To ask you to please not rely on lft's if you have symptoms.

[Coronachristmas21]

About 10 days ago Dp went on a work training course with someone he wouldn't normally have much contact at all with (work in the same place but not close by). His work is pretty social distanced but the training day was not. He was sat near to the guy all day on training course for one day. The guy was sniffing, sneezing and coughing all the way through but he said he had got a negative lft so he was 'fine' in his words.

Very next morning less than 12 hours after last contact, the guy tested positive on a lft and comfirmed by pcr. Just a few days later Dp tested positive and isolating until later in the week. Thankfully not overly unwell and pretty much over it.

Now our autistic son has tested positive. Thankfully mild symptoms but he's had an hour long meltdown because in his words 'he has the virus' and 'Christmas will be rubbish'

Probably get through me and Dd as well.

I know we could have caught anywhere but we try minimise the risk. I'm not working currently and don't really go very far and get most things delivered, dc are primary age and there has been next to no cases in their small village school! Dp's work is usually distanced. We don't go to crowded places, wears masks etc. We've avoided it for 21 months.

I am pretty pissed at the situation, but I know there's not much j can do about it. But the point of my post is to please don't rely on lft's this Christmas when you have symptoms. They can work, Dp had a strong instant positive when asymptomatic but sometimes don't work when you are actually ill?! 🤷‍♀️

To add, please don't think it's covid if it's like a cold. Both Dp's and DS's symptoms are cold like. Sneezy, runny nose etc!

To add be careful when thinking about sending your dc to school. Ds could have gone school all week. He had two negative pcrs on Monday and Wednesday (despite actually having symptoms on Wednesday) re-tested him yesterday which was positive, it can change so quickly.

Just want to rant. I've had the most rubbish year or so with bereavement and other things as well as covid and I feel like I just want to curl up and cry.

I am grateful that neither Dp or Ds is particularly ill.

I also care for my grandma but haven't been in because of this. Even though I'm still negative, I don't wanna risk anything 😪

Agree. People still seem to think they are more accurate than they actually are. Both myself and DS tested negative on LFTs, and did PCRs on the same day that came back positive.

@Waxonwaxoff0

Agree. People still seem to think they are more accurate than they actually are. Both myself and DS tested negative on LFTs, and did PCRs on the same day that came back positive.

I can understand how quick and easy lft's seem to people - would be great if there was actually a reliable rapid test. But like you say they aren't accurate! Thankfully pcrs are not usually taking too long to come back now either!

They're better than nothing. DH has been working with someone who caught covid. Teammates had negative Day 2 pcr tests and positive Day 3 or Day 4 LFTs.

The GP on This Morning said that LFT’s don’t work if you have symptoms. Not sure why?

The whole point of LFTs were that they were better than nothing & at a population level would pick up cases that would otherwise go undiagnosed. If you really need to know, PCR is the way to go although I read that LFTs are more accurate than they originally thought. I think they are particularly useful if you are doing them twice a week as you are unlikely to get false negatives every time.

@Jacaranda75

The GP on This Morning said that LFT’s don’t work if you have symptoms. Not sure why?

He's wrong. The test doesn't know if you have symptoms or not, it's just looking for viral antigens, which don't disappear when you get symptoms.

I agree Op, so many people with visible symptoms saying “it’s not covid” then turns out they’ve only done LFT. I actually think it’s the next scandal, the message should be much clearer that they can give false negatives and if you have any symptoms at all, you must get a PCR.

@EllieSattler

They're better than nothing. DH has been working with someone who caught covid. Teammates had negative Day 2 pcr tests and positive Day 3 or Day 4 LFTs.

Similar pattern to Dp. Negative 2 days after exposure. Positive 2 days after that with both lft and then pcr.

My point was that his colleague had symptoms and relied on a negative lft and still went and infected everyone!

PCRs also give a lot of false negatives, although fewer than LFTs

Well it’s the government telling people to go about their daily lives using lfts, even if they’ve been exposed.

