If I was going on a plane I might have been more cautious, but since it was a ferry trip with minimal contact with others I thought I would do what the official process indicated that I should do. It most likely is a very low level of antigen but lateral flow tests of all sorts can give odd results outside the validated read window. Lateral flow test using a throat only swab is showing negative and a nose only, positive. Also certain types of toothpaste. If so, that is a negative test because the test can only be read 30 mins after you put the drops on the cassette. This is 30 minutes for most lateral flows, but it is worth checking the leaflet in the test packet to make sure. Of course there is the possibility that your DS is positive but has such low levels of virus that it is below the limit of detection of the assay . He , like you followed up with a PCR and that was negative so yea it is possible to get false positive results from lateral flow tests. The medic wrote: "If the faintly positive line appears after the time window, the most likely cause is either that there has been some contamination (e.g. Unlike PCR tests, these detect proteins from the virus,. Also dont waste time doing another lft, a second is no more accurate than the first so it cant be used to contradict the previous, you need a pcr for that. Because all the reports I have seen suggest they work better. Even if the line next to the T is extremely faint, that still means your test is positive. The only day the line was dark was 12/26. I managed to get an appointment tomorrow and will let you know what they say. Click here to upload yours. From today, those who. If it is the latter, and obviously assuming you are asymptomatic at this point, then you are very unlikely to be a transmission risk anyway and so it is of little significance.. LFTs are a rapid way of testing for Covid-19. A booster shot is the best protection against Omicron, with early data suggesting it pushes efficacy back up to 75 per cent for infection, and 80 per cent for severe disease. second PCR test 48 hours after the first carried out. I am sorry you have had this experience but am also relieved to have come across someone else. They told me about this post. Hi there, thank you for sharing your nephew's experience. Even though most of us have now taken a lateral flow test at some point, it's important to always read the instructions. Hi there, thank you so much for coming back to me. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. Hi Soph, I am really glad you have found some that work for you. Also my RA nurse said she'd mention it to my consultant. In some circumstances lateral flow tests can. A link has been emailed to you - check your inbox. Thanks, Melissa. The last three packets have been FlowFlex and I have only had one false positive, which is much better than my 100% track record with the Xiamen ones! In general, yes, we can reason that the faint lines indicate less virus and vice versa. "The PCR programme is such a complete waste of resources. After getting nowhere, my Rheumatology nurse suggested I try swabbing just my throat for a lateral flow test and just my nose for another. Both v similar - LFD test faint positive in v early stages, confirmed PCR positive, LFD much stronger positive after 1-2 more days then remained positive for another week or so before then . The Glentress Masterplan sets out redevelopment proposals that includes new trails, improved facilities, and some new accommodation options in the area. Search the forum using the power of Google. VideoRussian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. I take Baricitinib. On symptoms alone then you should isolate. If the second PCR . The home test kits generally provide a fast and reliable result in 30 minutes and unlike PCR tests do not need to. SUPER faint positive line on lateral flow test. UPDATE! This is because tests are made by different manufacturers and could have different requirements to make sure they are being done correctly. As we all work to limit the high levels of transmission of this variant over the Christmas period, we are urging people to test regularly, particularly before attending social gatherings. Whether the faint line on your lateral flow test means you have tested positive for Covid-19 or not is all down to timing. Ive already had to postpone steroid injections in my knees because of it. My GP and Rheum Nurse dont know why this is happening either. in our Privacy Policy. If I am being honest, I think it's because I had a massive meltdown on the phone. @poly, yes, that was the response I expected on here really, and maybe youre right. The whole point of mass testing like this is to break chains of transmission - to keep Hailing away from her customers at a time when she might be infectious but have no obvious symptoms. But the results of these tests are not so black and white. I've been trying to find any information on super faint lines that result on lateral flow tests. Hi Melissa, yes they're the lateral flow tests that I have been using. With getting negatives on the NHS labelled brand though, and reading your post I'm not as concerned now. A quick google (although I am mindful that I am not from a medical background) and some information from a registrar at Kings, suggests it could be cross-reactivity of antibodies. Its not the first time that this has come up with other experts saying that the meaning of a faint positive line on your Covid-19 test depends on timing. My RA has flared up and remained bad since the vaccinations. If it is a false result its most likely because you read it too late not because of cross reaction with another virus. