Hands up if you already have a child off school with a cough?

[AlohaMolly]

👋🏼 👋🏼

DS is 4, started reception on Thursday. In Thursday Friday, developed a cough at bedtime last night and was up with it every half hour until I gave him some calpol.

No temp, just a cough and a runny nose. I think I’d probably have sent him under normal circumstances but called the school to check and he said to keep him home today and see how he is tomorrow.

I shouldn’t have to say it, but THIS IS NOT A TEACHER/SCHOOL BASHING THREAD. I used to be a teacher and support the school fully with their approach. Luckily, I ‘only’ work 2.5 days a week, one of them a weekend day, so I’m fine to be off with DS, but it’s 90% of the reason I haven’t taken more hours on like I’d planned to originally.

It’s going to be a long winter, isn’t it??

[quote dementedpixie]@HerLadySheep, Why did you all get tested? Shouldn't be testing unless you have symptoms. A negative test will not bring your child out of isolation any sooner due to the 14 day incubation period[/quote]
We were advised to because we'd been in contact with a confirmed case 🤷🏼‍♀️

@HerLadySheep

Even if you test negative now you all still need to isolate for 14 days, as that is the incubation period.

@AlohaMolly

Yes they had a cough so we did the test. Was fine really, about 20 sec then done!

If you get a negative test result do you still need to isolate for a cough?

@slipperywhensparticus

No, you can go back to work/school/nursery as soon as you feel well enough to.

My son has very mild asthma and when he gets a cold which he has now it goes straight to his chest and he coughs a lot, he has gone to school today , keep thinking I'm going to get a call.

@HerLadySheep nhs says only test if you have symptoms. A negative test means nothing at this stage

2 days in for 1 DC, 1 day in for the other. Both developed coughs that night, tested the next morning, results in less than 24 hours! Both black in to school this morning.

We're super lucky as there is a walk through test centre a 10 minute stroll away and about 10 drive through centres within an hours drive. School have a stricter line on coughing than many on here: if you apear to have a cough, however mild or infrequent, then you're not coming in until you're tested. Which I think is fair enough, they have an older staff and it's in a large city.

I had a look at the test thing on nhs. Despite there being a test centre in my town it is directing me to somewhere 60 miles away

Yes. Reception aged child who has only been in for 2 days before coming home with a cold! Test done on Saturday and no results yet, there seems to be a backlog in our area.

Here!
Year 13 coughing like he is a chain smoker. He's asthmatic so I think its a regular cold that's exacerbated his asthma as he always coughs in those conditions, but obviously can't send him to school. I've also kept his asymptomatic brother off. Not sure if that's what you're supposed to do but it seems like the sensible thing.
I've (finally....it wasn't easy) got a test booked for the coughing one this afternoon. Fingers crossed its negative so they can both go back on Wednesday. The last thing they need is yet more time off as they are both in important years.

Not today, but we did within a couple of weeks of term starting (Scotland). Booked test 8am on a Friday, got a slot for drive through at 11am, results at 10am on Saturday. Negative. Back to school on Tuesday as coughing stopped and felt fine. School haven’t asked for results.

I genuinely thought it was 2 or more symptoms for a test, clearly I am not up to date with the guidance. It’s obviously a new cough as he didn’t have it before Sunday, but it isn’t a continuous cough. It’s *just a cough, but as a PP pointed out, I don’t actually know that do I.

I suppose I’d better see where my nearest test centre is.

My son is asthmatic. I'm not taking him for a test for coughing when it's clearly his asthma, I'd be there every week!

"I genuinely thought it was 2 or more symptoms for a test, clearly I am not up to date with the guidance"

That has never been the guidance. I'm amazed that despite everything that's happened this year, people can't even be bothered to learn the basics.

My 6 yr old had snotty nose and slight cough 2 weeks ago, after running around in the rain at a campsite. It's going around glad he got it before school started 😀

@dollypartonscoat

"I genuinely thought it was 2 or more symptoms for a test, clearly I am not up to date with the guidance"

That has never been the guidance. I'm amazed that despite everything that's happened this year, people can't even be bothered to learn the basics.

Thanks dolly but in Wales it really was guidance at one point. We’ve been very strict throughout lockdown, and ours has been stricter than England’s. Despite being allowed to bubble with four households in wales now, we’ve stuck to our original one and have yet to enter other peoples houses or meet with more than one household. I wear face masks in shops despite welsh guidance not making them mandatory.

I’m amazed that despite everything that’s happened this year, people can’t extend a little bit of politeness.

DS is booked into a test centre for mid afternoon.

My 8 year old had a temperature a couple of days before she started back at school. We did a test and got the negative the day before she was due to start back. I knew it wasn't covid because we haven't been around anyone (no idea where she got a cold and temperature from though!) but I wanted to be sure that I could tell school she didn't have covid before they called me to take her home!

Yes, my DSs havent even gone back yet. They came down with fevers last Sunday night and it has taken the whole week to get postal tests delivered (rather than a 5 hour round trip for the nearest appointment). We still have no results so they cant go back to school yet.

Hope his test comes back negative but no, that was never the guidance in Wales either.

You've been able to get a test for one symptom and were told to do so, along with self isolating, for one of the main identifiable symptoms. Loss of taste and smell was added to the list of single symptoms to test for on the 18th may in Wales.

The fact that his school said to just see how he is tomorrow is pretty concerning too

Back from the centre.
Guy said just testing the one, I said yes. He said why don't all 3 of you get tested while you are here. I said Okay.
Got to the testing point - they did not like that at all and said no, just test the one. Okay said I.
They then gave me the swab but, contrary to government video said NOT to swab tonsils and do both nostrils for 15 seconds instead.
What a palaver.
Also, and I don't know what to think about it tbh school reception said this morning that for coughs without temperatures, they weren't insisting on negative test. I did not get into it on the phone but hope there has been a misunderstanding and they mean minor coughs rather than persistent dry ones. Otherwise I'm the eejit doing it by the book and no-one else will be. which was wet wiped earlier

I’ve explained to DS that because he’s got a cough we’re going to go on a trip to see if we can find out what the cough’s name is, so there’ll be people around the car that might look funny - they might have visors like his teacher, masks like mummy wears to go to the shop or maybe both. Then they’ll give us a special stick called a swab and we will put it in your mouth and give it back...

I don’t think I’ll be able to do it with him unless I’m pinning him down though :/

I kept Mine in their car seats, then had to use one hand to hold their hands down. Ideally I would take another adult with you if possible

Yeah that sounds like something I’ll try!

There is no other adult atm, DP was away at the weekend thankfully because he had work. He’s due to come home today but he’s self employed and got a really big job on this week so I don’t want to risk him having to isolate as well. He was away Saturday and Sunday night and DS didn’t develop symptoms until Sunday night... although the test will come back negative so I should stop worrying!