If you can test positive up to 90 days after catching it...

[musicalfrog]

What if you catch Delta now, but Omicron in a few weeks time (asymptomatically)?

How would you know it isn't a new infection? Indeed, would you even bother asymptomatic testing after having actual covid (for 90 days anyway)?

[quote TheVampiresWife]@Palavah[/quote]
It says because you're thought to be immune, not because it will give a false positive

I think track and trace send you something to say you are considered immune?

You're exempt from lateral flow tests for 90 days after having Covid but even within that 90 day period, if you have new Covid symptoms you're supposed to take a PCR test.

I’m confused to just over covid caught when omicron was just a twinkle in someone’s eye so not that. Recovered mostly now but if I catch omicron it’s not going on my record and can’t test for it either. Hoping lateral flow would pick up a new infection even though not supposed to be used for symptoms. Can’t have booster yet either so think chances getting I’ll again in month will be high

Clear as mud then really.

I think after Christmas people will panic less about 'doing the right thing', just think it's a high pressure time right now.

@Akire

I’m confused to just over covid caught when omicron was just a twinkle in someone’s eye so not that. Recovered mostly now but if I catch omicron it’s not going on my record and can’t test for it either. Hoping lateral flow would pick up a new infection even though not supposed to be used for symptoms. Can’t have booster yet either so think chances getting I’ll again in month will be high

Yes. My whole household is in this position.

@mocktail yes 119 told me pcr only if develop one of the main symptoms, yet my ds didn't have then first time round , just cold symptoms
But we can't test every cold either

It would help if they updated the symptoms as well to what people are actually getting as well

You wouldn’t know!

My son tested positive on a LFT on Sunday (negative on Saturday), positive PCR on Monday and had a negative LFT today. (Only tested as T&T deem his last day of isolation to be Saturday but we'd keep him at home longer if it was still positive).

It's a bit concerning that professionals are advising against Lateral Flow Testing for up to 90 days after a positive, unless, like Islington Council upthread, they are assuming that a person remains immune to Covid (all varients?) for 90 days.

Lateral flows pick up the protein (antigen) on the virus, so if a LFT is positive the virus is present. PCRs pick up the genetic material from the virus, which may be actively causing production of more viruses in the person, or it may have been deactivated by the person's immune system but not yet cleared from the body. This debris can linger for up to 90 days (apparently someone still tested positive after 180 days in Singapore at one point), but it isn't very common for it to still be around so much later.

I would think it helpful to do LFTs after an infection. Once they become clear (negative), a later positive would suggest another infection, with the virus present again.

@Akire

I’m confused to just over covid caught when omicron was just a twinkle in someone’s eye so not that. Recovered mostly now but if I catch omicron it’s not going on my record and can’t test for it either. Hoping lateral flow would pick up a new infection even though not supposed to be used for symptoms. Can’t have booster yet either so think chances getting I’ll again in month will be high

I recently got corrected on my understanding of lateral flow and symptoms. The guidance isn't that you shouldn't use a lat flow if you have symptoms, or that it doesn't work, but that lateral flow is for testing at scale to spot clusters in asymptomatic so you can identify where PCRs should be taken.

I'm in a similar situation to you and since my positive lat flow and PCR have been taking regular lat flows so i can see whether I've been reinfected/caught the new variant.

My dd just tested positive. The email from test and trace says not to test for 90 days unless you get new symptoms.

It's very confusing. I've had Covid recently and thought I'd be immune for a while but who knows with Omicron?

When I had Covid I was positive on LFTs for 4-5 days, then they went negative. So if I have any symptoms suggesting a reinfection before 90 days is up, I'll do a LFT rather than PCR - if the LFT is positive for me, I think it would very likely be a reinfection, whereas if a PCR was positive in that time, it could easily be picking up residual virus from last time.