Have you had symptoms for a few days before testing positive?

[Rainydays55]

I’ve been feeling ‘off’ since the weekend, LFTs negative at the moment , but hearing quite a few people are having a few days of symptoms before having a positive ?

@Rainydays55

I’m still testing negative on LFT even though I’ve had body aches, back ache, sore throat, headache, feeling tired… must be a random bug!

That's how my friend felt, he tested negative & was still not well, git annoyed with me suggesting he tested again a few days later, he got a very strong positive as did other people who had been at the same event a week earlier. He hadn't tested since the first negative for a few days, but it was several days after he started feeling crap that he got his positive. Keep testing!!

We can't work out whether it is a random bug or Covid here as well. At my work 3 out of 6 staff have tested positive and 2 of the remaining 3 have got the headache, sore throat and tiredness but testing negative.

Two felt rubbish from the Saturday. Didn't show up on ltf until Wednesday! Even then only a very faint line for 4 days. Positive PCR taken on the Thursday. Really it's been constant headaches and feeling knackered plus an initial sneezy nose.

I had a blocked nose for a few days, then got a very strong positive on an NHS test. We are given free tests at work, which we are supposed to use if we are going into the office. These have all been negative, while the NHS ones are still very much positive.

@StormTreader

Yup, sore throat on the Wednesday, didn't test positive until the Saturday. If you're testing with the kit thats "nose swab only" then still swab your tonsils with it if you can, heard a lot of reports that the new variant takes much longer to show up in the nose and a nose swab only is much more likely to give a false negative.

When DD had it last week and we were doing daily tests from day 5, she was still positive on day 10 on her school-issued nose only ones but negative on the blue box throat and nose one I used on her. Tests done 20 minutes apart.

I was convinced I had it last week, all 3 DCs had it, positive on LFTs. DD had spent the previous day sat next to me for hours and I had a horrendous headache all day, glands swollen, felt feverish but without a high temperature. Went for a PCR that day and it was negative, as was another 3 days later (work in NHS), so definitely not Covid, just a very strange coincidence.

I've been patient-facing for the whole pandemic, had covid in the house 3 times so far and I haven't caught covid.

OP, everyone I know who has had covid recently has been symptomatic for at least a day, usually two or three, before testing positive. Colleague's husband was coughing for 3 days before his went positive.

Day 4 of feeling yucky and PCR taken yesterday has come back negative! Really surprised because I’m feeling worse at the week goes on!

Tested negative when symptoms started; faint positive two days later. Didn’t test again until day 18; it was negative

Yes, started with a cough on the Friday but not positive until Sunday.

5 days of aching, temp, headaches, sore throat and negative lfts and a negative pcr. Day 6 a strong positive on lft.

I hope you feel better soon OP

@Rainydays55

Day 4 of feeling yucky and PCR taken yesterday has come back negative! Really surprised because I’m feeling worse at the week goes on!

I'm full of a heavy cold Started with a sore scratchy throat, blocked nose which is now streaming, coughing every time I breathe in. Feel grim but not covid so still bugs about!

Thinking back now I had a horrendous headache on the Thursday, Friday evening I had a lot of stomach issues, Saturday came a stonking cold but still testing negative then Sunday morning I tested positive.

Unvaccinated 6 year old had a stomach ache the Wednesday morning, came home from school Thursday saying he had been cold all day, was really tired a bit snotty and Friday he tested positive.

Hubby became really tired a couple of days before, had a sore throat as well, then started streaming and got a positive about 3 days after the tiredness started.

Day 5 of feeling off and still negative, I probably feel a little better than I did mid week but still got strange taste in my mouth, so tired no energy, headache and feeling spaced out. Hope it goes soon, not sure how to shift it!

Can I ask for for those who didn't test positive straight away what day did you class as your 'Day Zero'?

I started with symptoms last Wednesday but was negative until Sunday when it turned to positive.

Going by my symptoms I am Day 9, by test I am Day 5. Not sure which is correct?

I am still testing positive.

It’s so strange that is sounds quite common for a delay to show on the tests with this variant. When I had delta, we’ll I guess it was delta, last year, I showed up positive as soon as I had symptoms!

Not here, I woke up early Tuesday morning with a sore throat and was positive by Tuesday night.

I had a cold in January, I tested loads and all negative and was convinced it must have been covid, but I'm now sure it was just another bug as the LFT obviously picked this one up with no issues.

@Rainydays55 I've felt awful since last Friday, like a heavy cold but with aches, blocked ears, headache, terrible cough, falling asleep in the day. My DS was off with Covid last week, so I was convinced I had it. But all LFTs and a PCR are negative. Seems a strange coincidence that I've had the worst cold I've had in years straight after my DS had Covid! I don't know what to think anymore. Have been off work all week as just too ill to go in. DS now fine and back at school.

DS (8) vomited today and is in bed with a temperature of 37.8. He says his head aches. His lft is negative. He did it himself up his nose. We have all had one cold after another and this is the first time in years he's been actually sick.

We had a text inviting him for a covid vaccination but he won't have it.

I've been feeling off since Monday. Just a sore throat, drippy nose. LFTs negative. Did a PCR on Wednesday at request of the Zoe app which was negative. My LFT this morning, which I did as a slight cough developed and I was achey, had an incredibly faint positive result. So I can't have been very symptomatic earlier on the week of it was Covid

@Rainydays55

I feel like I’m going a bit mad at the moment because I feel so yucky , it’s not a cold, but also feel it can’t be covid!

This is exactly how I've been feeling for a few days pre positive test. Hope you feel better soon

Yes, I felt really crap (had already had Covid 6 months previously and knew I felt similar)
Kept doing lft and couldn't believe they kept coming back negative. Was isolating by default anyway as DS had tested positive so I was at home with him anyway.
Took about 3 days to show positive. I tested negative in the morning then positive in the afternoon.