Do I need to self isolate?

[joestifff]

Can’t seem to find any accurate guidance online that states what I need to do. Promise I’ve googled!

So a time line:

Go to personal training for 1 hour at 6am Monday morning.

Text from personal trainer on Wednesday morning saying they’ve been in contact with someone tested positive on a PCR test. They’ve been told to isolate by track and trace.

Wednesday at 9pm. Personal trainer says he has just done a lateral flow. And it’s positive. He is booked in tomorrow (Thursday) for a PCR to confirm.

Do I lock myself in the house for 10 days? I’ve just done a lateral flow, and it’s negative.

[Wacky Racer]

It depends on the result of his test tomorrow as far as I am aware.

[HughG]

False positives from lateral flow tests are very rare so fair to assume PT has it. If it was me I’d self isolate.

If everyone takes a slightly more cautious approach then globally we will get on top of this pandemic much sooner.

[joestifff]

So do track and trace get in touch with me people two days before PCR or lateral flow.

He has no symptoms. As I’ve read that can also be a trigger.

[Ashfordian]

HughG said:

False positives from lateral flow tests are very rare so fair to assume PT has it. If it was me I’d self isolate.

If everyone takes a slightly more cautious approach then globally we will get on top of this pandemic much sooner.

Are you sure on this?

I thought false positives were rare from LFT if you had symptoms but roughly 30%+ of LFT positives were false positives if you do not have symptoms.

Edited by Ashfordian on Wednesday 26th May 21:36

[Ashfordian]

joestifff said:

So do track and trace get in touch with me people two days before PCR or lateral flow.

He has no symptoms. As I’ve read that can also be a trigger.

I would wait on one of both of the following:

- Track and trace to get in touch
- The outcome of his PCR test

If the latter is negative and you don't hear from T&T, then you are free, unless you get symptoms. Until then I would try and keep contact with others to a minimum just in case as that would be sensible


ps You don't say when the trainer was in contact with the person who tested positive.

[joestifff]

Ashfordian said:

ps You don't say when the trainer was in contact with the person who tested positive.

Good point. I’ve asked him. Shall wait and hear.

[HughG]

Ashfordian said:

Are you sure on this?

I thought false positives were rare from LFT if you had symptoms but roughly 30%+ of LFT positives were false positives if you do not have symptoms.

Edited by Ashfordian on Wednesday 26th May 21:36

It seems my info was out of date, early in the year I read and heard on radio 4 what I said above, that a positive lateral flow result could be relied upon, but that a negatives were unreliable.

A quick google suggests that as of a month ago that was no longer what was being reported. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/15/rapi...

I blame it on being back on public transport and not driving into London anything like as much and therefor not listening to the radio.

[bigandclever]

joestifff said:

So do track and trace get in touch with me people two days before PCR or lateral flow.

He has no symptoms. As I’ve read that can also be a trigger.

I had a similar thing with my tattooist. I was his only client one day, he got symptoms the following day and was hospitalised the day after that. Track & trace didn’t get in touch. I decided to isolate, didn’t take a test, but I would’ve known nothing about it without him texting me.