You are reading a single comment by @jellybaby and its replies. Click here to read the full conversation.
  • Be careful with the rapid antigen tests too... Wednesday evening (showing symptoms) I tested negative twice and the next morning I tested positive twice.

    I think that's how they're supposed to work. LFT, uh, tests are for your day to day asymptomatic testing to see if it's got into your system and you don't know it yet. It's unlikely a PCR test will detect the virus at this point but an LFT will. LFTs stop being able to detect the virus when you develop symptoms. When you develop symptoms, you get a PCR test done.

  • That's not my understanding.

    PCR is more sensitive than LFT. If you are infected on day 0 a PCR might detected it on day 3-30 and an LFT on day 5-9.

  • Yep, I thought that was the case too. The polymerase chain reaction which gives the PCR test its name should make it far more sensitive than a lateral flow test due to the replication process carried out by the polymerase chain reaction. In the UK lateral flow tests are used to test asymptomatic people, and not PCR tests, but I don't think that's because lateral flow tests are technically better at finding infectious but asympomatic people - it's just the government doesn't want to use the more expensive PCR tests on a routine basis.

About

Avatar for jellybaby @jellybaby started