Testing Negative Despite Covid Positive

 Cold and flu season is here once again. Although the vaccine has reduced the frequency

and severity of Covid, it's still around, and Covid can look exactly like the cold or flu. If you

experience symptoms, you should get tested. Vaccinated people may not test positive for

several days after experiencing symptoms, and some may never test positive.

You should get vaccinated and boosted if you can. The vaccine significantly reduces

your risk of falling ill and dramatically reduces the severity if you become sick. The vaccine is

completely safe, so you should get it as soon as possible if you haven’t already. You can still

test positive if you have had the vaccine; however, you may not test positive even if you are

confident you have Covid. This is because the viral load is low enough in your throat and nose

that the test will not detect Covid even though you have it. If the virus spreads outside your

respiratory system, you will still fall sick but never test positive.

If you think you have Covid, you should stay home even if you have not tested positive.

A negative test does not mean you are in the clear. If you think you have Covid, you should get

tested and keep getting tested even if the initial result is negative. Testing is the best way to

catch the virus and stop its spread. Most vaccinated people have mild symptoms, so it is vital to

get vaccinated. If you fall ill, please get tested even if you are sure it is not Covid. More

importantly, if you fall ill, please stay home; no one wants to get sick.

Source:https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/02/well/live/covid-testing-household-

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Owen Bradley (4)

Comments

  1. Caitlin HooperOctober 12, 2022 at 1:59 PM

    Hi Owen! This blog is so important because, despite the history we have had with Covid, the flu, and other illnesses, some people still choose to ignore the obvious risk that this poses to our health. It was interesting to read the reasoning behind why some people may test negative despite being positive. Is there currently any research being done on creating more accurate tests?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Victoria LeongOctober 12, 2022 at 6:11 PM

    Hi Owen!
    I completely agree with you! After so many years of Covid, people are already in the mindset that it is completely gone, which is definitely not true at all. It can be disguised as a flu or a cold, which we are already so confident are normal and harmless. We all still have to be very careful in cleanliness and taking care of our health for ourselves and the people around us. Do you have any ideas that the school could take in warning the student population about the risks of mistaking a common cold/the flu for Covid?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Owen BradleyOctober 15, 2022 at 7:13 PM

      Testing is the only way to be sure. People who are vaccinated don't tend to lose their sense of smell or taste. PCR tests are still pretty accurate and free at UMass if your symptomatic. It's a tough situation.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousOctober 12, 2022 at 9:40 PM

    Hey Owen! Throughout the pandemic, I have been hearing about the accuracy of tests being put to question. As is with any tests taken, especially when done independently of professionals, inaccurate readings may come up for various reasons, as you mentioned. Do you know if there is just as much a likelihood of there being a false or asymptomatic positive result as there is a false negative?
    - Anthony

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Owen BradleyOctober 15, 2022 at 7:16 PM

      Rapid tests are pretty inaccurate but PCR tests are good. If you test negative there is a good chance you are. The vaccine increases the instances of false negatives but they are still good indicators.

      Delete
  4. Haya UsmaniOctober 13, 2022 at 7:42 AM

    Hi Owen! During the pandemic, there were several false positive and false negative tests, this led to a further spread of covid since people believed they were negative when they were actually positive. This is important since as you mentioned, the viral load may not be enough to detect it, and you may be actually positive. This makes it critical that we should always stay home if we think we might even have a chance of having it, to prevent others from getting it. Is there currently a way to prevent getting a false negative test?

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousOctober 13, 2022 at 1:59 PM

    Hi Owen! I thought that your blog was a really useful and important reminder that covid still poses a threat and is still an ongoing health issue. After hearing the word covid so many times I'm sure everyone is sick of hearing it, but it is still affecting many. Especially now with the weather changes and cold/flu season, it is important to remember that covid is still a possibility and prevent the spread. Do you think that people should be talking more about getting the booster vaccine?

    -Alissa N

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Owen BradleyOctober 15, 2022 at 7:21 PM

      Absolutely, if you can get the booster you should. People who are fully vaccinated experience less severe symptoms and die far less often. Talking about the vaccine is the best way to get more people to take it, reducing the spread and death rate.

      Delete
  6. AnonymousOctober 13, 2022 at 8:10 PM

    Hey Owen! There've been a lot of situations in the last couple of years that I heard about people testing negative despite having COVID. It is good to now know what causes these false negatives, and I think it’s important to realize that the pandemic is still ongoing. I think it’s interesting that you mentioned the fact that flu and cold season is going around now, and that people may contract COVID without realizing due to a decrease in the amount of people testing for it. Your article is a clear example that people should still get tested if they are exposed, or if they show symptoms!
    - Ritika Koirala

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousOctober 13, 2022 at 8:13 PM

      Also, do you think there are any reasons that people test false positive for COVID?

      Delete
  7. Elizabeth HardyOctober 14, 2022 at 10:23 PM

    It's so interesting that now even if you do have covid, it will not show up on a test. You will have no way of knowing that you actually are sick. Because the viral load is so low, are you still contagious to others? Also, how did this discovery happen if the viral load was too low to detect covid? This makes me think now how much our lives have changed. Before, if you had a cold, you could still go out. Now, even if you think you don't have covid, you could, and it would be best to stay home. I recently took a covid test when I was sick and it was negative, and now I'm wondering if maybe the viral load was just too low to detect. This is very interesting and thought provoking.

    ReplyDelete

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