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Original poster

NHS LFTs are now pretty much useless

22 replies

EroticDiagram · 26/09/2022 16:26

I'm CEV so get them free, DD works in a SEND school so also gets them free. We've both been ill with covid symptoms for a week but have consistently tested negative on the NHS LFTs. She found some of the old Orient Gene ones at school, we did them, and immediately we both got a strong positive.

We've noticed for a while now that the amount of buffer has been reduced, so I don't know if it's that. They were always pretty reliable in the past - this is my seventh covid infection, DD's third, so we were both fairly confident we had it as we recognise the symptoms. Thankfully I haven't taken my medication because I was so sure, but DD has had to go into work because she was testing negative. She says loads of staff have been ill but testing negative on the NHS tests.

Has anyone else noticed this? It's worrying because I have to be as sure as I can be that I'm negative when I take my meds, and DD works with some very vulnerable children.

OP posts:
justabigdisco · 26/09/2022 16:28

Yes I’m finding that I need to use 2 things of buffer which is so bloody wasteful.

Original poster
EroticDiagram · 26/09/2022 16:52

justabigdisco · 26/09/2022 16:28

Yes I’m finding that I need to use 2 things of buffer which is so bloody wasteful.

Even more so when the results aren't reliable!

OP posts:
Sapphiretrueblue · 26/09/2022 17:27

Interesting. I noticed there seemed less on the NHS ones. We bought a load of FlowFlex ones as they have been very accurate in the past. At least I can trust those.

ProlifiInProfanity · 26/09/2022 17:31

My NHS ones are flowflex.

We do throat and nose though, as it was found early on with the omicron variant that it often wasn’t picking up if you did nasal only.

I hope you both recover quickly op.

Sapphiretrueblue · 26/09/2022 17:35

Hard to know. Flowflex and NHS old style worked well nasal only (even though throat was needed for NHS ones but my daughter couldn't deal with the throat!).

Hope symptoms ease up soon.

CatAlice · 26/09/2022 17:36

I got a positive on an NHS one today. Very little liquid in there but I did throat and nose. It was a faint line but def there. Tested because I have a mild sore throat and headach which is exactly how I started last time. Also CEV.
I guess the delay means you won't get anti virals?

GetOffTheRoof · 26/09/2022 17:41

Hmm. I've been using up an old box issued by the Navy to DH for us the last fortnight, but no positives at all despite a massive range of symptoms. Maybe we should have bought new one.....

Jules912 · 26/09/2022 19:58

Are you sure they're in date? NHS ones worked fine for me both times ( last end of August) but I suspect they weren't picking it up for DS as he had very similar symptoms a couple of days before me. However he refuses to do the throat so only did the nose, and I didn't have any other brand of tests to try.

lljkk · 26/09/2022 20:11

Wondering how many NHS ones some of you stockpiled. Friend was tirading when she couldn't order more tests in March, I'm sure she already had a large stockpile by then.

She works at home, has no kids or care duties, not vulnerable herself, etc. Now she's had C19 I wonder if she passed the tests to someone who could make them useful.

CatAlice · 26/09/2022 21:26

lljkk · 26/09/2022 20:11

Wondering how many NHS ones some of you stockpiled. Friend was tirading when she couldn't order more tests in March, I'm sure she already had a large stockpile by then.

She works at home, has no kids or care duties, not vulnerable herself, etc. Now she's had C19 I wonder if she passed the tests to someone who could make them useful.

I'm eligible for free tests due to autoimmune conditions. No need to stockpile and would be happy to pay but I have to register a positive NHS test to qualify for antivirals.

PortiaWithNoBreaks · 26/09/2022 21:48

My workplace, SEND school, is awash with Covid amongst staff. Furthermore, lots of staff have been off with identical symptoms but getting negative lateral flows.

Despite being SEND we’re encouraged to return to work or indeed come to work if testing positive but feeling OK. Bizarre. Needless to say they’re having a worse staffing crisis than peak-Covid.

lljkk · 27/09/2022 05:28

Apropros of nothing... my 80yo dad (in California) tested positive for Covid last week. Late Friday or Saturday morning. Doctors offices are closed on weekends so he waited in emergency room for 8 hours to get the anti-virals. Dad said a pharmacist can't prescribe the drug.

How Would someone in Uk get the covid anti-viral drugs, would they have to wait in A&E to see a doctor, or would GP out of hours prescribe, maybe?

CatAlice · 27/09/2022 08:48

How Would someone in Uk get the covid anti-viral drugs, would they have to wait in A&E to see a doctor, or would GP out of hours prescribe, maybe?
@lljkk In the UK only people with certain health conditions get anti virals. Age alone doesn't qualify you. If you qualify you will have been given instructions on what to do. Only a nominated hospital doctor can prescribe them, not GPs. You have to register a positive LFT and a doctor from the hospital contacts you by phone and then prescribes if appropriate. Someone would have to collect the drugs from hospital or in some cases you are given an infusion.

