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Lateral flow tests: Covid test discrepancy mystery deepens as dozens say postal PCRs now coming back positive

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Lateral flow tests: Covid test discrepancy mystery deepens as dozens say postal PCRs now coming back positive

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https://inews.co.uk/news/lateral-flow-t ... TO=newsnow

Several people who have tested positive for Covid-19 on lateral flow devices have reported testing negative on PCRs at walk-in and drive-in centres but then positive via postal ones – adding to confusion over test result discrepancies

Confusion over Covid test results deepened today after dozens of people reported receiving a positive PCR result from a postal swab but a negative one from a walk-in or drive-through centre.

It comes after i revealed last week that scores of people were receiving negative PCR results after a positive lateral flow test for Covid.

The majority of those incidents have been in the South West and the UK Health Security Agency is investigating the cause.

But now dozens of people have contacted i to say that after following up their lateral flow with a PCR, they have received results showing they tested positive via a PCR conducted at home and sent via the post, but negative for a PCR conducted at a centre.

They have discovered the discrepancies after deciding to repeat their PCR tests because they were not convinced they were negative after receiving a positive lateral flow result.

Jamie Bryce, 41, from Chippenham, Wiltshire, and his son Hamish, 12, tested positive on three lateral flow tests last week. They also tested negative on PCR tests at different centres in Swindon and Chippenham.

Following Government advice Hamish went back to school on 7 October but after hearing locals speaking about the testing discrepancy Mr Bryce kept Hamish off on the Friday.

Starting to feel symptoms himself Mr Bryce was convinced the lateral flows were correct and ordered further postal PCR tests for them which came back positive.

The father and son took the lateral flow tests because they had been on a weekend trip with Hamish’s rugby team and several others were getting positive lateral flow results afterwards.

Mr Bryce said: “It certainly feels like there’s something going on with the West Country. It could be viral load, I don’t know how PCR works to be honest.

“I think the Government has to look at it in a bit more of a reactive way, it seems like there’s inertia.

“My wife is a teacher in a school in Swindon and it’s the same I think at every school they know there’s kids coming back with positive LFTs but the policy is to get them back in – and then kids are getting sick.

“There’s no reason Hamish needed to go back to school on Thursday. There’s obviously some anomaly with these tests.”

Caroline, from Bath, started getting Covid symptoms on 3 October, and tested positive several lateral flow tests in the following days.

She had two negative in-centre PCR tests but then heard people were getting different results on postal ones in Bath and Chippenham, decided to try one and got a positive.

She told i: “I heard anecdotally that people who had got repeated negative PCR tests by going to their local testing clinic, had then decided to try the postal mail in service and then got positive PCR results.

“I don’t know where the postal ones go, whether they go to the same clinic or not or whether there’s a difference in the test kit. There’s a lot of factors, or steps where things could be different but it does seem kind of weird.”

Emma Pickard, 46, also from Bath, had all the classic Covid symptoms and eight positive lateral flow test results but tested negative on PCRs three times before she got a positive result on a postal one.

She said: “I’m 100 per cent I had Covid, I’ve never lost my taste and smell before, my husband had Covid before me and I hadn’t been anywhere for 10 days so I hadn’t had a cold.”

Clare Carroll, from Newbury, Berks, told i her daughter, 14, got a sore throat and headache and tested positive on lateral flow test on 3 October. She took her for a PCR on Newbury Showground the next day which was negative. She did another test at the site the following day which was also negative but her mum also ordered her a postal one.

Ms Carroll had seen several people speaking locally online about having positive LFTs and then negative PCRs at walk-in centres but then getting a positive result from postal tests.

Her daughter then tested positive from the postal PCR on 7 October. The Year 10 pupil had returned to school on Government advice that morning and her mum rushed to pick her up.

She said: “ I’ve seen online about 10 people locally who have said this has happened to them.

“I’m not saying it’s down to the testing sites. Maybe there’s different types of PCR tests? The liquid from the testing site was orange and the liquid in the postal one was clear, I’m not saying that effects it – but they’re obviously different.”

Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at the UK Health Security Agency, said: “We have been made aware of some areas reporting positive LFD test results with subsequent negative PCR tests and we are looking into the cause.

“If you get a positive LFD test it’s important to make sure that you then get a follow up PCR test to confirm you have Covid-19. If you have symptoms of Covid-19, self-isolate and take a PCR test.

“With any test it is important to carefully read and follow the instructions for use on the test kit so as to avoid any incorrect readings.”

University of Bath professor Kit Yates, a member of the Independent Sage committee that raised the alarm about positive lateral flows followed by negative PCRs last week, has heard the same story on positive postal results from half a dozen people.

Prof Yates told i: “Anecdotally we’re hearing more examples of people testing negative at a drive-in testing centre but then testing positive on-at-home PCR tests.

“Could there be something different about the way the tests are being processed which is causing this discrepancy? We’re still not sure what’s behind this phenomenon and we need to get to the bottom of it quickly.”

Asked whether a difference in PCR walk-in and postal tests could be an explanation the UK Health Security Agency have said there is no evidence of any technical issues with LFD or PCR test kits. It also says there is no evidence of an emergence of new variant.
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