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Original poster

2 positive LF’s 2 negative PCR’s

30 replies

Realitea · 22/11/2021 07:53

I’m really confused now. What do I do? Dd has had two positive lateral flow tests and two negative PCR results this weekend. She isn’t well, has a cough and a sore throat. Send her to school as soon as she feels well enough which could be a few days or keep her home anyway and probably get into trouble by the school?

OP posts:
Original poster
Realitea · 22/11/2021 07:55

Also need to mention a lot of students and teachers at her school are off with covid

OP posts:
Phatsia · 22/11/2021 08:03

Keep her home for a few days and maybe try one more pcr? Some people have eventually gone on to test positive. However, my son had this exact situation and 3 pcrs later he is still negative and mostly better so going to school. Ive lost faith in lfts.

Original poster
Realitea · 22/11/2021 08:07

I think you’re right, I will try another PCR in a few days. The LF’s don’t make any sense!

OP posts:
SpringRainbow · 22/11/2021 08:11

Ugh once upon a time PCRs were the one to trust, LFTs were useless.

Now who knows what to trust anymore.

I agree, just keep her home until she feels better and maybe do another test before she returns.

Mindymomo · 22/11/2021 08:15

Agree, keep her off and do another PCR test in a couple of days. School wouldn’t want her in anyway. Could be another virus going around.

claymodels · 22/11/2021 08:19

She is not well so why would you send her to school?

Cornettoninja · 22/11/2021 08:21

That’s a tricky situation but I’d want to keep her at home too.

I’m not sure but maybe this is one 119 could advise on? It makes sense that x2 positive LFT’s and symptoms should be treated as covid regardless of the PCR result.

Megan2018 · 22/11/2021 08:22

I’ve had positive LFD and negative PCR twice too, it’s infuriating! I didn’t have symptoms and was double jabbed, NHS told me to carry on as normal even though my daughter had positive PCR. I largely stayed home, only popping out to the farm where my horse lives as I didn’t feel comfortable going to work/Tesco but the horse needed feeding.

I think with symptoms I’d keep home just in case.

Original poster
Realitea · 22/11/2021 08:22

I said send her to school as soon as she feels well enough

OP posts:
Cornettoninja · 22/11/2021 08:22

@claymodels

She is not well so why would you send her to school?
I think she’s specifically concerned about her sending her back in a few days if she’s better but before the ten day isolation would be up.
Original poster
Realitea · 22/11/2021 08:23

I spoke to test and trace after the first lateral flow and negative PCR result. They said due to the exposure she’s had to covid and the fact she has symptoms to test again. So the same thing has happened again! I’ll keep her home for a few days and see how she is and test again.

OP posts:
claymodels · 22/11/2021 08:24

Sorry I misread. You can send her back when she is better without testing again because PCR negative. I wouldn't, I would either keep mine off 10 days or do another PCR (depending on age)

Original poster
Realitea · 22/11/2021 08:27

Thanks @claymodels Smile

OP posts:
GrandmasCat · 22/11/2021 08:58

It is a no brainer. Ignore the PCRs and keep her at home for 10 days from positive LFT. You may have PCR tested a bit too early or a bit too late for a positive result even when she has Covid.

Satsunday · 22/11/2021 09:36

We were in a similar situation. I had a DC at home with confirmed covid and my other had 2 faint positive LTFs followed by two negative PCRs. Given the circumstances, we decided the LTFs were probably right. That was even without symtpoms. Although we were isolating anyway so it didn't make too much difference to us.

Your situation suggests she is positive but like others have said, it can take a few days to show. PCRs I think have a much higher rate of false negatives than false positives on LTFs. I would continue to isolate but test again with a PCR in a couple more days.

BlackInk · 22/11/2021 10:40

It's a nightmare isn't it.

