My child has been selected for a Covid test!

[Livingmybestliferight]

He's 10. Does not want to do it. Am wondering why they are doing this and whether it has anything to do with schools opening or not?! Would I be unreasonable to refuse this opportunity?

I am gobsmacked by the amount of people who feel a child doesn't have the right of consent over their own body. It's not a vaccine, it is a research investigation.

Agree.
Id allow a 10 yr old to opt out of research. I wouldnt even opt in to be research
Plus hearing what i have about the test, id probably throw up on the tester. My gag reflex extremely sensitive, like toothpaste bubbles go to far back and i gag.

Interesting how many children seem to have been recruited into this study, when who's been contacted is supposedly random.

I've been invited to do it. I've taken part in medical research before and would like to feel more positive about it than I do. It's very difficult to do swabs on yourself, even if you're trained to do them on others, and I strongly suspect there'll be a shed load of false negatives, which makes the research valueless. It's surprising, as a pp said, that anyone would design a study like this if the goal was useful data. It's hard therefore to escape the conclusion that its main purpose is to help fulfil the government's daily testing target, which I have no interest in doing. I think the government should be using those tests on people who have a clinical need for them. If it were an antibody test, I would feel differently, but it's not.

As an aside, I am really, really shocked at the number of people on this thread who think it would be OK to coerce anyone, let alone their own child, into having an invasive test they didn't want. I think you should all be fucking ashamed of yourselves.

Have any of you on here actually been tested?
I have. It’s bloody horrible.
The swab was forced right up my nose and down into the back of my nasal passage where it meets my throat which made me wretch and also caused a nose bleed.
It was both painful and unpleasant.

I wouldn’t agree to my DC having a test done unless it was actually necessary, e.g. they’d presented with symptoms.

I've just completed my test and it is quite tricky. You have to swab your tonsils and the back of your throat for 10 seconds without touching the swab on your tongue, teeth or gums. Good luck achieving that with a reluctant child. It does indeed make you gag. The nose bit wasn't so bad, although smelling the gunk from the back of my own throat (think morning breath at close quarters) was an added extra I hadn't thought of

Yes. Bodily autonomy is paramount.
But ask yourselves this: why are people congregating on beaches in the UK under "lockdown" and they don't in, say, Korea? Social responsibility. There seems to be a distinct lack of that in many Western countries, and the UK seems to be right up at the top of that list.

Give blood? nah, bodily autonomy.
Receive blood after an accident? yes please and hope that other people aren't so selfish.

etc etc

If he is anxious about it I would refuse. let them choose someone else who can cope more easily with it. Some adults have reported it as being not very nice.

I'm alright jack. It's ok to have someone else do it. And if everyone says no? What then?

@brefugee
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I'm alright jack. It's ok to have someone else do it. And if everyone says no? What then?*

Are you planning on having the cv19 vaccine if one is found? I hope you are willing to be test subject for it if you are?

@Brefugee I agree.

I would go through the letter with him, clarify what would be required and the purpose for which the data is beimg collected, and let him make up his mind.

They will have sent it to many, many, many people. The entire future of the human race isn't resting on his response.

I grew up in the US and suffered recurrent strep throat as a child, for which they throat swabbed each time. I have genuinely traumatic memories of being forcibly held down to have it done, with me fighting them more and more on each occasion. I think it was the gagging sensation I couldn't cope with.

I'm in my 40s and I'm sure pinning children down kicking and screaming for such things wouldn't happen now, but after my experiences I would be very wary of forcing the test on an unwilling child.

They can stick a swab as far up my nose as they like but I'd probably need to be heavily sedated before anyone would get anywhere near me with a throat swab.

why are people congregating on beaches in the UK under "lockdown" and they don't in, say, Korea?

Because we don't live in a society ruled by fear of arrest/punishment. (I think people not following lockdown are selfish dicks.)

I would donate blood (if they'd let me), I stay at home, but I couldn't handle the swab of my nose. The latter doesn't mean that I am somehow less socially responsible. Refusing this test (with all its false negatives as pointed out by PPs) doesn't really impact anything negatively so it's nothing to do with being socially irresponsible and everything to do with bodily autonomy.