Original poster
EroticDiagram · 27/09/2022 14:12

CatAlice · 26/09/2022 17:36

I got a positive on an NHS one today. Very little liquid in there but I did throat and nose. It was a faint line but def there. Tested because I have a mild sore throat and headach which is exactly how I started last time. Also CEV.
I guess the delay means you won't get anti virals?

I remember you were quite ill with covid last year, weren't you? How are you today? I hope it's a much easier ride for you this time💐

I've spoken to my GP and she's happy to prescribe the AVs, but she wants to speak to my consultant first to check there's no contraindications with my RA drugs. Seems odd because I know for a fact there aren't but it's a new GP at the practice so I suppose she's just being cautious? Anyway I'll hear back this afternoon. I'm starting to feel really rough now.

OP posts:
Original poster
EroticDiagram · 27/09/2022 14:14

lljkk · 26/09/2022 20:11

Wondering how many NHS ones some of you stockpiled. Friend was tirading when she couldn't order more tests in March, I'm sure she already had a large stockpile by then.

She works at home, has no kids or care duties, not vulnerable herself, etc. Now she's had C19 I wonder if she passed the tests to someone who could make them useful.

If you're CEV and eligible for covid treatments, or fit certain other criteria, they're still free so no need to stockpile.

OP posts:
CatAlice · 27/09/2022 14:43

@EroticDiagram Thank you, were you on the covid thread last year?
You are feeling worse after a week of symptoms? That was my experience last time. The first 5 days were fine, by day 7 I was going downhill rapidly and by day 10 I was in hospital. I feel a little worse today but it's only day 2 and it feels different to last time. I've had an initial triage call about anti virals and waiting for another call.

This may sound like a daft question but I was wondering whether taking anti virals reduces the natural immunity you might get from covid. Not that I'm going to refuse them. I've had 5 doses of vaccine plus covid, had my booster booked for tomorrow.

On the back of this thread I looked at the tests I have. I have two boxes, one with the long swabs and another flowflex. I did another test today and it was negative. So I did a flowflex one and it was positive. So you may be right OP.

lljkk · 27/09/2022 19:51

Thanks CatAlice. Info worth filing away.

x2boys · 28/09/2022 09:48

EroticDiagram · 26/09/2022 16:26

I'm CEV so get them free, DD works in a SEND school so also gets them free. We've both been ill with covid symptoms for a week but have consistently tested negative on the NHS LFTs. She found some of the old Orient Gene ones at school, we did them, and immediately we both got a strong positive.

We've noticed for a while now that the amount of buffer has been reduced, so I don't know if it's that. They were always pretty reliable in the past - this is my seventh covid infection, DD's third, so we were both fairly confident we had it as we recognise the symptoms. Thankfully I haven't taken my medication because I was so sure, but DD has had to go into work because she was testing negative. She says loads of staff have been ill but testing negative on the NHS tests.

Has anyone else noticed this? It's worrying because I have to be as sure as I can be that I'm negative when I take my meds, and DD works with some very vulnerable children.

Sorry to derail is it just staff in your daughters school who get the tests ?
My son is at a SEN school and we haven't had any tests home for about a year.

ZealAndArdour · 28/09/2022 09:53

This is interesting, I was ill last week with what felt very much like covid but tested multiple times and never got a positive. I even bought an influenza A&B test kit off Amazon and that was also negative for both.

I had a very sore throat, headache, fever, body aches, very slightly runny nose, a tiny pathetic little cough and VERY bad diarrhoea.

It’s exactly the same symptoms as it has been with my previous two covid infections, which were both PCR confirmed positive.

JohnsShirt · 28/09/2022 09:59

I feel exactly how I felt in June when I had covid, yet testing negative over three days.
I've new tests arriving this afternoon.

VicSynix · 28/09/2022 13:23

I used the NHS ones (which I still get as I work at a surgery) and despite the very small quantity of fluid, it lit up really fast when I tested.

WoolyMammoth55 · 29/09/2022 11:40

I agree OP with your thread title - a while back when NHS funded mass testing was still a thing (!) me and DS1 were both very poorly but kept testing negative on our NHS LFTs - we'd been both doing them daily for 5 days, all negative.

School then asked via mass email if anyone symptomatic could please get hold of a PCR instead, as they were "concerned about LFT accuracy", and we both then tested strongly positive on the PCRs first go.

I always wondered why there was no media coverage at the time!

In the USA the LFTs were never used as they failed to get FDA approval.

It's made me very sceptical of the negative LFT test results, but what can we do?

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