Lateral flow tests

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Missiseff

Blimey. I haven't done any. I work in a hospital and no-one's ever recommended that I should either.

so you haven't seen any of the government stuff on TV or in the papers?

In view of the cost of all this - not to mention the single-use plastic as others have said - we really do need stats to show the efficacy of testing fully vaccinated people, esp in areas with low infection rates.

I agree with those who say this is being used as a means of control and keeping people scared. Seems to be effective.

naughtynanny The rate of false positives with LFTs is absolutely minimal. It's far more likely that a false negative result will occur, which is why they can never be a guarantee that a person is not infected. Nevertheless, they do pick up asymptomatic cases and prevent transmission. If you have symptoms, it's advised to have a PCR test.

naughtynanny Why do you feel the urge to spread false news?

Fully vaccinated people can still be infected (possibly asymptomatically) and transmit infection to unvaccinated people.

I have a box of LFTs, which I have never used. However, I live in an area of low infection and have not been anywhere where the chance of infection is anything other than extremely low. I have not been in close contact with anybody since the pandemic started.

However, if I lived in an area of high infection and shared a house with others or had to go out to work, I would use them.

I do not feel controlled or scared. As far as I'm concerned, I'm being sensible and I object to people who tell me I'm "scared". You live your life - I'll live mine.

naughtynanny
Your immune system responds to illness with symptoms, if you have no symptoms, you have no illness

So are you saying we should have absolutely no regard for the clinically vulnerable in society who could be infected with covid by people like you. You seem to be proudly proclaiming you have ignored all the guidelines.

I hope your family remains safe and well, unlike many on Gransnet who have lost loved ones to covid. Many of them could well have been infected by people with your attitude. It’s not all about you.

Just reading this post makes me gag. My poor dentist struggles when I go as I gag ad soon ad he comes near me with any implements ? I'd be much happier giving blood than doing swabs so am staying in with my animals, good job I'm a home bird??

We do lateral flow tests despite my being positive for Covid in July (tested via the Zoe study). I caught Covid after being spat at whilst cycling. This was almost my first time out for 4.5 months so yes, Covid is easily transmissible and lateral flow testing will help stop the spread.

Why the last sentence above? My granddaughter did a lateral flow test last week before going off to school. It was negative.

My daughter arrived home from the school run and just happened to glance at her daughter's test and it was now showing faintly positive. She turned around and immediately collected the children from school and the whole family went for PCR tests. Yes, the child was confirmed positive.

The remainder of the family now have an opportunity to take extra precautions so that they do not contract the virus from the positive child who, incidentally, thus far is 'one who walks amongst us', i.e. is showing no symptoms.

If she had not taken the lateral flow test which led to the PCR test she would have been spreading Covid throughout school, her family and the wider community.

How people think that by not helping society in individual ways does not add to the fight against this horrible killer disease, I just don't understand.

Why do posters here think that being asked to help and take lateral flow tests is impinging on their liberty? I can't understand their selfish, self-centred attitude, not caring about society as a whole and am disappointed at reading such posts.

Government wants to control us? To what end? Are we all going to riot at being asked to help stop a terrible disease and protect those perhaps more vulnerable than themselves?

The mind boggles.

pen50

Should probably take them but don't, because the false-positive rate is too high; though I can WFH, partner can't and wouldn't get paid if he had to isolate with me. OTOH we've both had our full set of jabs and I have taken the PCR tests whenever the Zoe app asks me to; several times so far because of my hay fever, and all resolutely negative. If we were in an area of high covid risk I would regularly do the tests, but we're not - I only know one local person who got it, and that was back in January. It helps to live in a bit of a backwater!

If you do take a LFT at home and get a positive result, you are told to go and get a PCR test at a test centre to confirm the result. So I assume if you had a false positive test at home, followed by a negative test at a centre, then you would not be expected to self isolate.

Could you explain what you mean by that?

Reading all these posts makes me pleased that I live in a country where so many people are considerate of other people and willing to put up with a bit of discomfort for the sake of everybody's wellbeing.

Just the odd person who thinks they are more important than other people and therefore don't need to bother with testing, masks, restrictions etc. It's so insulting to the people who have lost loved ones to Covid 19.

