Read LFT after 15 mins, positive with symptoms

[springflowerss]

I feel like absolute shit today - aching, hot and cold, sore throat, nausea.

Did two covid tests earlier, both negative. Just looked again at one of them and it’s clearly positive but the T line isn’t defined. I’m doing another one now which is so far reading solidly negative.

I know you’re meant to disregard then after the timeframe but what on Earth is the likelihood of having that happen and symptoms and being negative?! So frustrating

My family and girls from daughter’s school have had Covid for the past two weeks.

It’s taken a while for most to start showing positive on LFTs.

It may be a cold, but if you can work from home, I would stay put and test again in a couple of days.

For my daugher it went from negative one day to strong positive the next morning.

I had symptoms, though not the main three. Tested 3pm Sunday afternoon - negative, no question. 6am Monday morning - instantly and strongly positive.

@1910username I’m a teacher so I can’t wfh, I’ll definitely be expected in unless it’s a real positive.

The one I did just now is completely negative. I’ll test in the morning and see I suppose!

I live with my parents temporarily so will be totally confined to my room if it’s positive

LFT are for when you don't have symptoms, you need a PCR when you have symptoms

Our nanny didn’t test positive until Day 5 with LFTs, although she was really very unwell. It’s tough, with isolation rules changed. If PCR tests were more readily available, test-and-release would make more sense. With LFTs it all feels a bit uncertain.

I hope you feel better soon!

I thought the 15 minute ones were still to be read up to 30 minutes?? As in 15 mins the earliest you could see a result but can still take result up to 30 mins. You need to assume it's positive and get a pcr to confirm it. I think your school would expect you to do this too.

Take pcr, my lft with cough and headache was negative but ocr taken the next day was positive. Both kids also positive but also had positive lft. This was over half term...Community spread of covid is definitely increasing

Hard decision if you have to go back to school.

One thing I would advise is to swab the throat too, even if most new tests ask you to do only both nostrils.

I remember reading a few weeks ago that Omicrom can present itself in the throat earlier than in the nose.

@LethargeMarg

I thought the 15 minute ones were still to be read up to 30 minutes?? As in 15 mins the earliest you could see a result but can still take result up to 30 mins. You need to assume it's positive and get a pcr to confirm it. I think your school would expect you to do this too.

It was definitely over half an hour.

do a PCR test as you have symptoms. Isolate while waiting for result. Thats today sorted, by Monday you should know for sure. The new varient is not always showing on tests

You need a PCR

My daughter had a bug at the weekend. We did LFT and she was negative. I then came out in symptoms Monday - I did a routine LFT Tuesday for work and was negative.

I Still felt rough so did another one yesterday morning and was an immediate strong positive. My daughter then did one and she was a very faint positive so I suspect hers was Covid at the weekend!

One thing we find helps is actually taking photo of the LFT and zooming in - it helps clarify if there is a line when you are not sure!

It took two whole days of feeling awful before my tests were negative, by time they were positive I was feeling a lot better! But they were still positive for nearly 2 weeks after that

DH had COVID so I was testing every day with LFT. Got almost imperceptibly mild symptoms on the Tuesday, still neg on LFT. Had a PCR on the Weds which was positive. My LFTs didn't actually show a positive until the following Monday so 5 days after my PCR test. The upshot is, you need a PCR to be sure.