My DD produced a positive LFT (1st pic) and was under the weather (awful night's sleep, very briefly raised temperature and was sick once). Took her for a PCR that day, which came back negative – surprisingly because her brother was just out of his isolation due to confirmed Covid and there were cases at DD's school.

So I did another LFT (2nd pic) which looked negative at first but showed a faint line a couple of hours later – should have thrown it away!

DD was feeling totally fine by this point. 119 advised that we should ignore the LFTs and go by the PCR result. I didn't feel comfortable sending her to school etc, so took her for another PCR, which also came back negative. So she went back to school. All subsequent LFTs clear negatives.

Who knows what's going on!

PCRs not picking up cases? New variant that's only being picked up by LFTs? DD's LFTs were fake positives, but caused by what? DD did have Covid but so mildly/briefly that it wasn't picked up by PCRs?

The trouble is we now don't know whether she's had it or not.

2 positive LF’s 2 negative PCR’s
2 positive LF’s 2 negative PCR’s
Cornettoninja · 22/11/2021 10:52

@BlackInk I do wonder how sensitive LFT’s are to other viruses, especially other corona viruses ie colds. But then I’ve heard of recent cases detected the other way around; negative LFT positive PCR.

The technology behind them may be as good as we can get it so we just have to work with it, it won’t be helping that there have been quite clear covid cases diagnosed in hospital on imaging and other results that also haven’t triggered a PCR result.

I think at the moment, for me personally, any hint of positivity will be treated as covid as far as I can reasonably manage. We can only do the best we can with the tools available.

RebeccaCloud9 · 22/11/2021 11:58

The latest advice is to trust the LFT device. This wasn't the case a while ago but is now. Have you used the new devices or the old ones? If old, I would get some new ones (via gov.uk) and test on them.

BlackInk · 22/11/2021 12:21

Where is that advice @RebeccaCloud9?
I Googled hard when I was in this situation a few weeks ago and official advice then was to go by the PCR result. This is also what 119 told me when I called to query it.
DD's positive LFT was a new nose-only one.

The problem with presuming you have Covid without a positive PCR is that you have no proof, no notes in your medical record etc. What if DC soon after actually gets Covid?

ecceromani · 22/11/2021 12:27

I would treat her as positive OP.
She has symptoms, been a close contact plus positive LFTs.
This may be another lab problem brewing like the one a few weeks agoConfused

SpringRainbow · 22/11/2021 12:33

@BlackInk

Where is that advice *@RebeccaCloud9*? I Googled hard when I was in this situation a few weeks ago and official advice then was to go by the PCR result. This is also what 119 told me when I called to query it. DD's positive LFT was a new nose-only one.

The problem with presuming you have Covid without a positive PCR is that you have no proof, no notes in your medical record etc. What if DC soon after actually gets Covid?

This advice was for only certain areas which were affected by the problems with the labs a while back in the (I think?) South West.

I have no idea if this is still the case or not. I don’t live in one of the areas affected and it’s all gone quiet. Or I missed any updates.

It was mainly advice given by the LAs affected to schools and probably workplaces.

Iggly · 22/11/2021 12:35

This happened to us. Twice now!!

In the end we kept her home for the ten days anyway as she was unwell.

Satsunday · 22/11/2021 12:40

Already posted above but the other thing we were able to notice was that for my DC2 he definitely had a negative LTF before my DC1 would have been infectious. So it wasn't just that she always gets a faint line. The line appeared a few days after DC1 tested positive.

As someone said above, it's just annoying not to know for sure.

RebeccaCloud9 · 22/11/2021 12:42

Heard it on the news on radio 4 a couple of weeks ago

BlackInk · 22/11/2021 12:48

@RebeccaCloud9 I suspect you just heard an expert giving their opinion on what they think people should do. They may well be right, but that's not the same as official advice, which as far as I can tell is still to go by the PCR result.

If you tell school / work that you're isolating due to Covid without a positive PCR, what would happen if a few weeks later you or your child did get a positive PCR?