Lateral flow tests

they seem to be picking up asymptomatic cases now the rate has gone up

i have never found a problem online at all tbh. It s a bit long winded though

I know I've had this problem before about reporting a lft test on line and it says try again later, basically all afternoon and evening I was trying so I was just wandering if anyone's ever phoned one in and how easy it was or quicker, maybe for me.

I haven't. I go out very rarely not because of covid but because I have got an elderly dog and no one to leave him with. I have got a pack of LFT tests in case I do get symptoms because my sister and I are bubbled and I would need to warn her not to come.
If I led a different life I would take tests without a second thought.

Sorry bit late answering, but result went through this morning OK.

Yes me I down loaded the nhs app put in my code that I received via email, it kept saying confirm code which I did and it just wouldn't accept it. Kept saying code invalid or gone past its date.

I am isolating as gson and dd have tested positive, so i think I am going to ring up as no doubt I have to have proof for work, my pcr test was negative.

Conan

Hi, just wondering if anyone is having differculty registering their test on
Gov. Line and anyone know if its easier on phone. Thank you

Did a test today, first time, negative, registered online ok.

Gson age 14 yrs did LFT on Monday it was positive, we all went to have a pcr test, of course gs came back positive, daughters was also positive, younger gs negative as was mine.

The day after dd got results of pcr test she did LFT for curiosity it came out Negative! but she did another LFT day after and that showed Positive.

Hi, just wondering if anyone is having differculty registering their test on
Gov. Line and anyone know if its easier on phone. Thank you

Thank you geekesse, I will do this its only my second time doing this, first one went through fine. I was a bit worried I did something wrong. Will try again tomorrow.

Conan

Can I please ask if anyone has had a problem reporting a lft negative test on line, as I put all info in but it would not let me submit it. Something about security

It’s been a bit glitchy today - I had to try a couple of times before I could report mine. Try again tomorrow.

Can I please ask if anyone has had a problem reporting a lft negative test on line, as I put all info in but it would not let me submit it. Something about security

We do the same and so far our visitors have also taken them prior to calling.

I've never done a test and don't know where or how to get one.

I'm in an area which is registering under three infections (which could well be zero infections) and has done since the start of April. I've not had a cold or even a sniffle for well over a year, shop when its really quiet and my life style is such that although I get out and about a lot I don't go where there's crowds of people. So I haven't felt the need to do one.

I agree with you annodomini. I'm in the same situation, except I haven't even been out for supermarket shopping. However, I can see they serve some purpose from a public health perspective in places like schools. I just find it concerning that people seem to think they provide a guarantee of no infection.

I haven't ever done a LFT. I don't see the necessity though if I was advised (told) to do it, I would. I've been supermarket shopping for almost a year which was before tests became generally available. I wear my mask and sanitise my hands, and haven't been out and about besides shopping. And I am doubly vaccinated.

I have my government box of them sitting by my phone. I used one last weekend before I met somebody and went out for lunch. As expected, it was negative. I couldn't possibly have been infected because I hadn't been anywhere I could have caught anything. The person I met has had regular tests because he has worked throughout the pandemic doing research into coronaviruses. I haven't a clue when I'll use the rest. I prefer to make sure I don't get infected, despite having had both vaccinations.

I've been doing some maths with the figures and it's quite interesting. LFTs are far more likely to produce false negative results than false positives, so give people a sense of false security. They are another tool along with vaccinations and all the usual precautions, such as self-distancing, masks and good ventilation, but no more. They're not a cast iron guarantee and I don't see a problem, so long as people understand that.

The figure of 1 in a 1,000 false positives is theoretical. Therefore - theoretically - if the incidence rate is 1 in a 1,000 (and it's still higher than that in some areas), the tests will pick up one true positive and one false negative. Obviously, that's inconvenient for the person who is false positive because he/she will have to self-isolate until a PCR test returns a negative result. Nevertheless, from a public health point of view, it's probably worth it because the true positive person could go on to seed many more infections.

The issues arise when the incidence rate is low. Many areas (including mine) currently have an incidence rate of less than 1 in 5,000. That means that if everybody is tested, there will be one true positive for every five false positives. In other words, the accuracy for positives is 20%. It means that five people have to self-isolate unnecessarily, not to mention the cost of providing LFTs. If the incidence rate were to rise again, LFTs would become more valid.

It does seem that LFTs are being used as a sort of "comfort blanket" for many people. They have their uses for identifying the majority of infected people when incidence rates are high, but I don't see they're serving a useful purpose. They're also encouraging people to use the "false positive" argument as an excuse for lifting all restrictions.

It does seem a little unlikely that a qualified doctor would be unable to do two tests correctly! The tests are unreliable. That’s why I don’t use them.

Yes, I've read a few reports about LFT false positives, but I don't really understand why. It seems that many of them are down to people self-testing and not reading the result properly. The results from them do seem a bit random. I'm glad I've never relied on them.

If your LFT shows a positive result, you need to self-isolate and book a PCR test to confirm the result. According to the BBC report, 82% of the LFT positive tests are confirmed by the more reliable PCR test but 18% are not. Since the BBC report in March, more questions have arisen about the accuracy of the LFT and more research is being undertaken.

I agree that the recent rise in cases is a worry. At this stage, they have not been reflected in hospitalisations or deaths but it is early days in the case uptick. I suspect we are about to see the real world test of the vaccine. Fingers-crossed!

Thanks for the link Cunco. I must admit I don't understand why the number of positives stays the same, even if the number of genuine positives falls. I'll see if I can find something else, which explains it.

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases has doubled in a week, so I hope that's a blip.

The government says 'fewer than one false positive in every 1,000 lateral flow tests carried out'. However, if you relate LFT false positives to total LFT positives, the figure was nearer 20%. The BBC reported in March that 18% of LFT positive results were overturned by subsequent PCR laboratory tests.

This article deals with some of the uncertainties about LFT.

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/15/rapid-covid-testing-in-england-may-be-scaled-back-over-false-positives

How would you feel I said you'd been manipulated into voting for Brexit?

No, I haven't allowed myself to be manipulated. There is almost nothing I've missed over the last 15 months. I'm fed up of people lecturing others about "fear". I haven't been frightened because I knew there was almost no chance that I would be infected.

If you think taking sensible precautions is being subject to "fearmongering", I'm afraid we differ about who has fallen down the rabbit hole.

growstuff

GrannyRose15

No you wouldn't. But think about it for a moment. How much better would we all feel if no new Covid cases were reported? We started off worrying about deaths., then it was hospitalisation, now there is to be no freedom until there are no cases. Why does no one else see the pattern here and realise just how manipulated we have all been.

Why? Because you're only manipulated if you allow yourself to be.

Then you have allowed yourself to be manipulated for the last 15 months. Most of what we have been "asked"/ "required"/ "ordered" to do has been a gross over reaction to the actual threat of the disease. We should never have agreed to be locked down for so long and we have all been manipulated by fearmongering into doing what we have been told.
Post after post on this site has kept the fear going.
We should all be ashamed of what we have done to this country in order to protect the oldies who have already had a good shot at life.
It's to be hoped, for the sake of all Gransnetters, that young people never realise just how much we have cost them.

esgt1967

GrannyRose15

The longer we continue testing, the longer restrictions will be in place.
It's time to get back to normal.

I agree with GrannyRose15 but not going to elaborate as I will be crucified for having that opinion.

We have achieved our aim of protecting the vulnerable (of which I am one) as best we can with the vaccinations, we need to get on with our lives now.

Thanks. Not many people on here seem to agree with me. And I suspect even fewer would dare to admit it.