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Original poster

Testing positive over ten days.

34 replies

SirVixofVixHall · 14/12/2022 16:07

I am day ten now, I tested negative on one brand of test this morning, but I did a second one just now, a Flowflex, and I am still getting a faint positive on that. Does that mean I can still infect people ? I have been isolating for the whole period and keeping away from my dd, so I am keen to see her again !

OP posts:
Cocoaone · 14/12/2022 16:41

I have no answers, but my and DH are on day 9 and day 10 since symptoms started (big ones, not just feeling off etc) and we both tested negative on day 8 and then positive again on day 9/10. Very frustrating!
DD was negative on day 9, very very faintly positive in day 8

We have family we see regularly who are CEV so want to have 2 negatives before we see them for Xmas

Original poster
SirVixofVixHall · 14/12/2022 19:20

How annoying to go from negative to positive again ! Weird too. The same brand of test each time ?
Everything I have read suggests that after ten days one shouldn’t be contagious still, but it is not clear what happens when still testing positive. Eg whether that is irrelevant past a certain point, or whether it means that almost all people will be negative by day ten.

OP posts:
Original poster
SirVixofVixHall · 14/12/2022 19:22

This was my result. The line looks pale grey rather than pink, and it much fainter than a few days ago, but there is a definite line still. So annoying.

Testing positive over ten days.
OP posts:
Cocoaone · 14/12/2022 20:13

I will send you lots of negative vibes for tomorrow 😁

Original poster
SirVixofVixHall · 14/12/2022 22:30

Cocoaone · 14/12/2022 20:13

I will send you lots of negative vibes for tomorrow 😁

Haha, same to you ! Huge buckets of negativity for us !

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Troubledteen · 15/12/2022 08:06

I'm really not sure how reliable these tests are. My family and I all had covid recently. Pretty badly with quite severe symptoms. Not one of us tested positive with one pack we had. I had one test left in another brand and a got a positive with it.

We've remained poorly for over 2 weeks and still negative- so it's anyone's guess!

Like pp said, I read when we had it earlier in the year that you shouldn't be contagious after 7-10 days , so imagine you'd be fine and any viral load would be very low now.

Cocoaone · 15/12/2022 08:32

Yesterday on the left, today on the right 😫

DH also still positive from a new, different brand of test kit.

Testing positive over ten days.
lljkk · 15/12/2022 08:35

I thought the official advice for ages has been that you can treat yourself as not infectious after 5 days of positive tests if you're basically feeling ok. The tests pick up virus residue that is complete inactive long after you stopped being infectious.

Cocoaone · 15/12/2022 08:56

My issue is that the reason people were told to 'try to avoid people for 5 days if possible' is because the government wanted to get the economy moving again, and an Imperial study (of 57 people) showed that half of people are not infectious after 5 days. But 20-odd% were still shedding virus at 8 days.

That study said it was unlikely that people were still infectious after 10 days - but I couldn't see anything concrete about if that was 10 days from symptoms or first positive test, nor if they actually tested that or it was just assumed. And who knows with all the different variants circulating more?

Cocoaone · 15/12/2022 10:06

Oh ok - found the actual study on Imperial

www.imperial.ac.uk/news/239213/realworld-study-details-average-duration-infectiousness/

Professor Lalvani said: “Self-isolation is not necessary by law, but people who want to isolate need clear guidance on what to do. The NHS currently advises that if you test positive for COVID-19 you should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for five days, but our data suggest that under a crude five-day self-isolation period two-thirds of cases released into the community would still be infectious – though their level of infectiousness would have substantially reduced compared to earlier in the course of their infection.”

Here's the full paper, for anyone who understands it better than I can :-)
www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(22)00226-0/fulltext

colouringindoors · 15/12/2022 11:42

So 2/3 are still infectious after 5 days?

I've just tested positive and am totally gutted. Have cev mum and this was going to be first Christmas I spent with her and dad in 3 years. Two teen dc at home no symptoms so far.

I've not been well since 16 nov though I think I've run one bug into another, more of a cold since last Thur. Praying I'm not positive for long and dc don't catch it.

Life feels utterly relentless.

