Can you have covid but never get a positive test result?

[BringBackCoffeeCreams]

DS(8) came down with a very high fever last Sunday. He had a really bad headache and cried a lot as his legs were hurting him so much. Fever and headache lasted 3 days but he says his legs still hurt but not as much. He had no other symptoms.

We tested him every day with a home test, first a nasal one and then saliva ones as he's autistic and completely freaked out at the nasal one. All of them were negative so I thought it must be some other nasty bug.

But this evening I found out that quite a few in his class have been off this week and had the same or similar symptoms but have tested positive. Is it possible that DS did actually have covid then?

I am hearing this a lot from people I know. I am pretty convinced that covid isn’t being picked up by the tests. Even PCR tests

Did you do a PCR on him? I never tested positive on lateral flows but I did on a PCR.

DD has tested positive on 2 different types of LFT this week, she’s showing symptoms and there’s a lot of Covid in her class. DS has got Covid symptoms and awful cough and so far has tested negative everyday🤷‍♀️. It’s weird.

@Waxonwaxoff0

Did you do a PCR on him? I never tested positive on lateral flows but I did on a PCR.

No I didn't. There's no way we could do that. He freaked out at the nasal rapid test and that only had to go 1.5 cm into his nose.

Quite a few people seem to be finding that they are negative on a nasal test, but positive if they swab their throat. Obviously you can't do that, but it certainly suggests that he could be positive and the test just didn't pick it up.

OK. It's definitely possible that he had Covid then, LFTs aren't incredibly accurate and false negatives are common especially if you struggled to administer the test on him. Both myself and DS had Covid last summer, we had negative lateral flows the entire time but both had positive PCRs and I had symptoms.

It is very weird. I wouldn't have really questioned it apart from the fact his friends are testing positive at the same time.

I wish I knew as DH and I are both high risk and it would be quite reassuring to know we've been in close contact and are doing just fine. We're both fully vaccinated but it's hard to let go of two years of fear.

Yes, there its very common to have negative LFT's and be positive! Sometimes people arent positive on a LFT till further into the illness, and even after they have had a positive PCR.

I'm surprised you did the trauma of daily LFT's with such symptoms and not just a PCR- I can see why you did though? If the nasal part is too traumatic, I'd try just doing a PCR on the throat.

Yep.
Ds and then dp tested positive.
I am convinced I also had it super mildly. LFTs all negative I also had a neg PCR but in hindsight it was only a couple of days after that that I had symptoms.

In a friend’s house all four of them were ill, all similar symptoms but three tested positive and the fourth never did.

Pcrs are more reliable than LFTs but nowhere near 100% accurate

My mum and stepdad were ill for weeks , well my mum hasn't been well since middle of December really, she still has zero energy . They both had all the classic symptoms but the lft's were negative. Mum did a pcr , stepdad didn't

My son had lots of negative lft, did a pcr as a friend was traumatised thinking she’d passed it on and it was positive. Another friend had 5 negative lft, felt so ill she did pcr and was positive.

It’s also worth remembering that LFT is for no symptoms. PCR is for symptoms.

My son is autistic and the swab for the pcr barely touched his nostril so it’s worth doing a pcr just do what you can just in case.

@Hairyfriend

Yes, there its very common to have negative LFT's and be positive! Sometimes people arent positive on a LFT till further into the illness, and even after they have had a positive PCR.

I'm surprised you did the trauma of daily LFT's with such symptoms and not just a PCR- I can see why you did though? If the nasal part is too traumatic, I'd try just doing a PCR on the throat.

We used the saliva test where you have to cough and spit. Nothing goes into the throat or nose. We only got one nasal one done and knew we'd not get a second one.

@Chichimcgee

My son had lots of negative lft, did a pcr as a friend was traumatised thinking she’d passed it on and it was positive. Another friend had 5 negative lft, felt so ill she did pcr and was positive.

It’s also worth remembering that LFT is for no symptoms. PCR is for symptoms.

My son is autistic and the swab for the pcr barely touched his nostril so it’s worth doing a pcr just do what you can just in case.

We're not in the UK so I don't know if they're doing it differently, but here they insert the swab as far as it can go and then swizzle it around for 20 seconds. It's bloody awful.

@Chichimcgee- the advice is obviously going to be different if you aren't in the UK!!! I dont know what swabs/tests are available where you are and am not aware of the cough/spit version test.

In the UK, you can order a PCR for home delivery and you do it yourself, or a drive through where you also do the actual swab yourself in your car. Other places have a health professional do the swab for you. Do you have the option of testing with a PCR at home where you are?

We're not in the UK so I don't know if they're doing it differently, but here they insert the swab as far as it can go and then swizzle it around for 20 seconds. It's bloody awful.

That's the case where I am too but I have no doubt if you requested throat only swab due to SN, they would accommodate you.

here they insert the swab as far as it can go and then swizzle it around for 20 seconds. It's bloody awful.

Same in the uk, my son can’t handle that though so I let him do it himself and it barely touches his nostril for 2 seconds. I was genuinely surprised it didn’t come back inconclusive but if you’re able to do it at home and send it off it might be worth trying

It is possible though there are other illnesses. One of my twins (10) had COVID a couple of weeks ago. Then the other started feeling ill and had a headache for more than a week, assumed it was COVID but negative tests, before we got it diagnosed as sinusitis and it was fixed with antibiotics.

Yes, I do believe you can have covid without testing positive, even more convinced now after reading these anecdotes. DC tested positive a couple of weeks ago, 3 days later I came down with a scratchy throat, bad cold symptoms and exhaustion. LFTs and PCR all negative yet my symptoms were the same as other close contacts who had tested negative.

Just test the SN kids when asleep, get PCR by post.

I tested my DS when he slept. Literally just swept the opening of his nostrils. Similar discomfort to when you wipe their nose. Did both nostril and was positive straight away. Was surprised m as I didn’t have to insert the swab high or for more than a second.
Did the same with my baby. One second in the opening of each nostril and came back positive straight away.