Covid - Again

[maggiebee]

Daughter was feeling unwell so went for a test (she works in a school)

48 hours later test results came back "inconclusive"
Another test
24 hours later test results came back "inconclusive"
Now has to go for a third test as she can't go back to work until she has a negative result.

Problem is there are four in the family and they are all working - or were, but are now isolating until my daughter has a negative test. Says she wishes she'd never bothered.

Anyone else had this problem?

[Peter Pedant]

// Anyone else had this problem?//

yup should be up to 20% who have long covid - see

https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3489

oh lardy dah 75 mins on what can be summed up in 15 m
anyway - go on testing until they are free

( you asked - someone asked ....I swear)

[Peter Pedant]

at around 60 m into the BMJ viddie
they do testing
and being doctors who sit around on their bottoms yaaarting in their sealed rooms (*) instead of active docs going around treating and curing people
they hopelessly confuse
1.false negative - never had it but lab says you have ( lab error)
2.carrier - had it and still excreting
3.positive but not infectious - - virus bits are detected by the test but are not contagious because they are in bits

(*)and yes I have mentioned to Fiona Godlee (for it is she) that if she is going to blaaart internationally then she really should know this sort of thing. yes I dont like paper doctors in offices much
better quality comment often on AB

[fiction-factory]

It's frustrating but she's no worse off due to delays really since if you have symptoms you need to self isolate

[fiction-factory]

Did you answer the right question pp?

[woofgang]

I have lost it now but there was an interesting article where a professor whose name escapes me was advocating more culture of specimens as well as testing. His thing is about the positive but not infectious category...he reckons that if more tests were cultured, they could learn more about how to tell the difference by test and make the tests more accurate

[maggiebee]

That sounds interesting woolfgang. Please post if you find the article.

[Peter Pedant]

did I answer the right question?
I think I did
I certainly answered the question I wanted to answer !

culture - never 'eard of it - you need a cell layer (the really common ones are BHK or HeLa cells) and really quite complex lab facilities - and it takes 10 days - oh lardy daaa again
BUT
https://www.cebm.net/study/culture-based-virus-isolation-and-potential-infectivity-of-clinical-specimens-for-covid-19/

seems to be it
I am a telepath - I thought it might be Carl Heneghan
and it is.....
and they get 3/20 to propagate

{and I dont want to do this - "I have worked in a virus lab and you havent" bit)
BUT 17 negs DOESN'T mean they werent active/infectious
it just means they failed in 17 cases which is a very different thing

anyway muhdarm wanted a paper of culture against PCR
and there it is

( thank you PP - etc etc - oh no really I am interested myself, no trouble and so on)

[woofgang]

yes he was talking about using it to validate test reliability rather than to inform individuals

[woofgang]

thank you PP

[woofgang]

:)

[Peter Pedant]

crazy idea
the fact that you cant culture something doesnt mean it isnt there ( and infectious)
see my comment previously

[woofgang]

you are a useful chap PP....I did wonder....totally without previous knowledge....whether it was as easy as that....on the principle of "Does it sound to good to be true?"