DD has a cold - CV test?

[BastardCorona]

Sorry; posting for traffic. DD6 has a cold. It’s been threatening to come out for days, with sniffing and sneezing yesterday. Today she is full blown snot, sneezes and slight coughing due to being bunged up. Just to note, she doesn’t have a raised temperature. I’m keeping her off school today because she feels miserable.
My question is do I need to book a CV test? And do I need to declare anything to the school? I’m really confused and worried she won’t be allowed back into school without one but at the same time I don’t want to book her in for a, very hard to get test, which I’m sure is a waste of time.
I’m also really concerned about making a bigger thing about this because the school closed the bubble for my older child last week when another child had a cold and the kids couldn’t come back to class until the (negative) result.
Sorry, I’m rambling a bit but just after a bit of advice really.

The government advice does not line-up with the most recent data. Very worrying...

"The top five symptoms in school aged children who test positive for COVID are; fatigue (55%) headache (53%), fever (49%), sore throat (38%) and loss of appetite (35%).

This was different compared to the App’s data on adults; fatigue (87%), headache (72%), loss of smell (60%), persistent cough (54%) and sore throat (49%).

In addition to this, research from the app has also found that one in six (15%) children who test positive for COVID also present with an unusual skin rash."

Just be vigilant people. As well as the obvious 'let's keep everyone safe', I really want my children to get an education this year...

No test unless she develops other things, such as a high temperature or gastric symptoms, although her school may not want her back for 14 days without a negative test. It's probably academic anyway at this point, because of the difficulty in obtaining tests and getting them processed (which is not caused by people ordering test kits inappropriately, btw, but by the government awarding contracts inappropriately).

@ConquestEmpireHungerPlague

No test unless she develops other things, such as a high temperature or gastric symptoms, although her school may not want her back for 14 days without a negative test. It's probably academic anyway at this point, because of the difficulty in obtaining tests and getting them processed (which is not caused by people ordering test kits inappropriately, btw, but by the government awarding contracts inappropriately).

I think it depends on where you live. In the "hotspots" tests are apparently easier to get. In Birmingham they even have volunteers doing door-to-door testing. It makes me wonder if levels are actually much higher in those areas than other places or is it just that there are more tests.

NHS 111 have a click through symptom test. DS has a very heavy cold - no temperature, chesty cough (but coughs for 5 minutes to clear the chest then stops - like a normal chesty cough so it's not continuous), very tired.

I did the click through symptom and, as suspected, it picks up heavy cold or flu - stay at home until you feel better, no need for a Covid test but keep an eye on things.

He's off school today but will probably go in tomorrow (or when the tiredness eases off). One of his teachers has a cough at the moment (no temperature, no loss of taste/smell - just a phlegmy cough). She was told by 111 that, as she hadn't coughed once during their telephone call, she didn't have Covid so didn't need the test. The operator said she'd probably not be able to speak without coughing and it would be a racking cough - like the horrible 'dog bark' kids get but continuous.

She rang the school and they said 'fine, come back into work'. So most schools are being sensible with colds. They'd have no kids in school within the month if they weren't.

Here's the link to the NHS 111 click through symptom test 111.nhs.uk/covid-19

I don't think that flowchart makes things any clearer either. DS has had a typical cold for three or four days. Now he has a cough. Is it continuous, I'm not sure. He's coughing 10+ times an hour so I'm assuming it is needing a test. However I'm also sure it's related to his cold. I can't get a test anyway

She doesn't need a test because she has no symptoms of COVID.

Both of mine had a cold last week I didn't test as no temperature or continuous cough.

Here's the checklist from PHE. It makes it very clear what a continuous cough is

Yes, I don't know why people think it is such great advice.

Because not every illness requires a Covid test? Sore throat and runny nose might drip a child sleeping and therefore not be fit for school But not require a test. Likewise headache, stomach ache etc.

Doesn’t take many brain cells to understand, does it?

That PHE sign is helpful. I've caught a mild cold this weekend from my son who is attending nursery. We both have runny noses and I've got a very slight cough (less than once per hour). I was unsure whether to book a test to be on the safe side even though I'm sure it's just a cold, but I won't now.

Doesn’t take many brain cells to understand, does it?

We understand that, thank you, Feminist. The point is that the flowchart has a very obvious flaw in that there is no mention of getting a test if your child is ill enough to be off school. The right hand side is fine. The left hand side is stupid. It worries me a bit that a headteacher would share that without noticing this.

The point is that the flowchart has a very obvious flaw in that there is no mention of getting a test if your child is ill enough to be off school.

Because they DON’T NECESSARILY NEED A TEST IF THEY ARE UNWELL ENOUGH NOT TO BE AT SCHOOL.

