Negative pcr and lateral flows but HOW?

[mamboitaliano7]

After others views to try and make some sense of our current situation.

Dh tested strong covid positive on 2 lateral flows over the weekend and is currently waiting on a pcr result. Pretty certain he has covid though as has some symptoms including splitting headache, upset stomach and is very lethargic.

I arranged for 1yr dd and I to have pcr's and I had similar splitting headache and we both had runny noses/sneezing/coughing symptoms. Both our tests have come back negative and my daily lateral flows are also negative.

Both dh and I are double jabbed and work from home. We have also been trying to be careful in the run up to Christmas so I'd say we have spent 80/90% of our time at home together and our dd means there's usually lots of contact between all 3 of us. So I'm more than surprised for only one of us to be positive given our symptoms, especially given how transmissible omnicron is meant to be?

Me and dd are isolating from dh as much as possible but after only a few days of doing this I'm not sure how long I can keep this up... dh timescales also mean we would have to isolate on Christmas Day which is just the cherry on the cake.

What do you think? Is it likely we all have covid but have different viral loads hence different tests results and symptoms? Or pure coincidence and dd and I have been lucky?

I currently have Covid, I had symptoms for a few days before I finally tested positive. My DS had Covid so luckily I kept testing as I knew I probably had it. I tested at home every day and my 3rdPCR was positive. I've been pretty ill with it so I'm not sure why the tests weren't picking up on it at first.

Very similar to us but I'm not vaccinated. Almost the same timing as OP and DP has it, DD has symptoms first but tested negative and I was a bit I'll but I've been I'll in and off all year, had negative LFTs and will get a PCR tomorrow to check

All tests have a failure rate and false negatives are much more likely than false positives. The pre test probability of you having Covid is high given you are in close contact with a case and have typical symptoms. I would assume you have it whatever the tests say.

When DH and I had it last Christmas pre vaccine we both had negative PCRs at first and then positive a few days later. We re-tested because of ongoing symptoms

DH tested positive despite negative lateral flows. Had PCR due to symptoms. DC2 and I then started to become symptomatic so booked a PCR but results were negative. I’ve no idea how we didn’t catch it yet his aunt who saw DH for 1 hour in our extension which has no windows did catch it. We have a new baby so DH couldn’t isolate fully as no way I could cope with doing everything by myself though we tried to limit contact, wear masks, hand wash etc. perhaps I should have tested again later in the week!

There's a few things it could be. You might have tested too soon. I know quite a few families where one member tested positive and the others didn't test positive until 3 or 5 days later.
Other option is you don't have it. Again I know quite a few families where 1 member was positive and the others weren't.

Did you keep a photo of his and your LFTs?

i swear none of the ones I have tried do anything

I’ve no idea how we didn’t catch it yet his aunt who saw DH for 1 hour in our extension which has no windows did catch it
Did she know he had it?

@StarCat2020

Did you keep a photo of his and your LFTs?

i swear none of the ones I have tried do anything

No photos unfortunately but dh tests had two very distinct red lines and there's no question that mine have had only one.

I probably should've mentioned I had symptoms before dh and had an initial negative pcr 3 days before he tested positive.

I was almost willing to see a positive result on mine and dd's latest pcr as at least that would mean we wouldn't have to isolate from dh.

Given our circumstances I think a false negative is the most likely answer. I'd love to scrap dh's isolation but at the same time have a niggle in the back of my mind that maybe we don't have covid and I could expose dd unnecessarily...

Currently researching how contagious covid is from onset to see if that puts my mind at ease at all

@mamboitaliano7
Thanks you have helped me, sorry i can't help you