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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not test for every cold without 3 main symptoms

21 replies

Jackleila14 · 14/09/2020 16:15

Here’s my personal predicament, my dd has been back at school one week and this weekend she complained of a sore throat and had a runny nose , she has no temp , no cough and no loss of smell . I’ve kept her off of school because I don’t think it’s fair to spread it around.
There are no covid tests available in our area at the moment and when you do finally get one the results are taking a long time to come back . My dh doesn’t have a typical job he only receives ssp if he goes off work and could also be moved to another sight where he will be paid significantly less if this keeps happening and we’ve already isolated for two weeks prior to this because of dd being ill then. My dd has mild asthma and catches all kinds of things during winter every few weeks if my dh keeps calling in and going on ssp we won’t be able to pay our bills and if he is moved in his job to a place where he has less responsibility because he isn’t reliable we will struggle financially for the foreseeable future. So is it unreasonable for me to not test dd when she doesn’t even have the three main symptoms considering the fall out could be huge for my family? The reality is we could potentially loose our house over a cold .

OP posts:
SomeHalfHumanCreatureThing · 14/09/2020 16:17

You dont need to test unless if she's just got a cold, if she's well enough to be in school I'd send her in. So many mild colds going around at the moment.

SomeHalfHumanCreatureThing · 14/09/2020 16:18

she has no temp , no cough and no loss of smell

That's your answer. If you're not sure you can ring 111 and they can advise further.

bumble79 · 14/09/2020 16:19

Mine have colds but none of the main symptoms of covid. I'm not testing but they are off school for a day or two 🙂 obviously if they do develop more symptoms then I'll think again but at the minute no!

DS's cold started Friday. If he was going to get a fever or a cough I'm sure he would have by now..

Cuddling57 · 14/09/2020 16:19

Loads of people I know have colds. They are going to work and school. No Covid tests being taken by any of them.

FelicityBob · 14/09/2020 16:21

You would be unreasonable to get her tested

Jackleila14 · 14/09/2020 16:24

Thank you. I was honestly just feeling guilty for not testing as some people on here think you should for every runny nose even without the main symptoms , don’t get me wrong if she started coughing we would isolate and get the test .

OP posts:
EveryThingWillBeWorthIt · 14/09/2020 16:24

My covid symptoms presented as a cold. Whilst I agree maybe don't get a test because of the shortages, it is still possible to have it with none of the three main symptoms. If I hadn't been tested I wouldn't have known and gone about my business, it horrifies me to think I might have put someone at risk

Florencex · 14/09/2020 16:26

I don’t understand the question. Why would test for covid because of cold symptoms?

Jackleila14 · 14/09/2020 16:33

Because as the lady said above it can present like a cold.

OP posts:
ivfbeenbusy · 14/09/2020 16:39

I think most kids have gone down with a cold this weekend - my DD is off today too. I'd rather she have a couple of days home rather than freak the school out and them demand she stays home for 14

She also has no temperature and only coughs to clear the snot she's swallowed. I don't think it's Covid so won't test her depending on how the next day or so goes

Lifeisgenerallyfun · 14/09/2020 16:44

Ds sent home from school today with a temp. We luckily got a test today but school won’t allow him back/ neither will childcare until he has negative test which we need to show. This is going to be a nightmare winter. 10% of his school are off today

Mangofandangoo · 14/09/2020 16:46

DD had the same symptoms last week - I kept her off preschool on Monday ( because I was off work) and I sent her back Tuesday and I would say 90% of the kids had it and were all in.

Lifeisgenerallyfun · 14/09/2020 16:48

I should add that the test centre seemed to mainly be testing kids and we are in an area of local lockdown so schools might be stricter

SummerHouse · 14/09/2020 16:52

To me it's really clear. There's three symptoms if you have any one or more, then you test.

What's not simple is actually getting a test when one of your household has a symptom and therefore keeping a whole family in isolation for one child with a cough.

The test booking system is a never ending process of loops and glitches leading to an inevitable conclusion of 'no test sites available'.

This is caused (in part) by people taking tests when they are not eligible.

nanbread · 14/09/2020 16:55

Nail on head @SummerHouse

Assuming you are able to get a test within 5 days of symptoms, you then might wait 3 days for negative result, that's a whole family taking 8 days off for nothing

Pepperwort · 14/09/2020 17:36

Talk to your school. This is cold / flu / Norovirus season and if every kid with a cold gets sent home all the time we might as well give up on schooling for their lifetimes.

Jackleila14 · 14/09/2020 17:42

I’m going to call them tomorrow as I’ve heard some kids have been sent for a test just with mild cold symptoms . It’s only a matter of time though before she ends up with an actual cough so have been on the phone with dh discussing him possibly staying with parents because we depend on his job unfortunately .

OP posts:
Brighterthansunflowers · 14/09/2020 17:43

If she doesn’t have any of the symptoms you don’t need to test or isolate, so you/DH can go to work as normal, any other children can go to school, and she can go as long as she’s well enough to be there.

You only need to isolate and test if one of you develops new continuous cough, fever or loss of smell/taste. Normal colds just do what you would always have done.

I know it’s horrible thinking of the consequences of needing to isolate and not work for 2 weeks, but if someone in the family does develop symptoms of COVID, you must isolate and test, even if you think it’s probably nothing. Fingers crossed the testing shitshow will be sorted out so that’s actually possible, then it can just be a couple of days rather than 2 weeks.

ZebraSpotts · 14/09/2020 18:20

I have this issue. Clearly a cold. No temp, no coughing, really just to clear throat of snottiness.
Showed on Saturday, feeling much better on day 3, but was kept off school today. I just didn't want to risk a week ban for a snotty nose.

Spent 3 days, periodically checking if can get kid tested. Nothing is available.

So, they'll all be in tomorrow.

Rhayader · 14/09/2020 18:29

I just saw a statistic, that in the second week of school in Scotland 17,500 kids were tested in Scotland and only 49 had covid!

Part of that will be back to school viruses but part of it will be people getting tests without covid symptoms. There’s no need to test unless you have one of the 3 key symptoms.

PumpkinPie2016 · 14/09/2020 18:34

My son had a cold last week - runny nose/sneezing but no covid symptoms. I didn't get him tested and he went to school (he wasn't unwell with it). If they stay off for every sniffle, they'll never be there.

I had a sore throat/sneezing last week and again, went to work as normal (teacher) and no test.

The school I work in is trying to take a sensible approach and say,unless there is a covid symptom, no test is required.

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