Help - Fit to Fly PCR

[Ploddingalong67]

Me and my DP are due to travel abroad on Thursday night. The country we are travelling to requires a negative PCR test 72 hours before travel.

We booked our PCR tests for this morning and to my horror I've come back as positive. Have no symptoms at all, DP has tested negative.

This evening I've taken 3 lateral flows and all are completely negative, not even a faint line. DP's lateral flows this evening have also been negative.

Could it be a false positive on the PCR? Is it worth me getting another PCR? I don't know what to do.

Yes get another. Could be false positive. Either way you will know - as they won’t let you fly with a positive.
So sorry. What a massive pain.

Have you had Covid in the last few months? If so, the tests can show positive for a while. Agree you should do another one, you have nothing to lose. Good luck.

As you've now tested positive you need to isolate. The next one could be a false negative. Sorry about your holiday, that sucks.

As far as I know I haven't had COVID in the past few months no.

I'm just totally confused... I've booked another PCR for tomorrow.

They can show up an old infection. You may have had Covid asymptomatically in recent months and that’s what’s showing up now.

If you've had COVID within the past 3 months it's worth getting another PCR as it could be a 'false positive'. If you haven't had COVID before then I'm afraid it's not a 'false' result and you won't be able to fly, that's why it's called a fit-to-fly test.

Although BunsyGirl is right, and you might not be infectious, unfortunately unless you are recognised as having had COVID previously and have a recovery document, the airline is very unlikely to let you board a plane, although it's always worth checking with them.

There are lots of asymptomatic people and very few false positives.

I wouldn't want to sit next to you on a plane!

@Ploddingalong67

As far as I know I haven't had COVID in the past few months no.

I'm just totally confused... I've booked another PCR for tomorrow.

Sorry about your holiday but what’s the point of another test? A negative won’t trump an original positive as your fit to fly provider will have informed the NHS/ Test and Trace etc.

@Ploddingalong67

As far as I know I haven't had COVID in the past few months no.

I'm just totally confused... I've booked another PCR for tomorrow.

What are you confused about? You’ve tested positive on a PCR test. Another PCR test won’t cancel that out, and as you should now be isolating you can’t go get another one anyway.

Even when isolating you can go out to get a test.

But there is no point in another test. OP tested positive yesterday. If she tests negative today, it doesn’t count. If she tests positive again today it’ll probably extend her isolation period for a day. I get that it is gutting but unfortunately she won’t be going on holiday on Thursday no matter what.

@Cookerhood

Even when isolating you can go out to get a test.

You can if you need to get a PCR test. The fit to fly tests however are done by people, and aren’t meant for people who know they are positive. OP has had a positive test, they need to isolate and that doesn’t mean going to a fit to fly testing centre and getting someone to do a test on them in the hope another test gives a different result.

True, apologies.

My NHS PCR has come back as negative... what an earth! Cancelled my flights and everything.

Could there be any reasonable explanation?

You’ve still had a positive PCR test so you will have to isolate for 10 days after result date. Test and trace will contact you and tell you that you have to isolate for 10 days and that you could be fined if you do not do so.

Was the NHS one self administered? Regardless, you have to isolate as you had a positive PCR test.

Waste of an Nhs test when you already tested positive 🙄