Lateral Flow Tests

[Gary Sayers]

Last Friday, I started with a slight sore throat. The next day, I woke up with a very stuffy head and the sore throat was worse. As I was planning to visit my elderly Mother that day (she's 93 next month), I decided to do a lateral flow test just in case I had covid.

Did the test and it was negative. I phoned my mother and discovered she had a visitor with her and so I told her I was under the weather and I would not visit that day (but that at least it wasn't covid). The next day I felt worse, with a bad headache, all very much like a bad cold. Because of the headache, I decided to do another test (my daughter had covid before Christmas and a headache was the main symptom, I recalled). The test was positive.

So glad I didn't go to visit my Mother the day before! I'm just a bit shocked that on my second day of symptoms, it wasn't picked up by the test and my reason for posting this is to say to anyone that if you have symptoms of a bad cold, it may take more than one or two or more days of tests before you can definitely say its not covid.

I have been one of the lucky one's, with it being no worse than a bad cold. I have had both jabs and the booster, so this should have helped but I am really thankful that I haven't had some of the problems that others have previously reported on here.

As for self isolation, it hasn't really made much difference to me as I am an early retiree (I'm 65 in August) and don't go out much at this time of year. I'm just baffled as to how I caught it. I'd hardly been out of the house the week before and every shop I went in, I wore a mask (as did everyone else)?

[Osi Osgood]

I do believe that everyone, somewhere along the line, no matter what precaution they take, will end up with Covid at some point and, as long as it's basically a bad cold and nothing more, that's probably a good thing, as you will build up natural antibodies. I'm glad you caught it, as you will have a greater success rate of fighting it, then your 93 year old mother.

[Steve Klare]

The other day I saw an immunologist describe the omicron variant as one of the most contagious viruses he'd ever seen, so with this one it doesn't take a huge amount of exposure to be infected. On the plus side, at least it's far from the most dangerous.

I had the original variant a year ago last month. My son tested positive after a mandatory test for people who'd traveled across state lines, so maybe three days later my wife and I were tested. She was positive, I was negative. After that, I got sicker than either of them! This made returning to work very awkward: the criteria for return was 10 days after diagnosis, and technically I never had one. The conclusion we settled on was either I'd had Covid, or I had resisted being infected in close quarters with two infected people at the same time some other, unknown virus coincidentally gave me the exact same symptoms!

[Brian Fretwell]

From the talks given by John Campbell (recommend to me in a post on this forum) Omicron is contagious very soon after infection and before the symptoms start plus it may take a day or two longer for it to show up on a lateral flow test. That's how it was for me - infected on the Saturday negative test Monday felt a bit rough Tuesday, not feeling bad Wednesday positive test Friday. Monday positive in a massive way (the test bar showed up as soon as the liquid hit it and well before the bar to show the test was working correctly, but feeling even more like normal!!! Then still a little positive Thursday so no mixing with friends until the week after.

[Mike Newell]

Could be worse 🤢

https://mol.im/a/10426431

[Brian Fretwell]

That sounds like a real pain in the ****. Mind you they were talking about trying to tell how infected an area was by analyzing the sewage at one time.

[Paul Adsett]

Testing of sewage is a very accurate way of determining the virus spread in a community. It is now a common procedure here in the USA.

[Mark Todd]

I was talking to a chap on Satrurday and someone he knew had the Delta variant and was poorly.

But the chap then recently had Omicron and was in a right old state with this one. Really nasty time. But he is OK now.

Just hope the UK don`t make an Omicron Plus with how badly we are, or are not !!! doing things.

I`ve not done a Covid test yet myself.

Best Mark.

PS lateral flow wise it usually shows up on the second or third ones apparently.

[Douglas Meltzer]

Really? A Covid thread that edges into politics? That never happens. Well, almost never. On second thought....

3 posts deleted. No more please.

[Brian Fretwell]

I was talking to a chap on Satrurday and someone he knew had the Delta variant and was poorly.

But the chap then recently had Omicron and was in a right old state with this one. Really nasty time. But he is OK now.

Just hope the UK don`t make an Omicron Plus with how badly we are, or are not !!! doing things.

I`ve not done a Covid test yet myself.

Best Mark.

PS lateral flow wise it usually shows up on the second or third ones apparently.

I believe that Omicron gives protection against Delta (which is why it has almost faded out in some countries) unfortunately Delta gives no protection against Omicron.

[Steve Klare]

Yes,

I saw a report the other day that Omicron has proteins that neutralize Delta. It has also greatly increased its ability to spread by staying in the upper respiratory tract, while at the same time reducing the immune system's response (and its own lethality) by tending to avoid the lungs.

-for something that's so primitive it's debatably not alive at all, it's almost clever!

[Graham Ritchie]

Interesting thoughts on the original virus and its variants, I think its going to be around for a while in one form or another, our hope is that like the 1918 Spanish flu, is that it continues now to be less lethal. Today we got a text to get a booster shot, before the Omicron becomes more country wide. Up to now NZ has been very fortunate with controls, regarding the spread of this virus, but with Omicron and because it spreads so quickly, its really just a matter of time before most folk will get it.

The most important thing in my view, is to protect our public hospital system at all costs, when I was getting radiation treatment, my thoughts at the time were that, if the personal operating this stuff were to get sick, what would happen to those that need radiation for cancer treatment. Finding that kind of expertise to operate this kind of equipment would be extremely hard to find, the flow on effects could be disastrous.

We have been fortunate in that we have never needed such things as a lateral flow test, in fact never heard of it until I read it hear, in saying that I am holding back from the booster shot for another week, to give my system time to recover a bit more from the completed 33 days of radiation, mainly due to any possible, although hopefully unlikely side effects I might from the jab. Omicron has not yet arrived in this fair city that we are aware of at the moment, so a window for a bit more recovery time first, is on the cards.

On a side note for a while now even visiting McDonalds or even my favorite Muffin Break at the mall you will be asked to show evidence of a vaccine certificate to be able to sit down and eat plus scan you code in, you can still get take-aways without it, but you cant sit down. I notice that the sailing of the old tug this coming weekend, presence of a vaccine certificate is essential to get on it. That reminds me of the good ole days back in mid 1973, in that you had to present a "smallpox certificate" along with your passport to board the old Greek tub "Australis" at Southampton. "no certificate no board" simple as that, as the Greeks did warn you when you got your ticket in the post weeks before. .

I think I have gone of topic a little bit time for a cuppa

[Brian Fretwell]

Best wishes to you Graham. Good idea about the vaccine, making sure your immune system is in good shape to produce antibodies from the vaccine.

[Graham Ritchie]

Thanks Brian..

[Gary Sayers]

Sending you best wishes Graham.