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Covid

Child symptoms and testing

56 replies

Lovingmylife · 05/08/2020 18:45

So I'm pretty sure my daughter just has a heavy cold but she woke up with a fever and coughing. All day she has been off colour and we booked a test for all of us. I'm convinced it will be negative. Her nose is streaming which isn't a symptom is it. I am a bit paranoid as she has an immune deficiency.

I just wondered what your experiences were of your children who tested positive?

OP posts:
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labyrinthloafer · 06/08/2020 08:26

Hello, sorry you must be worrying.

Statistically it is more likely to be negative, but it is good you are getting a test. Try to be as hygienic as possible round the house in case, but of course with young children you have to hug!

I haven't had a positive test in the family so no info to share.

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VeggieSausageRoll · 06/08/2020 08:28

We've just started with a cold last night. Snotty nose and sneezing but no temperature or cough thankfully, still dreading sending him to nursery tomorrow through!

Fingers crossed for a negative result. Sounds most likely.

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TeddyIsaHe · 06/08/2020 08:33

@VeggieSausageRoll

We've just started with a cold last night. Snotty nose and sneezing but no temperature or cough thankfully, still dreading sending him to nursery tomorrow through!

Fingers crossed for a negative result. Sounds most likely.

Is this a joke? Why would you send your child to nursery with ANY symptoms?? Do you not think other parents have had it rough enough without your child infecting theirs? My god.
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CKBJ · 06/08/2020 08:38

Hope your daughter is ok. Depending which part of the country you are in more likely to be a cold. May I ask why are you all being tested? Has the guidance been changed? I thought it was only the person with symptoms and everyone else to isolate. Assuming test is negative of your daughter AND her symptoms subside you end isolation. (This is suppose to cover false negative results) If it’s positive she is isolated for 10days and rest of household isolate for 14 days and only get a test if they have symptoms.

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CrowdedHouseinQuarantine · 06/08/2020 08:39

we all got tested when i had a cough, no problem.

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NewKittyMeow · 06/08/2020 08:44

DS had a runny nose that developed into a cough last month. We took him for a test and it was negative. No fever though. I was pretty sure it was a cold due to the runny nose, but thought best to check - you’re doing the right thing.

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Northernsoulgirl45 · 06/08/2020 08:45

@TeddyIsaHe so I should not go to work today as I have a blocked nose and sore throat/ sneezing?
I am self employed and work outside. The world really is going to grind to a halt this Winter wheyher COVID is involved or not?

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VeggieSausageRoll · 06/08/2020 08:54

Is this a joke? Why would you send your child to nursery with ANY symptoms?? Do you not think other parents have had it rough enough without your child infecting theirs? My god

Because neither sneezing or a runny nose are symptoms of covid? We've spent 20 weeks shielding, it's hardly as if I'm lackadaisical about the situation Hmm

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MinnieMousse · 06/08/2020 08:57

I think it's so hard to administer the test on a child especially when you are both crammed in a tiny car and can't open the doors that the results are pretty worthless anyway.

As for sending DC to school/nursery with runny noses or sneezing, they aren't on the symptom list. DH and I are teachers. If we keep our own DC home every time they have a runny nose or are sneezing then one or other of us will be off work for the whole of winter.

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VeggieSausageRoll · 06/08/2020 09:06

As for sending DC to school/nursery with runny noses or sneezing, they aren't on the symptom list. DH and I are teachers. If we keep our own DC home every time they have a runny nose or are sneezing then one or other of us will be off work for the whole of winter

Exactly! We've not had a single sniffle since lockdown. He's back at nursery for two days and has a cold. It's a perpetual thing from August to about April 🙄

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TeddyIsaHe · 06/08/2020 09:29

GOSH specifically state a runny nose can be a symptom of covid in children. So I would be utterly furious if parents were sending children in with them sniffles’ without getting tested first.

It’s a pandemic, erring on the side of caution isn’t difficult, but can literally save lives. If I had been shielding for 20 weeks I wouldn’t be as blasé.

Single parents to a dd, I KNOW how hard it is in regards to childcare and work.

