What is the likelihood of a positive PCR?

[EmmaGrundyForPM]

Relative who is due to come for Christmas phoned last night to say that have Covid symptoms. Woke up yesterday with scratchy sore throat, lost sense of smell and taste. Feels very tired. Booked a PCR test which he took last night, so will get results either late today or tomorrow.

He also took two LFTs 8 hours apart, and both were negative.

Obviously if PCR is positive he will isolate and not come to us for Christmas. But is it likely to be when the LFTs are negative? If he's positive he will have to spend Christmas alone. I am tempted to drive over there with food and presents and leave them on his doorstep, but it would be a 4 hour round trip on Christmas Eve as I'm working until then. It would mean cancelling something else which won't be an issue, but it would be good to have a rough idea of whether a positive PCR is likely after two negative LFTs so that I can start planning.

Someone official said yesterday that there's so much Covid around now, you should assume it is Covid if you have symptoms. Scratchy throat is how all my friends started with it.

I had symptoms starting Thursday. LFT negative Friday evening and then positive Saturday morning

With those symptoms positive PRC test is very likely. LTF test can show negative for a long time before turning positive. I would start planning the Christmas eve roundtrip.

Last week according to the Zoe people 1/4 of viruses were covid but that's for the population. Obvously things will have moved on this week and global figures mean nothing for a specific individual

There's no way to know so best to assume and plan for a positive result

Ihave found the LF's a pretty good indicator. My dh has been rough all week. We were convinced it was Covid despite several negative lateral flows. PCR also negative. There are other winter bugs.

Thanks. He's only got one LFT left and is saving that for Thursday as he is coming to us via public transport. So he doesn't want to test again as if the PCR comes back negative then he will test on Thursday before catching the train.

I'm going to assume he's got it, and plan accordingly. If his PCR comes back negative then that will be a bonus

I'm going to go with, even if it was negative, do you want to catch whatever it is he has, which incidentally are the exact same symptoms of covid? The virus that has killed tens of thousands of people just in the UK? That is still the subject of daily reports on the news, internationally?

Sometimes I do wonder about what the point of news is, when people never listen.

I was testing negative on LFT but then got a positive PCR (tested as positive in household)

@EmmaGrundyForPM

Thanks. He's only got one LFT left and is saving that for Thursday as he is coming to us via public transport. So he doesn't want to test again as if the PCR comes back negative then he will test on Thursday before catching the train.

I'm going to assume he's got it, and plan accordingly. If his PCR comes back negative then that will be a bonus

Excellent, spreading whatever it is he has across public transport too.

Top work.

@Redwinestillfine

Ihave found the LF's a pretty good indicator. My dh has been rough all week. We were convinced it was Covid despite several negative lateral flows. PCR also negative. There are other winter bugs.

Yes, DS. has been coughing and spluttering with a filthy cold for the last week, but it's not Covid. I had a cold recently and lost my sense of smell, but only because my nose was so blocked! I could still taste.

@Shedmistress are you saying that you shouldn't travel by train if you have a cold? Not everyone drives. I'm fairly certain most people wouldn't spend Christmas in isolation because of a cold.

And I'm not sure that getting on a train, whilst wearing a mask, and sitting in the same seat for two hours is "spreading it everywhere".

[quote EmmaGrundyForPM]@Shedmistress are you saying that you shouldn't travel by train if you have a cold? Not everyone drives. I'm fairly certain most people wouldn't spend Christmas in isolation because of a cold.

And I'm not sure that getting on a train, whilst wearing a mask, and sitting in the same seat for two hours is "spreading it everywhere".[/quote]
Not during an international pandemic no.

Come on, use some common sense.

He has ALL the covid symptoms. He needs to stay home.

DH has taken four lateral flows all negative but PCR has come back positive.

@Shedmistress of course he won't travel if the PCR is positive. If its not Covid but just a cold, there's no issue with him travelling is there?

As others have said, there are lots of bugs out there at the moment.

People get 2-4 colds per year you can't expect them to stay home everytime if they have negative pcrs. Employers are not going to give that time off either for colds.

[quote EmmaGrundyForPM]@Shedmistress of course he won't travel if the PCR is positive. If its not Covid but just a cold, there's no issue with him travelling is there?

As others have said, there are lots of bugs out there at the moment.[/quote]
www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing/test-results/negative-test-result/

Honestly, why do the NHS even bother?

A negative test results does not mean he won't spread it round.

Come on, it's been nearly two years of being bombarded with information. Surely you absorbed some?

Just order more tests online to be delivered to his house

Partner and two DC have had all those symptoms in last two weeks, all PCRs are negative

Perfectly likely I'm afraid given he has symptoms.

My sister had a raging cold - which has been a major symptom in everyone I know who has had covid recently.

She LTF daily - negative. Decided she should PCR before staying with our elderly parents - positive.

That NHS site doesn't say you should isolate after a negative PCR test.

He's not taken a PCR because of a positive LFT. Both his LFTs were negative. He's taken it because the symptoms he's got might be Covid. Or they might just be a cold. If everyone isolates for 10 days when they have a cold and a negative PCR then this country will be buggered.

@Skyechasemarshalontheway

People get 2-4 colds per year you can't expect them to stay home everytime if they have negative pcrs. Employers are not going to give that time off either for colds.

You don't usually get the loss of taste and smell with a cold. That's why they picked it out early on as a key symptom to differentiate it from non-covid symptoms.

Son returned from France on Saturday. Negative PCR before he left. Negative LFT Saturday evening and yesterday evening. Positive PCR this morning. Bonkers.

[quote EmmaGrundyForPM]@Shedmistress of course he won't travel if the PCR is positive. If its not Covid but just a cold, there's no issue with him travelling is there?

As others have said, there are lots of bugs out there at the moment.[/quote]
Never in the history of the world would we have expected someone to isolate with a cold.
This is getting out of control.

Obviously different if he has a positive PCR or LFT before then

@MmmMarmiteAndMarmalade

Son returned from France on Saturday. Negative PCR before he left. Negative LFT Saturday evening and yesterday evening. Positive PCR this morning. Bonkers.

Why is that bonkers?

He can order more lateral flow tests here www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests I ordered some on Friday and they can yesterday so he might get them in time- worth a try and good to replace his last one. It’s possible he will have positive PCR but also possible he will have negative. It’s easy to assume it’s covid with levels so high but there are other things around too x