Government set to announce those with positive LFT will not need PCR

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news.sky.com/story/covid-19-around-a-million-people-isolating-due-to-coronavirus-in-uk-as-testing-rules-set-to-be-relaxed-12509316 COVID-19: People who test positive on lateral flow tests won't need follow-up PCR, govt to announce - as 'around a million' isolating 

Whilst this sounds like a good idea, what about those of us who have recently had positive lateral flows and negative pcrs? There seems to be a lot of us.

Employers are going to be sceptical about this presumably as dodgy people will fake the tests. Although maybe that is offset by the fact that dodgy employers can encourage their employees to ignore the LFT and go in anyway.

The next month is going to be chaos I think. I work in a big organisation and already so many people are off work.

@Cornettoninja

From where I’m sitting it’s almost certainly to do with supply/demand. (Which, as an aside, is largely a consequence of the governments change in policy to test for several days as a contact as well as testing twice for early release from isolation. Looks like they failed to take into consideration the high demand given infection rates imho).

Symptomatic people, I presume, will still be required to do a PCR.

Worldwide demand for PCRs and LTFs means the cost of regents (and tests) has gone through the roof.

What is the point in the NHS paying for two tests to prove the same thing if reliability for a positive ltf is high enough?

We no longer need to know case numbers - its hospitalisations and deaths that matter. PCRs are likely to be used on hospital admissions (so that covers sequencing issues and new variant detection).

The issue with the change is over isolation really at this point. Firstly because of the issues of legalities of breaking isolation (however its not really being enforced in a meaningful way anyway) and employment. PCRs at least force people to test through social pressure (and you can then prove you haven't got covid). LTFs not so much.

Therefore my suspicion will be that you have to register your ltf result to be entitled to your rights under employment law. If you don't understand this / this isn't required by government, that is where people will fall most through the cracks in various ways.

In theory its a good idea. Most people I know who test positive do so after having a ltf first. So those being responsible have already proved themselves 'trustworthy' as such. We have a good culture of testing in the UK now, so perhaps we've almost 'earned' it.

In practice it worries me that it leaves some people vulnerable to being sacked. And there is the issue of isolating before a pcr result - it will discourage people from doing so. And it will massively confuse people about what they are suppose to do.

This will cause an issue for travel unless uploading a positive lft issues a recovery cert?

If people have covid and can't in theory get a second or third vax, they may also not be able to get recovery cert which leaves them in limbo of having to pretend they didn't have covid so they can get their vaccinations.

Right now if your vax are delayed, you can travel to many places on recovery cert. Now maybe that wont be accepted.

I’m more concerned about the people I know who were having false negative LFT but were positive on PCR.
They would just be walking around spreading it!*

A negative LFT will NOT exempt you from needing a PCR (eg if you have symptoms).

The rule change simply means if you have a positive LFT you don’t need to confirm it via PCR.

Yes, Omicron being as contagious as it is has inevitably meant a global increase in testing demand. That's the sort of circumstance that even a competent government, which obviously we don't have, would struggle with. It was a lot easier to get all the tests the UK wanted when there was much less competition.

We have also been doing a pretty disproportionate share of the world's sequencing. It isn't the worst thing ever if we step back from that. The most significant downside is if employees end up fucked over wrt sick pay, rights etc.

I thought U.K. was doing higher amount already so surely other countries will have same issues or greater.

Somebody somewhere with government connections is making a heck of a lot of dosh out of this whole thing...(and no, I'm not an antivaxxer, or anti-test, but I don't trust our current "govern"ment and their cronies as far as I could throw them).

You are more likely to get a false negative than a false positive on LFT, I have heard of loads that have had false negatives but only a couple (on MN) that have had a false positive. So I think it does make sense, as most people that have a positive LFT will have a positive PCR.

Testing sites are really busy, we had to queue yesterday even though we booked a slot, the day before I was unable to book a test as they were booked up. These new rules would free p more PCR’s for people that need them (those who have got negative LFT).

Sounds like a very sensible idea to me. We need to move to a situation where we stop testing so much and only reserve it for certain situations e.g. care home related environments, pre-operation requirements. We will need to eventually stop people who are asymptomatic isolating etc.

Well that will successful make it impossible to know how many people in the UK have covid, and therefore avoid anyone requiring the govt to do something about it. Will avoid anyone being able to accurately work out the really scary numbers about to hit us, and will definitely successfully hide the evidence if it turns out that 'do nothing and see what happens' was a really, really stupid idea on the part of Johnson and co while the rest of Europe took precautions.