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Chattercino · 06/08/2020 09:32

We went to the testing centre yesterday; my son had a temperature in the night so we went striver there in the morning. We isolated whilst we awaited the results which came 12 hours later (all of us negative). It wasn't great shoving a stick up their noses but took 20 seconds. I'd strongly urge anyone with any of the three symptoms to get tested straight away (and not "wait and see" as lots of people seem to be doing).

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pinkbalconyrailing · 06/08/2020 09:36

not in uk, but here you are advised to self isolate and go for a test for any cold symptoms or fever.

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Jumblebumblemess · 06/08/2020 09:38

There is a nasty summer cold going about but we had our child tested to confirm cold or covid19. Why wouldn't you?

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MRex · 06/08/2020 09:45

A light sniffle at the end of a cold is very different than the (most infectious and most unwell) active sneezing stage. Some children get constant illnesses at nursery because the parents insist on sending children in when they're very poorly. (And think is some sort of joke to dose them with calpol so they "haven't got fever".) It's not only that it spreads more disease, but also the little ones don't get a chance to recover so their immunity is low, so they get symptoms for everything that other kids brush off. It's unfortunate that these behaviours are still being enabled by some nursery policies, hopefully that'll change through winter.

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Keepdistance · 06/08/2020 10:12

Sore throat is a symptoms though, just not one of the 3 for a test.
Other countries are saying any symptoms including d&v

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CrowdedHouseinQuarantine · 06/08/2020 10:36

if that is the case i have had the virus on and off all year, diarrhoea, sore throat, tight chest
all on odd days

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Inmyownlittlecorner · 06/08/2020 11:02

I’m in a similar boat OP. DD(7) has woken up sneezing & saying she has a sore throat & has coughed a couple of times. Her temperature is normal, she’s her usual self & she’s currently elbow deep in a tube of Pringles, but I’m assuming I need to ask for a test. I’m not working atm but DH is emergency services & I can see this becoming a feature of the next few months.

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Lovingmylife · 06/08/2020 12:44

Hi all, thanks for your comments. We went for the test and all negative. She just has a heavy cold.

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YellowWave · 06/08/2020 12:53

I'm a nanny I went to work this morning. 2 of the children are feeling the same as described here in this thread - colds - sniffles, sore throat, no fevers. One of them vomited over night.

I'm silently fuming how the parents continued to have me here and didn't tell me this morning that here children are slightly off. The pair of them are working from home. I have no PPE to protect myself.

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YellowWave · 06/08/2020 12:54

Thanks for your update OP. It puts my mind slightly at ease.

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MRex · 06/08/2020 13:05

I think you should be less silent about the fuming @YellowWave, or they'll be doing it all winter and one time it could be covid. You need to set out boundaries for them.

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Porcupineinwaiting · 06/08/2020 13:12

Glad your dd is negative OP

You asked about symptoms in children so I post this here in case it helps anyone. I know 4 children who had (suspected) cv.
Child 1 (14) - hoarse voice, cough, v tired for a few days
Child 2 (12) asymptomatic then COVID toe
Child 3 (4) cold like symptoms, fever, diarrhoea, productive cough
Child 4 (2) cold like symptoms, fever, productive cough

Child 3 was easily the sickest but not dangerously so. None of the children were tested as tests weren't available for most people then but parents of children 3 and 4 were key workers and tested positive. Parent of children 1 and 2 has long haul COVID.

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CrowdedHouseinQuarantine · 06/08/2020 15:28

very quick result!

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HarveySchlumpfenburger · 06/08/2020 15:42

[quote Northernsoulgirl45]@TeddyIsaHe so I should not go to work today as I have a blocked nose and sore throat/ sneezing?
I am self employed and work outside. The world really is going to grind to a halt this Winter wheyher COVID is involved or not?[/quote]
It’s going to be even less convenient when the child who’s parent was convinced it was a cold because they only had a cold/runny nose actually has covid and all the children have to self isolate for 14 days.

Sore throat is a fairly common symptom of covid so at the bare minimum you should be getting a test even if you’ve decided you don’t want to stop working.

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