No need for PCR?

[mrseffington]

I didn't know this - is this correct? I got a positive lateral flow this afternoon and automatically booked a PCR for tomorrow morning but a friend has said I no longer need to do this. If it makes a difference I do have symptoms...

Thanks :P

Your friend is correct - a positive lateral flow does need a pcr as well.

Currently you’re only supposed to go for a pcr if you have symptoms but a negative lateral flow.

Yes, just report it on the gov.uk website and then you get a series of instructions via text or email. We did this for our son yesterday.

You don’t need one. This is clear on the nhs site.

Perfect - thank you - I'll cancel my test

It’s correct but personally we still had them. The rules change so often that I think we need recovery certificates for travel or anything, it’s not worth the risk of not having a PCR result on our medical records.
There isn’t a shortage like there was a month ago.

@mrseffington - the information you have been given is incorrect.

That yellow box information is copied from the NHS information under:

"Rapid Tests If You Do NOT Have Symptoms"

Rapid tests if you do not have symptom
About 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 do not have symptoms but can still infect others.

Rapid tests help to check if someone has COVID-19. If people test positive and self-isolate, it helps stop the virus spreading.

Research shows rapid tests are a reliable test for COVID-19. They give a quick result and do not need to be sent to a lab.

Even if you’re vaccinated, you could still catch the virus or pass it on. Doing rapid tests helps to protect yourself and others.*

Get rapid COVID-19 tests if you do not have symptoms
Important
If you get a positive lateral flow test result, you do not need to confirm the result with a PCR test. You only need to confirm a positive lateral flow test if:

you're applying for a Test and Trace Support Payment
you're eligible for new COVID-19 treatments
you're asked to do so as part of research
you have a positive lateral flow test on or before day 2 of arriving in England from outside the UK*

OP stated she DOES have symptoms, therefore she needs to confirm with a PCR test.

This is from the same page:

If you have symptoms of COVID-19
Get a PCR test as soon as possible if you have any of these symptoms, even if mild:*

a high temperature
a new, continuous cough
a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
Stay at home until you get your test result – only leave your home to have a test. Check if people you live with need to self-isolate

The information the poster added is from the link below, you need to read the whole page, not just take that information in isolation as it is taken from the wrong heading.
www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing/get-tested-for-coronavirus/

It is confusing but if you are testing regularly for work etc and you don't have any symptoms but test postive on a LTF there is no requirement to do a PCR unless you are applying for a track and trace payment or one of the other reasons listed.

If you have symptoms, you are required to still do a PCR test.

Also, see this Govt press release from 11 January
www.gov.uk/government/news/people-with-a-positive-lateral-flow-test-no-longer-required-to-take-confirmatory-pcr-test

It also remains really important that anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms self-isolates and gets a PCR test via GOV.UK, or by phoning 119.

If you have no symptoms, you don't need to get a PCR, just isolate. If you have symptoms you need to get a PCR :)

@Purplerain1144

Exactly, . I just felt I had to put all the information in my post because so many people don't seem to know the requirements now. I do think it is a confusing situation now though.

@mrseffington You need to rebook your PCR test.

Yes...I thought if you have symptoms you need pcr.

This is the link
www.gov.uk/government/news/people-with-a-positive-lateral-flow-test-no-longer-required-to-take-confirmatory-pcr-test

You are meant to do LFTs as a regular testing regime, or when self isolating due to contact but many many people are using them to 'check' when they have Omicron symptoms - sore throat etc.

The problem is that 'symptoms' that 'require a PCR' are still the 3 - continuous cough, loss of taste and smell and fever.

Many people with the Omicron variant do not have these.

So - if you have a positive LFT - these are rarely false positive (PCR is more likely to be) and you can assume you have Covid - please record this with the NHS.

However LFTs have a high false negative rate - so just because it tells you you're negative, it may not be true. A PCR is more likely to pick up the virus earlier.

I've gone off the point but it is true that if you have a positive LFT you do not need a PCR confirmation test other than in particular circumstances (listed above)

Ha - right, OK. Yes I think that's what confused me and why I booked teh test in the first place - thank you for the complete picture, it is indeed confusing. I definitely have symptoms so will rebook a PCR. Gah, bloody business!