Original poster
SirVixofVixHall · 15/12/2022 12:28

OhNo Coco ! My brother had also sent me the Imperial study. I am day 11 now and going to test later, I keep forgetting and drinking coffee and have to wait half an hour before testing. DH is day 12 today so not bothering to test any more.
The FlowFlex tests do seem the most sensitive, but yes, perhaps the test is picking up old virus when we are no longer shedding live virus. I still have mild symptoms, but only how I would be a week after any bad cold, eg a bit chesty and breathless, slightly bunged up still.

OP posts:
Cocoaone · 15/12/2022 12:39

Same here - I didn't have any chesty symptoms or a cough when I was ill, but very slightly bunged up still - worse in the morning. I've just done another test to check my theory of early morning testing giving a more positive result. The one I've just taken is so faint I can't see it with my naked eye - it's the faintest shadow if you take a pic and DH can just about see it (he has better eyes than me)

So tomorrow I'm going to wait until mid-morning to test..... if it's negative or as faint as today's I will happily go about my life!

@colouringindoors - that is awful timing, I'm so sorry! I would say that you've got a good chance of being clear by xmas, but the kids may not... Me and DH got symptoms within 2 days of DD having symptoms, so if they do get it and start showing symptoms Sat/Sun - they could possibly be clear by xmas eve - that would be day 7/8. My brother's family all had it for the second time a few weeks ago, and they were all negative by day 4/5. Will keep everything crossed for you all!

Hm2020 · 15/12/2022 12:40

My ds was positive for 12 days in October he has immunodeficiency so I put it down to that but my Nan who we live with was also positive for 11 days.

colouringindoors · 15/12/2022 12:45

@Cocoaone thank you so much. My dcs will be so so sad to miss another "maidenname" family christmas.

autumn1610 · 15/12/2022 12:52

Apparently you shouldn’t test after so many days can’t remember maybe 10. When I had it when you had to isolate with track and trace chasing me daily to not leave, got told you can still test positive for 90 days! Assume that’s extreme cases

circlescircleseverywhere · 15/12/2022 13:23

That's PCR testing that can still test positive for a long time, I think. A lateral flow test works a different way. I would assume I was infectious with a positive LFT, even if less so than at the beginning of the illness.

Original poster
SirVixofVixHall · 15/12/2022 17:04

I am negative today. Phew. At last ! I am seeing people tomorrow (nobody vulnerable, but I still didn’t want to pass it on) so now I can relax about that.

OP posts:
Original poster
SirVixofVixHall · 15/12/2022 19:08

Although dd1 is a weak positive, aargh, day ten for her. Don’t know what we will do if she is still positive tomorrow when we have loads of people arriving. All the guidelines are basically “don’t worry after day ten, v unlikely to be still infectious “, so maybe I shouldn’t worry. I am keeping everything crossed that she is negative tomorrow and then I can heave a sigh of relief.

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GonnaGetGoingReturns · 15/12/2022 19:15

I was similar positive after 10 days and losing the will to live. Then I recalled I’d read one test 30-45 minutes after which you’re not supposed to do. The next day was negative so I took it as negative.

Flowflex tests if anyone is interested.

Homeymum2 · 15/12/2022 20:45

You mentioned it was flow flex that you were positive with... I tested positive for months on that brand, but other brands gave me a negative result. This was a year ago and lots of people were reporting issues with flow flex at the time -

PieonaBarm · 15/12/2022 20:56

When I had it in Nov 2020 there were no LFT's to test at home and at 10 days you just went back to work/school if no temperature, so I would just go with that.

My Dad drove me bonkers constantly testing himself and getting positives at day 12 still, he finally saw the light when I told him positive doesn't necessarily mean infectious and pointed out the original guidance. Children were told not to do the weekly LFT's for school for 90 days (not PCR) after a Covid infection as they could test positive still.

If you're all over 10 days and not got a temperature just carry on as normal.

Cocoaone · 16/12/2022 09:31

DH and I both negative today 🎉

colouringindoors · 16/12/2022 22:17

hurrah! I think I've had it for about a week. Paler positive line today. I'm due to be singing in a concert Sun night. I know it doesn't look promising but I will be gutted if I can't 😧

colouringindoors · 18/12/2022 11:25

Been ill for over a week. Negative yest, pale positive today 😪😪😪😪😪😪😪😪 My choir's carol concert to tonight, one of the very few nice things for me this Christmas. I can't go can I?