@MinkowskisButterfly
Are you planning on having the cv19 vaccine if one is found? I hope you are willing to be test subject for it if you are?

Yes. Are you? Do you give blood? Are you an organ donor? do you drop litter? do you hog 2 parking spaces because you can't be bothered to park between the lines? do you park in disabled spaces without a blue badge? do you cut in front of people in queues? etc etc etc

These are the normal rules of living as a society. It is the same as, say, the MMR vaccination. We all do these things to protect others, to help others and to generally make our lives go smoothly. We pay into health insurance nationally (or any insurance, come to that) to protect others and others pay into it to protect us.

There is no question that if the OPs child really really doesn't want to do the test because they are scared that they should be forced to do it. But there really should be a conversation, because they are old enough, about why they are scared and - more importantly - why people are being asked to do these things (tests, self-isolation, social distancing etc etc). This isn't just about one child, it is about all our children. All of us.

also @acatcalledjohn - in South Korea it isn't so much that they are afraid of what the police do (although their police are, how can i say it politely, robust). They are extremely socially responsible people. We saw it during SARS and i've seen it on countless occasions over the years when I've been there and with Koreans. They have a very heiriarchical (sp?) and patriarchal society - but they have a lot of social conventions (and even laws) that are for the good of their society (which was under martial law not that long ago, they're coming out of it for the most part but there are, for sure, still remenants of that).

You only have to look at their Sunshine Policy towards the north to see what they are like as a nation.

Wow, there is SO much guilt tripping on here, from adults onto a child!

OP, do not force him to do anything he might be uncomfortable with. I know one of my dc would tolerate this, and one would not.

There is nothing wrong with him saying no. You know your child better than anyone.

This isn't compulsory.

@heartsonacake YABU. I wouldn’t allow him to refuse.

I wonder if you'd like the same applied to yourself if you ever developed the inability to consent to medical treatment.

What if someone is autistic and has sensory issues?

If I received this letter then I would certainly give it a go. I would just tell myself that even if it hurts it will help people. It might take a few attempts though .

I have had one (for hospital admission not because I was thought to have covid) I also have an almost 10 year old son.

My test was a little unpleasant, not painful, nose swab was uncomfortable, and throat made me gag but both were over in seconds.

I would encourage my child to consider it, telling them the facts but I would not force them.

What if someone is autistic and has sensory issues?

I wondered when we'd have this brought up.

So, as the mother of a young man who is severely autistic (amongst other things) I can honestly say I get sick to the back ducking teeth of this being brought up in threads as an attempt at point scoring exercise when its absolutely ducking obvious what the answer is.

Or Are you really so bloody dense that you had to ask?

What if someone is autistic and has sensory issues?

They'll be pinned down against their will and forced to carry out the test for the good of the people..... obviously.

Mine has also. He is nine and very happy to take part. He loves science and understands the importance of the study. My friend has also been selected. I think that it’s really positive that random testing in the community has begun and, as a family, we very much want to support it.

My son has sensory issues but would give it a try.

Ive had the letter today, started to sign up but didnt get last the medication question where it told me I am not eligible due to the type of medication I take.

I’d do it - it’s no biggie. My son (8) has it done ahead of his chemo sessions (leukaemia) and it doesn’t bother him at all

Honestly at age 10 I would explain why it is a good thing but if he refuses then I would respect that and they can select someone else. He is old enough to consent about what happens to his body especially given he is not ill. If I got selected I would hands down take it I would encourage my children too as well if they got selected but I wouldn’t force them. You have to get that swap quite far into the throat for a good accurate result apparently. My friend had to take one three times.

Just to say I’ve had one done, and I found it OK (although having my throat swabbed made me cough, for which I apologised profusely!)

That doesn’t mean I think your son should do it if he doesn’t want to, just wanted to reassure anyone who has to have it that not everyone finds it as bad as some previous posters have

Why would you not want him to, surely this is helpful in building a picture of those infected. Also, you may not get another opportunity.