If you want to apply for the test and trace payment make sure you get the pcr!

My council refused without the pcr code and by the time all the paperwork came back to me as being refused due to the wrong code (their website was not clear which code was needed I put in the one from track and trace app after putting in my lateral flow details)
I was negative.
I managed to get a pcr yesterday as recommended by the council but as I have been negative over a week by this stage I didnt hold out hope of it showing a positive and low and behold afew hours later I get a message saying I'm negative which means no payment and not being able to pay the bills

I was rather impressed by the turn around time for results

We have Covid in the house just now, the first person to get symptoms and a positive LFT was followed up with a PCR, the rest of us just went by the LFT results and started isolating after a positive LFT. I had a follow up phone call from Test and Protect after registering my LFT result and they didn't say anything about a PCR being needed.

So many grey areas and the more the testing is changed and diluted, the more people are confused.

A few examples:

• What about if you LFT due to a headache (not one of the recognised symptoms) and then get a positive. Do you need a PCR?
• What if you get a positive LFT whilst asymptomatic, but then go on to develop a symptom that warrants a PCR? Do you PCR or not?
• does this change your isolation dates?

Testing on day 5 and 6 is also confusing.

• Is it just day 5 and 6 (and if you are still positive you have to do 10 days?) Or can you test on [say] day 6 and 7 nd as long as both negative you are can stop isolation.
• what is counted at day zero

I'm not stupid. These are genuine issues I think people intepret differently and would disagree on. The constant changing of the parameters makes it hard to keep up.

Do you think they want you to get a PCR if you have symptoms so that they can do sequencing?

@LostThePot

Do you think they want you to get a PCR if you have symptoms so that they can do sequencing?

I think it was due to the cost and demand for pcrs

The reason they don’t want people doing lfts if they have symptoms is LFTs are not accurate enough to rule out covid.

If you have symptoms, you should book a pcr not take a lft.
If you have already taken a lft which has come back positive, you don’t then need to confirm it with a pcr.

Purpledaisies is spot on - essentially, PCRs will pick up a positive a couple of days before an LFT and for a long time after an LFT would be negative again. If you've already got a positive LFT, the PCR positive would be pretty much inevitable and even more so if you're symptomatic.

Seems pretty pointless, unless you qualify for the self isolating payment to follow up a positive lft irrespective of symptoms or not. I didn't, but did log the lft with nhs which then gave me my isolating dates for my employer if required.

If you are feeling rubbish why go out to get a test which will confirm you have covid when you already have got a positive lft and symptoms, so very likely to come back positive.

Maybe this page from the NHS is better. This just deals with what to do if you get a positive test from either a pcr or lft.

You’ll see again no mention of needing to confirm a positive lft with a pcr in you have symptoms.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing/test-results/positive-test-result/

@PurpleDaisies

There is a link within your link:

There are 2 main COVID-19 tests:

PCR tests – mainly for people with symptoms, they're sent to a lab to be checked and you get the result within a day or two
rapid lateral flow tests – only for people who do not have symptoms, they give a quick result using a device similar to a pregnancy test

@PurpleDaisies

The original link you posted last night (the yellow box) actually comes from the NHS website and is under the heading:
Rapid Tests If You Do NOT Have Symptoms"
It explains: If you don't have symptoms, i.e. you do a LTF regularly for work purposes (schools etc) and if you then happen to test positive BUT still NO symptoms you do not have to
confirm this with a PCR UNLESS:

you're applying for a Test and Trace Support Payment
you're eligible for new COVID-19 treatments
you're asked to do so as part of research
you have a positive lateral flow test on or before day 2 of arriving in England from outside the UK
so if you need proof that you have Covid.

However, If you have symptoms you DO have to do a PCR test. All you need to do is read down the same page, it is under the heading:

If you have symptoms of COVID-19
Get a PCR test as soon as possible if you have any of these symptoms, even if mild:

It is literally on the same page, just further down. This is also confirmed in the other link I posted and so did someone else.

As @Purplerain1144 said:
If you have no symptoms, you don't need to get a PCR, just isolate. If you have symptoms you need to get a PCR smile