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AIBU?

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Original poster

Just back to school. Now home. Not tests available

334 replies

Whatdowehaveherethen · 08/09/2020 00:40

My boys went back to school last week. DS1 developed a persistent cough Friday evening. DS2 picked it up on Saturday.

There are no home tests available. I've looked every hour from 7am through to 2am since.

They can't go to school unless a negative result is given. I very much doubt I can get tests through the post. Many people on my area have the same issue.

I know I'm being unreasonable. I know!

Are people ordering tests 'just in case'?

I'm working from home and it's been horrendous. My boys were so happy to be back at school. Now I have to keep them off for a week. I'm pretty sure last Autumn term they developed the same cold/cough symptoms once they were back with their viral loaded friends. It was normal then.

I know keeping them off school is for the greater good but I have no idea how this is going to work in the long term. They constantly pick up viral infections. That's their job!

Actually, I'm not sorry, I'm just completely fucked off. Why haven't the gov made more tests available knowing our kids would be going back to school? What about the teachers?

The school have told me to 'continue to use' the online learning. This involves going out and finding leaves of difference colours etc. Fuck that.

I know the school are using a generalised online learning system but it's not practical at all.

I'm not going to complain by the way. I couldn't respect my boys teachers anymore. They're wonderful.

I'm just ranting.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
Hereinthesticks · 09/09/2020 20:38

Also, I was wrong to think the government would give the fast reliable non-invasive tests to the aviation industry before the NHS and schools, my mistake. The government will apparently give them to sporting venues first so they can take paying spectators again.
Shame about the disruption to schooling due to lack of tests and the fact the tests available to the public are invasive, lack full accuracy and take days to deliver results.

Siddalee · 09/09/2020 20:45

Just to let you know that the guidance says :

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 however mild, self-isolate for at least 10 days from when your symptoms started. You should arrange to have a test to see if you have COVID-19 – go to testing to arrange. Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital

It doesn't say, get a test and if it's negative you can go back to school/work. So, even with a negative test you are still expected to isolate for at least 10 days with the symptoms

www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/915553/Symptomatic_children_action_list_SCHOOLS.pdf

LolaSmiles · 09/09/2020 21:30

Siddalee

The NHS gives guidance on test results here:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/what-your-test-result-means/

It says:
A negative result means the test did not find coronavirus.

You do not need to self-isolate if your test is negative, as long as:

<strong>everyone you live with who has symptoms tests negative</strong>
<strong>everyone in your support bubble who has symptoms tests negative</strong>
<strong>you were not told to self-isolate for 14 days by NHS Test and Trace – if you were, see what to do if you've been told you've been in contact with someone who has coronavirus</strong>
<strong>you feel well – if you feel unwell, stay at home until you’re feeling better</strong>

If you have diarrhoea or you’re being sick, stay at home until 48 hours after they've stopped.

That's also what schools have been told by the DfE as well.

EvilPea · 09/09/2020 21:31

How is that viable? We had a test for my dd 2 weeks ago as she had a cold which then brought on a high temperature. Whilst I was fairly certain it was just a cold, due to the high temperature it ticked the symptom box. She was starting secondary so she needed to be in. My understanding was, the negative was fine, in fact I think the text even said go back to work.

Most infections cause a high temperature. Whilst I know the false negative rate is high, it’s just not going to be feasible.

Quartz2208 · 09/09/2020 22:15

When you get the result back it says if you are not a contact of track and trace you are able to return to work

And if a child to contact the school/nurseru

Ritasueandbobtoo9 · 09/09/2020 22:23

Needed a test this week, nearest bookable centre 60+ miles away! 3.5 hours later got a postal test. No answer from anyone and a testing centre 3 miles down the road. They apparently were seeing people from miles away. Anyone would think the government were trying to spread the virus....

SistemaAddict · 09/09/2020 23:12

@LolaSmiles I've just been trying again to get a test and noticed this advice on the gov website. It doesn't say anything about being positive or negative just to isolate for at least10 says. They need to sing from the same bloody hymn sheet. I seem to recall the continued isolation after a negative test was to due with the high rate of fakes negatives but that was ages ago so it might have changed.

Just back to school. Now home. Not tests available
flameprincess · 09/09/2020 23:19

So my DS has come to me this evening with a sore throat, he's got tonsillitis. I know it's tonsillitis as he's had it numerous times before and I checked his throat and can see the telltale white dots on the back of his throat. No cough no temperature. I've done the online form for doctors to call me tomorrow to hopefully get him some antibiotics. Question is what do I do re: school? Are they going to make him isolate for 14 days and send the whole year group home? I'm dreading calling them tomorrow!

Can't get a test despite there being 10 test centres nearby none of them have appointments the Gov website wants me to drive to Oldbury which is a 3 hour round trip, I'm 38 weeks pregnant I can barely sit in the car for more than 10 minutes Sad

Splendidseptember · 09/09/2020 23:22

evilpea🤣🤣

Didkdt · 09/09/2020 23:26

@flameprincess I was in your shoes today, but GP has ordered whole family testing and won’t prescribe antibiotics unless he’s negative.
Tell school sore throat and gp appointment

flameprincess · 09/09/2020 23:36

@Didkdt oh great Confused So did the GP just refer you to the NHS site then?

