How long did it take until you tested negative?

[Julian]

I'm currently testing positive for Covid-19 using a lateral flow test (a reputable manufacturer, the same test kits that the government was using when it was giving them out for free). I first had symptoms on New Year's Day (in fact that was the only day that I was symptomatic) and I tested myself the following day (Monday) which was my first positive test result. I tested myself again most recently today (Saturday) so, using the nomenclature of my poll options, today is the 5th day after the (my) first positive test and I am still getting a strong red "T" line on the test. NHS information indicates that typically someone who tests positive should expect to start testing negative somewhere between 5 and 10 days after their first positive test result but I'm interested in how people's real experience here matches that NHS estimate hence my poll.

I think the options are self explanatory but if anyone was unlucky enough to take more than 3 weeks before they got a negative test result please post how long you did stay positive for.

Finally, for the avoidance of doubt, I am talking about lateral flow testing only. I believe that PCR testing can have very different characteristics so please don't answer the poll based on any experiences with PCR testing.

- Julian

[swill453]

6 days this time round (December/January). 8 days with previous infection March 2022.

Scott.

[kempiejon]

No hits on me yet, SO had 3 days of mild illness, 6 days of positive tests and negative on the 7th. This was in June 22.

[redsturgeon]

Tested positive on the 29th and still positive today.

John

[redsturgeon]

Negative today!

[Julian]

Negative today!

I'm glad for you John. I'm now using you as my benchmark/pace-setter/competition. By my calculations you've first tested negative 11 days after the day of your fist positive test which based on the poll seems pretty much in line with common experience. Let's see if I can beat your 11 days .

Were you mostly or entirely asymptomatic by the way? If symptomatic then how many days until you cleared the symptoms?

- Julian

[redsturgeon]

Negative today!

I'm glad for you John. I'm now using you as my benchmark/pace-setter/competition. By my calculations you've first tested negative 11 days after the day of your fist positive test which based on the poll seems pretty much in line with common experience. Let's see if I can beat your 11 days .

Were you mostly or entirely asymptomatic by the way? If symptomatic then how many days until you cleared the symptoms?

- Julian

Thanks Julian.

Here is a copy of my list of symptoms from the previous thread.

Mrs RS and I, having avoid the dreaded covid for nearly three years, finally succumbed over Xmas.
In both cases it was mild and in my case milder than a bad cold through with distinctly different symptoms.
Over the course of four days I had the following symptoms, in rough chronological order.
Mild fever for one night
Mild joint pain.
Some fatigue and sweatiness on slight exertion.
Visual disturbances (flashing lights, some multi-coloured. Some swirling shadowy shapes when eyes closed.)
Slight stomach discomfort
Mild headache
Sore throat
Heart palpitations.
Mucus production.
Cough

Sounds a lot but not really too onerous.

[9873210]

I had to vote for less than 3 weeks, but there was no reason to take a second test earlier than that.

[Julian]

I can finally vote in my own poll. I went negative yesterday (Friday) so that's 11 days after my first positive test. I didn't test the day before to it's possible that I might have cleared the virus the day before and won my race with John by a day but we'll never know so I guess I'll call this one an honourable draw.

I found a couple of things interesting about this experience.

The first thing that interested me was the varying attitudes amongst my friends about my reluctance to go out when I knew I was positive. All but one were quite understanding in days 1 through 5 but as I got to day 8 and beyond quite a few were very perplexed by my attitude and really did not understand why I was still turning down invitations to social events.

The second interesting thing was how the NHS treated this, or at least my local hospital trust. I had an outpatient appointment on the morning of day 10 of my isolation. It was a follow-up appointment and almost certainly the final discharge appointment after a series of of appointments that I have attended during the pandemic. In the past every letter confirming an appointment included guidance telling me not to turn up but instead to reschedule if I tested positive for Covid. There was no such guidance for my most recent appointment and nor could I find any online. Because of the lack of guidance I expected it was no longer considered an issue (living with the virus and all that) and that as long as I stayed masked it would be OK but I did want to check so I tested myself the afternoon before(*) and when that test came back positive again I called up the hospital and told the person on the phone that I was still positive, had been asymptomatic for the last 10 days, and asked if I should I still attend. To my surprise she instantly said "no, we need to cancel your appointment tomorrow and reschedule it". So I guess the "living with Covid" is only going so far but since that is still the policy I am very surprised that, as far as I could see, it is no longer explicitly stated at least by my hospital trust. Might this be a deliberate variant of the previous US government's "don't ask, don't tell" approach to gay people serving in the military?

- Julian

(*) I felt that it would be less disruptive to the HNS to test myself the afternoon before my appointment and have them cancel my appointment on the basis of that test so that at least the following morning shift knew I wasn't turning up rather than testing the following morning and cancelling with an hour's warning if I was still positive.

[scotia]

I had a hospital outpatient appointment which I attended today. The appointment was made by post at the end of November, and it requested that I should self-isolate and re-arrange the appointment if I had any symptoms of Covid 19 - but there was no suggestion that I should carry out a Covid test, nor was there any indication as to how long I should self-isolate.

[Hallucigenia]

I can finally vote in my own poll. I went negative yesterday (Friday) so that's 11 days after my first positive test.

Not unusual, I think it's something like 5-10% that keep testing positive after 10 days.