The reports I have read are a bit confusing. But to me it makes sense IF this is how it works:

Negative LFT + no symptoms = no problem
Negative LFT + symptoms = isolate and do a PCR to free you from isolation if you don't have Covid
Positive LFT - isolate because you are highly likely to be infectious, whether or not you have symptoms. Take another LFT on days 6&7 to see if you can come out of isolation.

All part of the master plan. They have let it run so out of control that the labs now can't keep up with the demand.
We're being conditioned to accept that we (and our children) are destined to be exposed over and over again to a virus that affects multiple systems in our bodies, with unknown long term effects, millions dying from it around the world. In the sixth richest economy in the world. We could do so much better.
But that's ok because, you know, poor Boris, he tried his best. FFS.
Don't look up people.

@Artichokeleaves

Well that will successful make it impossible to know how many people in the UK have covid, and therefore avoid anyone requiring the govt to do something about it. Will avoid anyone being able to accurately work out the really scary numbers about to hit us, and will definitely successfully hide the evidence if it turns out that 'do nothing and see what happens' was a really, really stupid idea on the part of Johnson and co while the rest of Europe took precautions.

Re precautions what do you mean, in terms of numbers they are still high

France 270k Italy 170k Spain high iirc

Translation…..
We have run out of testing capacity and we hope that not everyone logs their LFTs and out numbers come down. Also despite hospitals being on major alert due to 1 in 10 staff off with covid, we think it’s best if all those with covid return to work straight away or at 5 days, and when one staff infects an entire ward of vulnerable patients, we’ll initially increase the NHS work load but we’ll work it out in the end with less people needing care home places or carers.

@Lovemusic33

You are more likely to get a false negative than a false positive on LFT, I have heard of loads that have had false negatives but only a couple (on MN) that have had a false positive. So I think it does make sense, as most people that have a positive LFT will have a positive PCR.

Testing sites are really busy, we had to queue yesterday even though we booked a slot, the day before I was unable to book a test as they were booked up. These new rules would free p more PCR’s for people that need them (those who have got negative LFT).

I tested DS yesterday, booked for 11.30am. I wasnt sure where it was as it's a new centre. Got there at 10.20am and it was empty. We went straight through and had the (negative) result through at 9am. And we're a covid hot spot apparently

They are finally starting to phase out the obsessive testing. I am relieved about that. We do have to learn to live with this thing, it isn't going anywhere.

Boosters every year and then just get on with it would be my approach, although I am sure I will get my arse handed to me on a place for saying that. I don't care though.

@TeddyTonks

Perhaps part of a slow phasing out of testing altogether?

🤞

Not sure how I feel about this to be honest. Conflicted probably.

asymptomatic people who test positive on LFT no longer need follow-up PCR in England

news.google.com/articles/CAIiEOte_Z5WXfM2jwOxzeJanf0qFwgEKg4IACoGCAowl6p7MN-zCTClss0G?hl=en-GB&gl=GB&ceid=GB%3Aen

If you have symptoms you still need a PCR. Presumably so they can keep track of serious cases, variants etc.

@User3456

All part of the master plan. They have let it run so out of control that the labs now can't keep up with the demand. We're being conditioned to accept that we (and our children) are destined to be exposed over and over again to a virus that affects multiple systems in our bodies, with unknown long term effects, millions dying from it around the world. In the sixth richest economy in the world. We could do so much better. But that's ok because, you know, poor Boris, he tried his best. FFS. Don't look up people.

Have a look at other countries - high numbers will happen or already are

What would you do to stop omicron?

@User3456

All part of the master plan. They have let it run so out of control that the labs now can't keep up with the demand. We're being conditioned to accept that we (and our children) are destined to be exposed over and over again to a virus that affects multiple systems in our bodies, with unknown long term effects, millions dying from it around the world. In the sixth richest economy in the world. We could do so much better. But that's ok because, you know, poor Boris, he tried his best. FFS. Don't look up people.

That film is a perfect example of what has happened in lots of places, especially the UK.

The media are very frothy about it because they are part of the problem. It is actually a great film, well worth the watch. Very tongue in cheek about society but accurate as well. I reckon a meteor could be coming and MN would still be running, alongside the DM comments section.

I am pleased they have dropped the PCR though as my nearest centre is 16 miles away...

@GoodPrincessWenceslas

Sounds like they want to manipulate the statistics, as relatively few people with positive LFTs will bother to register them with the NHS.

This is what I think too. Plus they don't have very many tests do they?

Hyperbole is crazy at times on here.

Be good when media finally moves on, and all this fear campaign stops.

This is an interesting solution given the vast number of FlowFlex false positives!

@RoseAndRose

Emergency measure only, I assume - testing facilities swamped perhaps?

This is the only rational reason. Experts warned that testing would fall over and the numbers would stop being meaningful around now and here we are. Yet again.