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Evaporation lines are colorless streaks, not faint lines. In December, London-based A&E doctor Nathan Hudson-Peacock. tick here. Pcr done Boxing Day and positive. Not quite so clear cut. If so, how did you get on? I reported ut to my rhuematology department but they hadn't heard of it before. Tests can give false reassurance on the one hand, and on the other can create false alarms and unnecessary isolation.". Some scientists think we could all soon store a supply of rapid tests or "viral thermometers" in the medicine cabinet to help diagnose sickness far more quickly. Lateral Flow Antigen Testing For COVID-19 ForPatient-Facing Staff Frequently Asked Questions What is lateral flow antigen testing? A post shared by Nathan (@expedition_doctor). To confirm I got a first response (boots are doing buy 1 get 1 free) and it came up positive. Have been taking LFTs 2-3 times a week since February and never seen a line, and I tend to inspect them a bit neurotically. Therefore, even if you have more cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose and a scratchy throat, its always best to do a test to be on the safe side. He said: "If the faint line appears after the window, the most likely cause is either that there has been some contamination (e.g. I suppose on the plus, it got things moving though. Rezzy Ghadjar You no longer have to get a follow-up PCR test if you test positive on a lateral flow with no symptoms. As always, the booster vaccine remains the best protection against infection. He said an extra 425 million tests are due to be made available this month with further shipments expected after that. Therefore, day-to-day I am rarely in settings that I would say put me at particularly high risk of catching it. It's the closest I have got to some kind of acknowledgement so far! You do not need to isolate and you do not need to book a PCR.. I had a faint line LFT on Christmas Day, redid it again faint line tried for a third time but did it like a pcr throat then nose and it lit up like a traffic light. However, if a line appears *after* the interpretation window then this does NOT count as a positive test. Do you have a story for The Sun news desk? Have just taken a PCR, so will hopefully find out in the next few days. If it carries on in a week or so I'll definitely call the GP. They are the tests we got in the unbranded blue and white boxes. Not always, but . 0. steph m (40) 06/12/2014 at 11:31 am. Im so relieved to see this! As above, Ive done 100s of the damn things. I was 10dpo. Wednesday taste and smell went and flu style body aches. People who have had covid tend to test positive on the lateral flow tests, at college they were asked not to take the LFTs. However, it is undeniably there at that point which is why I also have to take a follow up PCR. Government guidance states: "Result lines may appear smudged or faint, but they are still valid results . I just don't believe there are so few people having this issue that it hasn't been flagged. Get your need-to-know However, if the positive line is very faint and appears after a certain amount of time, it could actually mean you are not infected, a doctor has said. To be fair I think most people would glance at it and say negative so maybe I am ok. Mudmuncher, you shouldnt need a phone light to see if there is a line there or not. You must report all lateral flow test results to the NHS. The only day the line was dark was 12/26. Some scientists would like to see ministers go further and use lateral flows to completely replace expensive PCR lab tests - both for those with and without Covid symptoms. I was feeling a bit off and . I took a PCR that afternoon. Lateral flow tests are a quick and simple way to discover if you have Covid-19. Each positive case identified can help prevent many more infections. The official instructions that accompany the LFTs states that 'two lines, one next to the C and one next to the T, even faint lines, shows the test is positive'. Says in the bumph, any line no matter how faint should be treated as a positive test and go get PCR. You no longer have to get a follow-up PCR test if you test positive on a lateral flow with no symptoms. I had both vaccinations this summer, AstraZeneca with a booster due early next year. By the next day it was so red the ink was bleeding out! I too was initially told I probably had Covid, but I had received two doses of the vaccine by this point so I thought it was unlikely. I too have the worry that false positives will cause me difficulties in the future. It's so naughty and a real step up from when I was little and we used to do the old thermometer on a hot water bottle trick (which my Mum never fell for!). The WeekDay newsletter provides you with a daily digest of news and analysis. subscription as described in our Privacy Policy. The strongest positive I had was one done first thing in the morning after waking. What does a faint line on my lateral flow test mean? Id say assume positive, test again 8 hours or so later and see how that comes back. Hi Sarah, I am really sorry you are going through this too! Last week I took another lateral flow test as was feeling a bit under the weather again. 