My dd has tested positive so she’s isolating. The rest of us have had negative pcrs and are carrying on with school and work.

You can’t blame someone for thinking he just has a cold with those symptoms and a negative lateral flow.

Just to add, we’re doing daily lateral flows for what it’s worth!

@BrutusMcDogface

Well it’s the government telling people to go about their daily lives using lfts, even if they’ve been exposed.

My dd has tested positive so she’s isolating. The rest of us have had negative pcrs and are carrying on with school and work.

You can’t blame someone for thinking he just has a cold with those symptoms and a negative lateral flow.

I don't disagree but my other gripe is the government and their measly 3 symptoms. Dp's covid was like a cold, as was his colleagues and so is DS's! It can be exactly like a cold, if anything milder than a cold.

@Lalalablahblahblah

Well better than some of the parents of kids in DCs class. I've heard more than once 'yeah it's just a cold. I'm not testing my child' so no pcr or lft and obviously symptomatic child is sent to school. Now both of mine have tested positive for covid just in time for Christmas. Thanks for that

Totally sucks! Technically Dd can go in Monday if she's symptom free and negative but keeping her off anyway. Don't want to ruin Christmas for more people!

Well recently if me or my kids were to get a PCR every time we had cold like symptoms we'd be at the test centre constantly. When booking a test theres only 3 main symptoms it asks if you have. If I don't have them then technically I'm doing the right thing by taking an LFT with just a cold.

According to zoe app video, a third of cold like symptoms are covid.

@Forgetaboutme

Well recently if me or my kids were to get a PCR every time we had cold like symptoms we'd be at the test centre constantly. When booking a test theres only 3 main symptoms it asks if you have. If I don't have them then technically I'm doing the right thing by taking an LFT with just a cold.

Same.

I work in a restaurant and we catch everything going. We test with the main symptoms, but if we all took time off every time we had a cold, to sit at home waiting for a PCR, we wouldn't get paid and the restaurant would really suffer. We don't have spare staff knocking around. If they want to prevent people from continuing to go to work with colds, they need to state this and make it possible financially. So unlikely to happen.

@Wilma55

According to zoe app video, a third of cold like symptoms are covid.

Well then I have had covid several times already this year based on the number of colds I've had!

That's all very well, but if you have "just a cold" symptoms (sneezing, runny nose, headache) you aren't actually eligible for a PCR test, and would have to lie to get one. It's only a high temperature, new continuous cough or loss of taste or smell that count as symptoms when it comes to getting a PCR test. For everything else, you just have to keep on taking lateral flow tests.

The symptom list has never been updated its completely reckless to leave it how it was nearly two years ago

ive also been told not to do lfts if i have symptoms

I think those getting a PCR and isolating until they get results for every cold symptom either work from home or don’t work, in the real world your work doesn’t let you take 2 days off every couple of weeks because you have a cold and want to wait to see if it’s covid!

@DaisyWaldron

That's all very well, but if you have "just a cold" symptoms (sneezing, runny nose, headache) you aren't actually eligible for a PCR test, and would have to lie to get one. It's only a high temperature, new continuous cough or loss of taste or smell that count as symptoms when it comes to getting a PCR test. For everything else, you just have to keep on taking lateral flow tests.

These were my partners exact symptoms for the first few days after testing postive. He didn't have any of the main three until a few days in when he lost his smell and taste. No cough, no fever...

@Wilma55

According to zoe app video, a third of cold like symptoms are covid.

Absolutely. My partners was like w cold. Very sneezy and snotty. Lost smell and taste a few days later so would have seemed like a normal cold for the first few days! He was testing due to being close contact!!

You're getting angry with the wrong people. Speak to the jokers in charge. They make the guidelines to only test if you have the main three symptoms.

@Katie517 Dp hasn't had a cold since the beginning of the pandemic. His covid symptoms were exactly like a cold. If he hadn't been a close contact he probably wouldn't have tested assuming it was a cold as he hadn't one in so long - he did loser his smell and taste but that was a few days later and only lasted a day or two.