wish to travel or go into somewhere that requires a negative PCR.

Fwiw we only had one test and trace phone all on day 2.

Wasn’t harassed here by T&T

Would love to know where some people are getting their information from - nowhere has it ever said that PCR testing is mandatory!

I've had 2 calls from Track and Trace and that was it.
I suspect the main reason some won't do a pcr is that if positive they have to isolate and they wont, thereby putting other people at risk. I can't see how that isnt selfish.

DD had symptoms and +ve LFT and then took a PCR which was also +ve. She did the PCR test mainly for school so it wasn't an unauthorised absence and so that the school could tell anyone who would benefit from knowing.

T and T were a pain in the arse so when DH and I got symptoms and a +ve LFT the whole household isolated and got shopping on line. (DH works from home, I'd only been to LIDL so no-one to contact). Since the PCR tests cost the NHS £20+ per time I thought it would be wasting money when it was pretty obvious that we were all infected and had no intention of leaving the house.

The reason we didn’t pcr test was because it would have been pointless if she was isolating anyway. And luckily the timing meant that she doesn’t miss any school and no holidays planned where we would need to test or have evidence of a positive test.

The main reason I didn’t get her tested was not to avoid isolating but because of bloody test and trace who were a nightmare when ds got it a month ago.

Ds caught it either at cubs, school or football. Test and trace wanted contact details of everyone he’d been in contact with. I don’t even know the names of everyone in his class let alone their contact details. I said we’d already let school, Cubs and football know, but they weren’t happy with that, they wanted details. They kept asking over and over and I was trying to work and look after ds. They didn’t seem to understand that I had no idea who he’d been in close contact with as I wasn’t there! Just couldn’t be bothered going through all that again, especially when we’d let the contacts know ourselves.

Test and Trace aren’t tending to do the daily follow-ups for under 18s.

Yes, their calls are a bit of a nuisance….but I really would categorise it as nuisance and nothing more.

Being able to track where cases are occurring and get a bigger picture of the spread of the disease seems a bigger issue to me, and one it’s worth putting up with the minor inconvenience for.

So like a lot of these things, in the end, it comes down to whether you’re thinking purely about what suits you most, and what the bigger picture is.

You don’t HAVE to take a PCR or report it. Most people will be willing to do this and appreciate the role it plays in the bigger control of the illness.

At this point 10 days on, the key moment might have passed, although it could well be that the test still comes up positive. Wouldn’t it have been easy to do it and report and isolate over half term. Doing it now could mean isolation in term time…seems a bit daft.

Did you tell the school the LFT result?