07/08/2021 20:56. Their email address is: bsr@rheumatology.org.uk if you feel you want to share your experience too. The booster campaign is at the forefront of the Governments plan to tackle Omicron, which is threatening to plunge the UK into another lockdown. Also, my family live abroad and it's possible I could be given a spot check lateral flow at the airport on their side which is quite worrying given I have never produced a negative test using one before. My wife too did the LFT on Friday 20 /8/2021 with positive results . After following the instructions on the leaflet included with testing packs, there's often a clear result. If in doubt PCR and isolate until results are back. A lateral flow test must be taken 24 hours apart on day six and seven of the isolation period, and if both tests come back negative, isolation can end on day seven. Treat as +ve get a PCR done. Yes I am and strongly anti-CCP positive. How lateral flow testing works Lateral flow is an established technology, adapted to detect proteins that are present when a person has COVID-19. But false positives are not the only possible drawback with mass testing on this scale. 'We' includes The Week and other Future Publishing Limited brands as detailed here. It would be hugely inconvenient not as inconvenient as the person who directly from you, or indirectly for someone you infect ends up in ITU. Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them. 11pm - 1am, Turn Me On My GP wrote to the immunology department at St Thomas's with my dilemma and I will report back any findings. Thanks for doing that. Lateral flow devices are small white rectangles made of plastic with a testing strip inside. Recently he shared an image of a lateral flow test with an extremely faint line next to the 'T'. Like I said, anecdotal evidence, 4 people in the family and two close friends have taken nose only FLT tests which indicated negative results. But with questions over their accuracy, Ingrid Torjesen asks whether they are being used appropriately As many as 384 million kits have been ordered by the UK government at a cost of over 1.3bn (1.5bn; $1.8bn), with most being spent on a test made . Not sure how useful this is but definitely something that needs to be looked into overall. The White House said each household could order up to four lateral flow tests for free, paying for the testing with "funding left over from the American Rescue Plan, the Covid relief bill that. It should be phased out sooner rather than later," says Prof Irene Petersen at UCL. How many of them wait the full 30 minutes is questionable too. But if a second line appears on the test after this time window, is it possible that you could have Covid-19? Drinking fresh orange juice seems to give a positive. Like so many others across the UK, she was surprised when a faint line started to appear on the white testing strip. Holly Willoughby's This Morning outfit today: How to get her green tweed dress from, Pink preparing daughter Willow 'for the real world' after painful relationship with. If you are comfortable, it might be worth letting them know your experience too. A lateral flow test is a specific type where you dip a piece of paper in a liquid and after a few minutes one line appears a positive control to show the test is working and another line appears if the test is positive. The idea of population-wide Covid testing on this scale was first revealed in leaked documents in the autumn of 2020. Lateral flow tests are being used in a bid to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks due to asymptomatic cases. When we get a test result for a disease like COVID-19, we naturally expect it to be either positive or negative. I will contact NRAS (if you could PM me with details of who you have contacted that would be helpful.) Good on you for doing the right thing and acting on it. The lft are comparatively inaccurate and significantly less sensitive to actual infection than a PCR (especially in the early stages). One step closer to me and my family being reunited. If a faint positive line appears later than this, its highly likely to be a very weak contaminant or extremely low levels of the virus which would not be transmissible. Don't know but will phone RA nurse to find out. Even if you have a very faint line on the T section of the lateral flow test, you should still isolate if you test positive on day six or seven. I did this because I got a negative PCR test this morning, so it was a sensible time to try this knowing I don't have Covid. First, have you had covid in the past? Was going to suggest the same. Haha surely I deserve a diplomatic passport for that! I'm in exactly the same position Melissa. As reported by Birmingham Live, Dr Nathan Hudson-Peacock, who posts under the name @expedition_doctor on Instagram, has warned the public to be wary of three common pitfalls when using the tests. 