Is this positive?

[PartyDilemma6]

Person has symptoms and two others in family strongly positive. It’s very faint but came up within 5 minutes.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes but the person with symptoms was supposed to do a PCR not LFT.

Yes but the person with symptoms was supposed to do a PCR not LFT.

Hadn’t this been stopped?

Or has it just been stopped for asymptomatic people?

Definitely positive

@DontWantTheRivalry

Yes but the person with symptoms was supposed to do a PCR not LFT.

Hadn’t this been stopped?

Or has it just been stopped for asymptomatic people?

Person with symptoms - PCR Testing asymptomatically - LFT

And yes it looks positive OP

Person with symptoms - PCR. Testing asymptomatically - LFT

I wonder how many people actually do this though? (being realistic).

Me and DH are both Covid positive and when we got symptoms we took LFTs. We both got positive results and we only got PCRs because our bosses told us to, otherwise we wouldn’t have bothered.

Yesterday we tested our oldest son ‘just to see’ as he said he had a sore throat. His test came back positive but we haven’t taken him for a PCR because it’s pretty obvious it’s a genuine positive seeing as both me and DH have Covid.

We will LFT our youngest son today as he’s woken up with a bit of a cough and if it comes back positive, which it probably will, we will just take that as accurate and not bother with a PCR.

I genuinely don’t see the benefit of taking up 4 PCR tests when we all have obvious Covid symptoms and positive LFTs.

I’m assuming the only purpose of a PCR is to identify what particular variant of Covid it is?

Honestly my experience says it is tripe that you have to do a PCR for symptoms. I've had 6 members of my family have covid in the past month. All of us did LFTs either every day or every other day and NONE of those LFTs showed positive before the symptoms.

In fact, I did an LFT in the morning and felt fine - negative. I developed a cough around lunch time. By evening I felt rough so I did an LFT and it was positive.

All confirmed with PCR but LFT now are certainly fine for symptoms.

If you have symptoms I'd do an LFT first but would then do a PCR if it was negative as it would probably be a false negative. If you get a positive on an LFD that's good enough.

@BeeDeBeeee

Honestly my experience says it is tripe that you have to do a PCR for symptoms. I've had 6 members of my family have covid in the past month. All of us did LFTs either every day or every other day and NONE of those LFTs showed positive before the symptoms.

In fact, I did an LFT in the morning and felt fine - negative. I developed a cough around lunch time. By evening I felt rough so I did an LFT and it was positive.

All confirmed with PCR but LFT now are certainly fine for symptoms.

This isn't why you're asked to do a PCR if you have symptoms. It's because a negative LFT doesn't guarantee that you don't have it, so if you have symptoms, you shouldn't rely on a negative LFT. In theory you are supposed to go straight to PCR, because LFTs are only intended to be used as screening for people without symptoms. (And its easier to have a blanket rule - symptoms =PCR, no symptoms =LFT, than some complicated flow chart)

@BeeDeBeeee

Honestly my experience says it is tripe that you have to do a PCR for symptoms. I've had 6 members of my family have covid in the past month. All of us did LFTs either every day or every other day and NONE of those LFTs showed positive before the symptoms.

In fact, I did an LFT in the morning and felt fine - negative. I developed a cough around lunch time. By evening I felt rough so I did an LFT and it was positive.

All confirmed with PCR but LFT now are certainly fine for symptoms.

You're proving the point that PCR should be used to confirm whether you have covid or not.

As LFTs may give a negative result when you have covid with symptoms you can't use negative LFT to rule covid out. If it gives a positive result then that can be trusted more than a negative result.

Oh I'm not stupid, I know that negative LFT with symptoms need to be checked with a PCR. My point was that posters continuously piping up with "A positive LFT with symptoms you say?! Well you should have got a PCR" is tripe.

Got symptoms? Got a positive LFT? Safe to say you have covid.

Got symptoms? Got a negative LFT but have been socialising with people who have tested positive? Best check with a PCR.

