Is it a legal requirement to report a positive covid test?

[weallliveinayellowsubmarine72]

As the title says....if you get a positive lateral flow do you have to report it?

I've a family member that doesn't want to. Their reasoning is they know where they got it and will already be coming to the end of isolation but if they report it they'll have to isolate for a lot longer.

They're isolating and not going to stop until they have 2 clear tests so not putting anyone at risk.

I'm curious whether legally they're meant to.

That doesn’t work though, as there’s a incubation period before contracting the virus.
Ie kids came down with symptomatic Covid on Tuesday 11th November, DH started feeling unwell and tested positive on Saturday 16th November (and stopped testing positive 10 days later).
They (I assume it’s a bloke) needs to isolate until 5 days after his positive test/start of symptoms at least…

You have to be some kind of shitty arsehole to go around infecting people.

I would encourage them to report it if only to protect them if they develop long Covid or other complications further down the line.

Are test & trace still actually running?
I had a positive pcr result Thursday morning.... Not heard a peep!

Interesting question.

In my place of work, we frequently have to ask people if they've had covid and on what date they received their positive test result. You'd be surprised at the number of people who say they've had covid ie had all the symptoms when other members of their family had positive tests, but they themselves didn't bother to get tested.

O think everyone should have a morale duty to report a positive result

@Watapalava

Is that saying the opposite that you do have a duty as a medical professional to do so

Registered medical professionals have a duty to (just like if it was cholera) this is nothing specific to covid just all notifiable diseases, and covid is a notifiable disease.

There's no similar law to require non-medial professionals to report, and it's also possible that only cases found in your professional activity would need to be reported, just like there's no law to test (although there are powers to detain if there's reasonable belief you do have covid)

Someone said on a different thread that one of the conditions of getting the free LFT tests was that you agreed to report your results. It'll be in the t's & c's

t'&c's would not be sufficient to enforce this, sharing of medical data (even in a pandemic) is still consent based, and your consent can be withdrawn at any time for any reason - a specific law would've been required to override that general consent requirement.

I'd still encourage everyone to report, there really is no reason not to.

If it's not a legal requirement loads of people won't do it in the same way that when wearing masks in supermarkets was only advisory, most people stopped wearing them.

No point talking about morals and people making a fuss about someone walking their dog while positive (assuming they did so at quiet times and didn't get close to anyone) are being ridiculous and unrealistic. Use your brain people, walking outdoors cannot pass on Covid

Well they've left it too late to report now.

They are isolating properly though. Min of 5 days from the first positive test and only coming out if they get 2 negatives in a row (a day apart) after day 5. Can't criticise there.

I suspect the numbers are far higher than the official data given the number of people that must be doing this.

I suspect the numbers are far higher than the official data given the number of people that must be doing this

This is why we have the ONS study, that they're likely in the ~50% of cases not picked up is fine, picking up 50% of cases into official figures is almost certainly way more than required, it's way more than any but a few countries manage (who only manage similar outside of islands with simple borders), and most people do not think the UK's covid response is one of the best.

@weallliveinayellowsubmarine72

Well they've left it too late to report now.

They are isolating properly though. Min of 5 days from the first positive test and only coming out if they get 2 negatives in a row (a day apart) after day 5. Can't criticise there.

I suspect the numbers are far higher than the official data given the number of people that must be doing this.

So what was the thing about if they report they will have to isolate for longer? If they are isolating properly then it would be for the same amount of time as if they did report the test

Our household had Covid over Christmas, we couldn't get postal PCR tests as non available, and didn't feel well enough to go to a walk-in centre. When the online PCR tests became available, over a week into our isolation period, the system would not let me put the actual date of LFT test/start of symptoms date as it was too far back. We would have had to lie and put the date as 2 or 3 days later, to get the tests, which would have meant us having to isolate for 12 or 13 days, so we didn't bother.

@weallliveinayellowsubmarine72

As the title says....if you get a positive lateral flow do you have to report it?

I've a family member that doesn't want to. Their reasoning is they know where they got it and will already be coming to the end of isolation but if they report it they'll have to isolate for a lot longer.

They're isolating and not going to stop until they have 2 clear tests so not putting anyone at risk.

I'm curious whether legally they're meant to.

Reporting it won't lengthen their isolation period. You have to enter start of symptoms (if you had any) ime and that's what determines the isolation period.

Re when it's starts. Sit isn't from day of exposure. You have to allow time for incubation which is usually at least a couple of days. So, it could be that they're not actually following the correct advise at present and shortening their isolation period too much.

Day 0 is day symptoms start or the day they took the test if no symptoms, bit day of exposure.

Why do they think they’ll need to isolate longer if they report it - when you say they’re waiting at least 5 days from positive test and two negative tests. That’s exactly what they would have been advised had they reported it surely.

@carrythecan

Our household had Covid over Christmas, we couldn't get postal PCR tests as non available, and didn't feel well enough to go to a walk-in centre. When the online PCR tests became available, over a week into our isolation period, the system would not let me put the actual date of LFT test/start of symptoms date as it was too far back. We would have had to lie and put the date as 2 or 3 days later, to get the tests, which would have meant us having to isolate for 12 or 13 days, so we didn't bother.

This would be their problem now. Isolation would start from the day they reported the test where as it's now several days since their first positive test.

This is one of the problems with the guidance - the state appears to have deliberately in my view chosen to ensure people don't know what the law is to deceive them. I do not believe it is mandatory whereas I could look up on 30 seconds the statutory instrument for compulsory masks in English shops and trains (unless they cause you severe distress etc ) where the law relatively clear (although how do you define "severe distress" and why won't the state tell us?)

I don’t think it’s a big deal. But I do think it’s partly contributing to the apparent fall in official positive case numbers

Given it’s a new virus, we k ow it’s nasty and is clearly affecting people long term, why wouldn’t you want to ensure that you’d had it is on your medical records?

I did report this time. Symptoms started on the 2nd, sent for a pcr on the 4th after testing positive on lfts.

Tested negative on day 7 and 8 pcr finally came back on day 10

They told me to isolate until the 15th when I'd been isolating since the 2nd when symptoms started. Sod that! Made no sense what so ever

although how do you define "severe distress" and why won't the state tell us

What is "reasonable force" and why won't the state tell us?

In common law (so judiciary run) they tend to use the concept of reasonable person test

www.prosperlaw.com.au/post/what-is-the-reasonable-person-test

So if a reasonable person defines it as severe distress or reasonable force that it is.

Use your brain people, walking outdoors cannot pass on Covid

I am not sure you are right on this I have been in contact with 5 other people indoors for the last 9 days - all are testing negative (more than one test each), but I have it. I must have caught it when I went across the road to get into my car to drive to my isolating parents (2 of the 5) I passed people waling on the path. I have not been to the shops or answered the door. I have worked from home.... How do you explain that if it cannot be caught outside?

@weallliveinayellowsubmarine72

Quite I'd rather they isolated properly than reported but then didn't isolate.

I just wouldn't want them to get into trouble and thought if it was legally required that would convince them to report it. Anyway I think they've left it to late to report now anyway.

Realistically it's not like there'd be any real chance of that happening. Even if someone grassed them up and for some reason the authorities took any interest, where's the proof?

My friend, her dh, and 2 of their dcs had positive lft. They didn't do pcr nor report it. Just isolated the 10 days, this was prior to the getting 2 neg lft rules.