2023 BBC. I managed to get a letter from my Dr to say lateral flow tests should not be used in my first line of testing, but it doesn't really solve the ongoing issue around travel for me (e.g. Now my wife is positive but our other daughter and myself still negative on both LFTs and PCRs. Thanks for your message. Long story short over the last week I have had 5 weak positive and 2 strong positive LF tests and 2 negative PCR results. I'm thankful to have found someone with a similar experience! So what would a faintly positive test result mean outside the 30-minute mark, if not Covid? Mumsnet carries some affiliate marketing links, so if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale (more details here). The line on the test strip is very faint. It was an absolute nightmare and stressful too. I have taken 4 lateral flow tests (3 on the same occasion and 1 on a separate), all of which have come back positive. Flow Flex branded ones supplied if you order online in Scotland are nose only, result in 15 mins. As Ive been shielding for best part of two years Ive only had to take one test just to prove to doc that the chest infection I had was just that and not covid as Im CEV so I cant give you my personal experience. A positive lateral flow test no matter how faint must be treated as a definite Covid-19 case as the home testing kits are "very reliable", a Queen's University virologist has said.. Lateral flow tests have pretty much 100% specificity. Covid booster jabs protect against Omicron and offer the best chance to get through the pandemic, health officials have repeatedly said. I am so sorry to hear you and your wife have been through this, and all for nothing. Read about our approach to external linking. Wife and son both had it recently, wife double vacced, son 11 yo. I'm not sure how regularly these tests are being done among shielding groups. NHS rules state that if you test positive your isolation period begins on the day that your symptoms developed or the day that you took the test if you don't have symptoms, and ends 10 days later. I do lateral flows twice a week for past three months for my work. Have you spoken to your GP about it? This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. When twice-weekly rapid testing was rolled out in secondary schools in the spring of 2021, there were worries that large numbers of pupils would be incorrectly told they had the virus - a so-called "false positive" - and sent home. Secondly, he says, some people may not be reading the instructions properly. Mine was totally stumped but at least referred the issue to virology at Guys. The Flow Flex tests I and family have had are nasal only. I have had positives with every flowflex so far which is a box of 7, but a negative qPCR. However, the PCR tests have consistently come back negative. I think there are more of us than we realise but it's still incredibly difficult to trust these tests and to know what to do about it. The proportion of false positives does increase when the prevalence of the disease falls in society. And a digital membership where you can read all the digital magazines is normally 25, and now 12.50 with the code. Makes you wonder how many people dont even notice a faint positive (or ignore it) and carry on regardless. But if you have symptoms, regardless of the lateral flow test result, you should isolate and book a PCR test. Started feeling like I had a cold this weekend, did a LFT which was negative, did another this morning and a very faint line appeared, but took 40mins plus until I was convinced something was there. What does a faint line on your lateral flow test mean? If you don't mind me asking, what type of RA do you have? View our online Press Pack. A peer-reviewed paper she co-authored in October found they were 80% effective at detecting any level of active Covid infection and even better at picking up the most infectious individuals. About two or three weeks later she got a clear positive result and correspondingly positive PCR result I have no idea if the two were linked. I did the tests without food or drink influence. done subsequent lateral flow tests (all positive) and 3 PCR tests (all negative). A doctor has warned that people are making three common mistakes when taking Covid lateral flow tests. The picture above is my positive LFT from this morning, and I have confirmed COVID. If you wish to object to the use of your data in this way, please The amount of symptomatic people I speak to who believe they dont have covid because they did an lft is frankly staggering. 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