Over 75's booster with possible covid

[HectorGloop]

Looking for a bit of advice really....

I think that my DM possibly (probably) has covid at the moment but she is testing negative on LFT's. She has a bad cough and cold symptoms and feels unwell. She was staying with my DB when he tested positive. I have explained to her (at great length....) that if she has symptoms she needs a PCR but she hasn't got one. I think partly because she has anxiety which manifests as denying/avoiding problems.

All this is fine, she's staying at home anyway and isn't too ill. But she has her booster booked for this friday. I've been saying to her that I don't know if she should have it if she's positive but obviously she doesn't think she is.

Does anyone know if she could have a bad reaction or anything like that if she has a booster. I think Friday will be roughly day 10 or 11 of her symptoms.

For all of my Covid vaccines I've been asked at the front desk whether I've had any Covid symptoms during the last 28 days and whether I've been in contact with anyone who has. If I'd had symptoms myself or come into contact with anyone who had Covid and had not had a negative PCR myself then I believe I would have been turned away.

I can't believe she'd risk going as she'll risk infecting the staff and other elderly people.

That's the infuriating thing!

She's a very kind person who is usually very considerate of others. If she was positive, she would follow all the rules and wouldn't consider going. But because she has been having negative LFT's she has completely convinced herself that she doesn't have covid and it's just a bad cold.
And of course, she may be completely right. But I just can't get her to see that's it's not worth taking the risk, for the sake of getting a PCR to check.

Could you tell her that they might not let her have the booster if she doesn't have a PCR to rule out that the symptoms are Covid? Selling it as "ruling it out" might appeal more to her as it would be proving her right that she didn't have it.

Is she still testing on LFTs? I currently have Covid and started feeling unwell on the Friday night but didn't test positive on an LFT until Tuesday. I had a PCR in the meantime that was positive. If she keeps testing on LFTs if it really is Covid it may well show up before Friday.