It covers the ONLY requirements for testing on the right. NOTHING else counts.

Thank you for your capitalising. It really helps me understand.

I know they don't necessarily need a test if they are unwell enough to be off school. It depends if they have symptoms. The OP, however, wasn't asking if her child was unwell enough to be off school - she wants to know if she should book a Covid test. According to your silly flowchart, she shouldn't, because once she has decided to keep her child off school, she doesn't need to think about getting a test.

The other major flaw with that flow chart is NHS advice says test if temperature 37.8 or above and the flow chart says only if 38. They should not be sharing advice that goes against the official government advice.

We have all had colds, dc1 had 1 day off as was feely crappy, preexisting condition effecting windpipe.
Dc2 no days off, school advised if no covid symptoms and not unwell, can go to school as normal and no test required

My place of work allowed me to work with cold, and did not request a test be done.

No new continuous cough, no temperature, just a typical cold for this time of year.

Yes, I agree about the chart, it needs a covid symptoms question under the 'keep them off school' bit as well. In a way I'd say it's obvious, but if you're spelling it out on a flow chart anyway you should probably make it obvious.

I agree about the chart.

You could interpret it that you just need to stay at home / self isolate without needing a rest, which is what the guidance was at the start of the pandemic. Not everyone follows all the news closely.

One of my work colleagues has an issue in that her kid has a sore throat and is snotty. So a cold. The school are refusing to have him back until she provides a negative result.

She's sure it's a cold but is trying to get him swabbed just so she can come back to work. She can't get a test anyway but the school isn't helping the situation.

I was told by three different doctors during lockdown that a "continuous cough" meant any recurring cough (I.e. that wasn't a one-off clearing of the throat). And that an "episode" of coughing didn't have to be dramatic. Just a few coughs would do. I had thought the word "episode" implied something more dramatic than that, but was assured we should be very cautious. We were told to self-isolate based on that twice and later were tested on that basis once that was available. Not fun at all, of course, but we did it thinking we were doing the right thing.

It seems like now people are understanding "continuous cough" to mean completely non stop coughing for very prolonged periods, rather than just a recurring cough. Is that right? And now following the advice we were previously given has become wasting NHS resources?

We are in the same position apart from my son is fairly happy and lively, just snotty. Because he coughed a bit last night (A few times in an hour, last night, maybe 2-3 time this morning)we have kept him off. There are no tests available but I’m hoping we will be able to get one through work (NHS) or a walk in testing centre.

He isn’t coughing now so I’m feeling like I would rather send him back tomorrow or the next day if he has no further symptoms.

It’s not that clear to me. The guidance says a new continuous cough is ‘3 episodes in 24 hours’. Our school has said don’t send or they are ill in any way.

If his symptoms clear up and there is no more coughing can I send him even if we haven’t had a test- or haven’t had the results? It is quite clearly a cold and I feel like we shouldn’t be taking up a test. But also that we have no choice.

@JacobReesMogadishu

One of my work colleagues has an issue in that her kid has a sore throat and is snotty. So a cold. The school are refusing to have him back until she provides a negative result.

She's sure it's a cold but is trying to get him swabbed just so she can come back to work. She can't get a test anyway but the school isn't helping the situation.

I would be going above the school in this instance. Who decided that children with none of the 3 symptoms cannot be in school? This is unacceptable.

@JacobReesMogadishu

One of my work colleagues has an issue in that her kid has a sore throat and is snotty. So a cold. The school are refusing to have him back until she provides a negative result.

She's sure it's a cold but is trying to get him swabbed just so she can come back to work. She can't get a test anyway but the school isn't helping the situation.

And public health are clear that negative might not mean negative, and there are lots of false positives. So all in all it’s pretty pointless.

Can schools even demand tests?

No. A common cold is just that, sniffles and the like, that is not covid. Covid is dry, those who have a cough and sore throat have a very strong cough from deep in their lungs. I am surprised people arent informed better to be able to know this. It is ridiculous to test every child with a common cold, fgs. A temperature of 37.5 sustained, that is another clue. But, most children will be asymptomatic so you will never know if they have it or not.

A school can't demand proof of a negative test. Its in the government school guidance

@ConquestEmpireHungerPlague

No test unless she develops other things, such as a high temperature or gastric symptoms, although her school may not want her back for 14 days without a negative test. It's probably academic anyway at this point, because of the difficulty in obtaining tests and getting them processed (which is not caused by people ordering test kits inappropriately, btw, but by the government awarding contracts inappropriately).

Can you explain more about the inappropriate contracts? I haven't heard about that. Given we've done more tests per capita and in total than most other countries in Europe, it seems odd that the current lack of availability is coinciding with people returning from holiday and children going back to school.