Coronavirus

[lemonjelly]

thank you sir! She's been feeling pretty rough to be honest, but am hoping the worst is over.
I haven't tested positive (feels like I have been testing daily since xmas eve, as have had one symptom or another ever since then!) and have been fortunate in that I haven't felt too unwell. But I do really feel for her. Being ill really is no fun.

 

[The Bear]

mrs jelly tested positive yesterday and today after a few days of feeling ill.
yesterdays LTF was a very very faint line that you really had to look for.
Todays, the positive line appeared instantly, before the test line!

LFTs are a waste of time. My cousin is a nurse and she and her colleagues have to do them every day. She says the number of false results you get make them very unreliable. Only PCRs are accurate.

 

[Tredman]

No

Omicron puts spotlight on UK’s use of lateral flow tests to stem Covid spread

Lateral flow devices are a key part of the government’s strategy against coronavirus but their efficacy is questionable

www.ft.com

 

[lemonjelly]

i don't think they are a waste of time, but it is true they aren't as reliable as PCRs. that said, both me and mrs jelly had negative pcrs last summer when I am convinced we both were covid positive.
the issue currently is the uk government didn't plan for the volume of testing needed through omicron, despite being aware, and now the pcr labs are unable to deal with the demand. so they changed the policyt to be dependent on LTFs.

In a similar way, they are changing the isolation period now to 5 days to ensure people return to work much quicker.

del used to have a sig that would apply brilliantly to their current "strategies" (I use this word quite wrongly, as they are, as has been shown, making it up as they go along).

 

[Tredman]

This is the key thing to takeaway with LFTs:

 

[The Bear]

72% accurate for symptomatic.
58% accurate for asymptomatic.

Those are the key things I took away from that article.

 

[machin05]

Timing is everything with LFTs. Much harder to get timing right when you're asymptomatic.

 

[Tredman]

And symptomatic period pretty corresponds well with infectious period - so good enough for what they are used for.

 

[EdgeOfTheAlps]

Only place I've been to in the US is Boston, 2x in 2018 - amazing city, really pleasantly surprised. Recommend the Union Oyster House, simply amazing history (in the booth next to JFK'S), and even better food, the "Cheers" bar, and amazing pubs and bars throughout. The beer is the best I've ever had, though can be scarily expensive (avoided the $50 for half pint one in Cambridge).

Great days out are Rockport, Gloucester (The Perfect Storm) for whale watching.

 

[EdgeOfTheAlps]

Had a cold since middle of last week, LFT negative but now developing fever too. Time for another test, still sure it's a cold mind

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Only place I've been to in the US is Boston, 2x in 2018 - amazing city, really pleasantly surprised. Recommend the Union Oyster House, simply amazing history (in the booth next to JFK'S), and even better food, the "Cheers" bar, and amazing pubs and bars throughout. The beer is the best I've ever had, though can be scarily expensive (avoided the $50 for half pint one in Cambridge).

Great days out are Rockport, Gloucester (The Perfect Storm) for whale watching.

Thanks EOTA.

Trouble is I'm not sure we'll be able to visit these places you recommend due to the restrictions i spoke of

(Although we wouldn't be able to visit pubs with the kids anyway)

 

[lemonjelly]

bastard positive LTF.

 

[AndyWolves]

It finally happened, felt pretty rubbish yesterday PM, did a positive LFT this AM.

Am I right in thinking a false positive on a LFT is very, very unlikely?

 

[lemonjelly]

not sure, but my bastard pcr also came back positive.
thankfully I haven't left the house or had contact with anyone aside from mrs jelly, who has been ill since monday and had repeat positive LTFs

 

[PuntsWolf]

It finally happened, felt pretty rubbish yesterday PM, did a positive LFT this AM.

Am I right in thinking a false positive on a LFT is very, very unlikely?

Not if your Liverpool…

If an LFT is done correctly then should be quite hard to get a false positive unless the test is faulty.

 

[AndyWolves]

not sure, but my bastard pcr also came back positive.
thankfully I haven't left the house or had contact with anyone aside from mrs jelly, who has been ill since monday and had repeat positive LTFs

Hope you're both on the bastard mend

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Sage scenarios vs actual: an update

‘Deaths could hit 6,000 a day,’ reported the newspapers on 17 December. A day later documents for the 99th meeting of Sage were released which said that, without restrictions over and above ‘Plan B’, deaths would range from 600 to 6,000 a day. A summary of Sage advice, prepared for the Cabinet...

www.spectator.co.uk

 

[Paul]

not sure, but my bastard pcr also came back positive.

Don't think you needed a PCR test to prove that matey, we could have told you

 

[AndyWolves]

So my whole family has tested positive now.

Me, my wife and two four year olds.

I feel this week might be a tough one with us all isolating

 

[Sniffer]

So my whole family has tested positive now.

Me, my wife and two four year olds.

I feel this week might be a tough one with us all isolating

I've got two kids at home after testing positive, the second positive coming 4 days after the first. Having thought we'd managed to isolate it at just the 16 year old, I fear we'll all test positive over the next few days.