Yes, I have been doing them twice weekly since it started. I am 70 and have only just had my 1st jab! It took them a long time to work out if it was safe for me to have due to my allergic history! So not protected at the moment but will be to an extent on June 10th. I live in a retirement development so felt it was the responsible thing to do, although I barely go out! Roll on when I can have the 2nd jab! Best wishes to all and stay safe!

I don’t usually post however I’m rather surprised and saddened at some of the comments regarding COVID-19.
It’s not about statistics, tests being reliable or not, or ‘the government trying to control us’.
The question everyone should ask is ‘Have I honestly done everything I can to stop the spread of a pandemic that has killed millions of people worldwide, and is still doing so.’
Not everyone who has it shows the symptoms but they can still pass it on to loved ones, friends and strangers who may die as a result. It’s this very fact that makes it so dangerous.
If we all pull together and stop making excuses as to why we shouldn’t do this or that, then we increase our chances of keeping any more deaths to a minimum.
Unless you never go out, and live alone, and don’t have any visitors, then please do all that you can to help the spread of this killer.

No, currently fewer than three cases in my area.

Lynmary I thought it was just me! Despite my age (nearly 50) I haven’t had my vaccinations either. Also as a result of allergies. It’s going to be an age before I can see the allergy specialist and then I can have my jabs.

I do the lateral flow tests twice weekly, my job necessitates it.

naughtynanny I had Covid 19, in mid March 2020, before any of us were wearing masks, before lockdown, while we were all still seeing and cuddling our relatives.

naughtynanny - thank you, definitely food for thought.

I do lateral flow tests if I’m going anywhere that may mean I could transmit it to others without knowing it. I don’t see many people so the likelihood is low but feel that I must protect those and myself, I have a heart condition. My daughter is a nurse in London and has seen the worst of this nasty disease. For all of those who think they don’t have to do anything try spending a shift in ICU. I think we’re more fortunate than some, especially India and the South American countries. People have to make choices in life, I’ve made mine.

No, I don’t do them, I think they’re unreliable, and since I’m fully vaccinated and also have had Covid, I can’t see any point in doing them. I wear masks, sanitise, and socially distance, but I’m not taking unreliable tests.

@growstuff. I also have a bit of a problem with lateral flow tests. My husband was tested with one before admission to hospital. It came back positive and he was placed on a Covid ward and exposed to the virus. Two days later the PCR test came back negative and then a couple of days later they did another PCR which was also negative. He ended up contracting the virus in hospital, was discharged with it and the whole household came down with it.

I picked up some test kits intending to do one twice a week, and so far have tested positive twice, followed up by a negative PCR tests, so I think there are obviously problems. My GP seems to think that they pick up on other things like cold/flu viruses - not sure what to make of that but will continue to use them nevertheless in the absence of something better.

A response to the comment about ethylene oxide. Ethelyne oxide (and ethylene glycol - oxide is the oxygen compound, glycol the alcohol compound and ethylene a hydrocarbon) is used in the production of everyday objects.

Ethylene oxide is in pesticides, household cleaning products, cosmetics and shampoos, pharmacutical products, ointments and lotions. It’s in the antifreeze and de-icer we use for our cars. if you are wearing something made of polyester fibre, it will contain an ethylene compound.

Ethylene oxide has been used as a sterilizing agent in hospitals for decades. Dentists use it to sterilize their instruments.

Occupational exposure has been linked to cancer but so has exccessive exposure to many chemicals.

Please do not soapbox and scaremonger about a chemical used to sterilize Covid testing equipment which is also used in everyday products and services.

If you are refusing to test on the basis of this then logically you and your family will cease to use all the other products and services which contain or use the chemical.

Doing one a week just for peace of mind. Both had 2 vaccinations and not going out too much.

Franbern

Problem with these LFT is that they are so very inefficient and get so many flase positives. At my daughters school, two of her pupils got positive results, which proved negative when proper test carried out. A few days later teacher at one of my g.sons school got positive test -which would have meant him going into isolation over next weeks half term when his family are going on holiday - proper test showed this to be a negative.

If we cannot trust these test results, seem little point in doing them.

This is quite true. Both positive and negative results for the LFT are between 40-50% wrong, so why would we take them? False positive and we have to isolate unnecessarily, false negative and we're out and about spreading the virus.
I'm also on the Imperial College research programme and have had a test, not sure if I'll be asked to have more - but this is a "real" test which gives a very accurate result. We feel that the lateral flow tests are a waste of time.