Not rocket science and most people would do this anyway.

As it was, our LFT did NOT test positive before our symptoms. None of them. They only tested positive for symptoms. Which goes against what they should do right?

I think most people aren't idiotic but I think mumsnet likes to talk down to everyone as if they are.

@BeeDeBeeee

Oh I'm not stupid, I know that negative LFT with symptoms need to be checked with a PCR. My point was that posters continuously piping up with "A positive LFT with symptoms you say?! Well you should have got a PCR" is tripe.

Got symptoms? Got a positive LFT? Safe to say you have covid.

Got symptoms? Got a negative LFT but have been socialising with people who have tested positive? Best check with a PCR.

Not rocket science and most people would do this anyway.

As it was, our LFT did NOT test positive before our symptoms. None of them. They only tested positive for symptoms. Which goes against what they should do right?

I think most people aren't idiotic but I think mumsnet likes to talk down to everyone as if they are.

Your last wee paragraph describes exactly what you have just done on this thread.

Your last wee paragraph describes exactly what you have just done on this thread.

Yeah, you're right actually. Apologies for talking down to you specifically. My rant was aimed at the tonne of posts I've read recently, however I didn't stop to think that only one poster had said this on this particular thread.

LFTs are actually more accurate if you do have symptoms that if you don't. They are probably being used in manner they shouldn't be by doing asymptomatic testing. Suppose if they pick up a couple of extra cases its worth all the extra single use plastic

@DontWantTheRivalry

Person with symptoms - PCR. Testing asymptomatically - LFT

I wonder how many people actually do this though? (being realistic).

Me and DH are both Covid positive and when we got symptoms we took LFTs. We both got positive results and we only got PCRs because our bosses told us to, otherwise we wouldn’t have bothered.

Yesterday we tested our oldest son ‘just to see’ as he said he had a sore throat. His test came back positive but we haven’t taken him for a PCR because it’s pretty obvious it’s a genuine positive seeing as both me and DH have Covid.

We will LFT our youngest son today as he’s woken up with a bit of a cough and if it comes back positive, which it probably will, we will just take that as accurate and not bother with a PCR.

I genuinely don’t see the benefit of taking up 4 PCR tests when we all have obvious Covid symptoms and positive LFTs.

I’m assuming the only purpose of a PCR is to identify what particular variant of Covid it is?

I would especially if you’re children are unvaccinated/not fully depending on their ages. Purely on the small chance they develop long covid then having a positive PCR on their records will really help.

If they are okay at having tests done then the PCR one is no different to LFT and might save angst in the future. And if they’re the majority and get honking covid kids symptoms then that’s what you’re hoping for!

@BeeDeBeeee

Your last wee paragraph describes exactly what you have just done on this thread.

Yeah, you're right actually. Apologies for talking down to you specifically. My rant was aimed at the tonne of posts I've read recently, however I didn't stop to think that only one poster had said this on this particular thread.

And there you go again...

I would especially if you’re children are unvaccinated/not fully depending on their ages. Purely on the small chance they develop long covid then having a positive PCR on their records will really help. If they are okay at having tests done then the PCR one is no different to LFT and might save angst in the future. And if they’re the majority and get honking covid kids symptoms then that’s what you’re hoping for!

My children are 7 and 4.
The 7 year old had the positive LFT yesterday and although he’s still coughing he’s absolutely fine.

Both boys are loving the mainly unsupervised freedom to run around the house and have unlimited access to their iPads whilst me and DH feel really shitty in bed.

My DH got his strong LFT positive on Wednesday morning (so 4 days ago) and although he still feels crap, is really bunged up and has a headache and awful persistent cough, his LFT today was really, really faint compared to his initial one when he didn’t have any of these symptoms.

Thankfully none of us have had fevers and are able to function, we both just feel really run down and weak.

It seems to have my husband the hardest.

Erm honking covid kids was an awesome autocorrect fail for what’s was supposed to be “if they’re in the majority and get no long covid symptoms” as most kids are fine.