Didkdt · 10/09/2020 00:20

Yes he told us to go and arrange tests. Except they are like hens teeth today

Original poster
Whatdowehaveherethen · 10/09/2020 00:47

I was finally able to order tests today.

They arrive tomorrow. Kind of pointless as once I post them and get the results, they'll be able to go to school.

I feel so sorry for them. It's not their fault that I need to work and can't entertain them.

I've pretty much let them loose on their laptops. They've discovered Minecraft. Fuck me.

OP posts:
Original poster
Whatdowehaveherethen · 10/09/2020 00:53

On a positive note, 2 weeks before they went back to school, their new obsession was whirlpools. It involved a lot of bottles, taps constantly running, food colouring added to the online shop, soggy carpets.

God knows how they came across Minecraft. All I know is that it involves a hell of a lot of 'mama, look at my swimming pool!', 'mama, look at my house!' ALL DAY LONG.

No water has been spilt in the last 24 hours though.

Every cloud and all that.

OP posts:
Torvean32 · 10/09/2020 02:12

Tests are not as available due to ppl misusing the system. One school got a whole year group, ppl are getting tests before they go on holiday. Ppl back from holiday ( without symptoms) are getting checked as they dont want to do quarantine and they think a negative test will negate it.

This was in the news today.

The govt needs to find a way round it.
The need to be more thorough on just testing with a temperature,

Eg a child with a runny nose and cold symptoms with a low grade temperature ( and no other of the 3 symptoms) should not need COVID testing.

Porcupineinwaiting · 10/09/2020 06:36

@Torvean32 - except that for many children a slight temperature and cold like symptoms is what COVID looks like. The CDC (in the US) changed its testing criteria for children not long ago to include snotty nose and cold -like symptoms , as this is what they are seeing. And they should know, there's enough of it over there.

Iamnotthe1 · 10/09/2020 07:08

@Torvean32

Tests are not as available due to ppl misusing the system. One school got a whole year group, ppl are getting tests before they go on holiday. Ppl back from holiday ( without symptoms) are getting checked as they dont want to do quarantine and they think a negative test will negate it.

This was in the news today.

The govt needs to find a way round it.
The need to be more thorough on just testing with a temperature,

Eg a child with a runny nose and cold symptoms with a low grade temperature ( and no other of the 3 symptoms) should not need COVID testing.

Even if this were true and not potentially just another way to shift blame, what we are being told doesn't make sense.

We have been told, repeatedly, that the testing capacity is 350,000 per day. Current testing levels are between 150,000 to 200,000 per day. The system is operating at somewhere between 42% and 57%. How is this leading to people not being able to get tests for days with a system that reports having 43% to 58% free capacity? It makes absolutely no sense.

Porcupineinwaiting · 10/09/2020 07:14

@Iamnotthe1 well said. It was inevitable that schools and universities going back was going to lead to an uptick in virus spread (not just cv) and the demand for tests would increase. Stop blaming people for following government rules.

LolaSmiles · 10/09/2020 07:32

Bercows
I agree that they need to sing from the same hymn sheet.

It makes me wonder if they've changed the gov website in response to an increase in testing and cases, but not changed the NHS one or bothered to inform schools.

thereplycamefromanchorage · 10/09/2020 07:39

Torvean, yes the government blamed people misusing tests - nice deflection for a system that can't cope with an increase in demand that could have been forecast when schools and colleges have gone back. Also they said this on the very same day Boris Johnson announced mass testing is the only way out of this.

TheGrayChapter · 10/09/2020 09:31

Looked last night for a test I didn’t book a test

Nearest drive in is over 100 miles away!

Couldn’t get a postal one!

So gave up

Complete and utter fuck up as per normal

Hereinthesticks · 10/09/2020 09:35

@thereplycamefromanchorage

Torvean, yes the government blamed people misusing tests - nice deflection for a system that can't cope with an increase in demand that could have been forecast when schools and colleges have gone back. Also they said this on the very same day Boris Johnson announced mass testing is the only way out of this.
Reminds me of the PPE issue whereby NHS staff were 'wasting' PPE
Hereinthesticks · 10/09/2020 09:36

According to Matt Hancock, not me! (far from it)

QueenofmyPrinces · 10/09/2020 09:43

I was also wondering about the “if you’re test is negative still isolate....”

My understanding was that once a negative result came back then life could resume.

I had my son tested last Saturday because he had a really bad cough when he woke up and when the results came back on the Sunday afternoon he was negative.

I took him into school on Monday (still with his cough and runny nose) and spoke to the Headteacher on the gate to let her know he’d tested negative and also make sure it was still ok for him to come in seeing as he was still coughing and had cold symptoms but she said it was no problem as he’d been tested and then ushered him over to his teacher.

It’s all a bit confusing really.

Hereinthesticks · 10/09/2020 09:46

“if you’re test is negative still isolate....” I think unless the government admit the tests they are making available to the general public might less than accurate, they can't make anyone stay at home with a negative test. Now, if they would make available to the public those fast reliable tests they are promising to the sports industry (and aviation industry) then life for the general public and families and NHS would be better and the virus would be better controlled.