anneg
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I’m so sorry! A nurse friend of mine got very sick but tested negative for two days…until she tested positive yesterday. So even symptomatic people can test negative. I think we have to take these test results with a grain of salt.
It seems that some people, especially those who are fully vaxxed and boosted, can take a long time to get a positive result on a home test, even if they are symptomatic. Their immune system works to keep the viral load down, so they don't test positive until the viral load gets to the point that it triggers a positive test. (See bolded text below)
Rapid Covid tests give false negatives, but it may mean you're not contagious (BBM)
Why do some people who likely have Covid consistently test negative?
Some people may have symptoms and known exposure to Covid but never test positive on either a rapid or a PCR test.Experts said that's more likely to happen among vaccinated people, since Covid vaccines can prompt a swift immune response that stops the virus from replicating to detectable levels.
These people may still develop symptoms, Mina [Dr. Michael Mina] said: "There’s no free lunch, so when your immune system is working, you feel it and that causes symptoms."
In the Stanford study, the vast majority of athletes were vaccinated.
"This should be viewed, in many ways, as a success of your immune system," Mina said, referring to vaccinated people testing negative. "It’s been very bizarre to me that people keep seeing this as a failure of rapid tests."
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