Covid Twice in a month?

[MrsStringer]

I’m after some advice please. My son tested positive for COVID on the 1st of February and by 8th February his LFT was negative. He’s woken up this morning with a runny nose and I’ve tested him and to my shock the test is positive (see pic). Has he really caught COVID again so soon?

Ring the Covid helpline for advice.

@WeAreTheHeroes thank you - I’ve just spoken to them and I have to treat it as a new infection and isolate him accordingly.

I imagine it’s also possible he has a different cold but there was dead virus in his sinuses which is now coming out know he has a runny nose. Impossible to say unfortunately

He can test to release in a few days and at least it's the weekend and possibly half term next week where you are so he's unlikely to miss much school.

Don't LFTs show whether you are infectious JS87? Therefore it has to be living virus to trigger a positive test.

@WeAreTheHeroes unfortunately we’ve just finished half-term (East of England) and he was due to return to school Monday.

I hope he isn't too unwell with it second time around.

@WeAreTheHeroes

Don't LFTs show whether you are infectious JS87? Therefore it has to be living virus to trigger a positive test.

I don’t think that’s necessarily true. They are just a colour change reaction when an antibody binds a certain viral protein. It doesn’t necessarily have to be live virus.

Dd had it then got it again a month later. Do not quite as quickly as your LO but it is possible!

The first time Dd had it (December) she had no symptoms at all - we were testing her as we all had it! A month later she caught it from school and had mild symptoms.

My sister tested positive two weeks after finishing her isolation the first time round. With negative tests in between.

I read that this can be a thing for a few weeks after - apparently it's the old virus shedding occasionally. I don't think it necessarily means that you've caught it all over again.

Official advice to nhs and care home staff is still not to pcr or lft in 90 days so shouldn’t really really be tesing

My guess is the negative was wrong and this is sand infection

No way would I be isolating again and even less do given it ends Thursday anyway do he’ll only miss 3 days of school

An old

www.valeofyorkccg.nhs.uk/seecmsfile/?id=4912

@Watapalava the advice not to test again within 90 days is only if you are symptom free.

If you are unwell the advice is to test again.

Although I understand your point re isolating again and actually agree with you.

“You should not do a PCR test within 90 days of your positive result, unless:

• you get any new main symptoms of COVID-19…”

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

Runny nose isn’t a covid symptom tho