To think this just can't work - schools

[beachbodhi]

I'm sure this will have already been discussed but I really don't see how we can carry on like this through autumn / winter . How are people going to get by?
Little one got sent home yesterday , no temp -just started with a cough and runny nose in the afternoon. We've all become a bit snotty so looking like the usual cold we all end up with. We all have to isolate now for 14 days or until we can get tested. There are no tests available anywhere ! It's cocking things up big time as I'm really needed at work right now-this could comprise my position , that I'm lucky to still have all things considered. My friends are in the same boat - all off work and school for last 7days , kids recovered but can't go back as no tests . Fml my kids pick everything up so the next 4 months are going to be a nightmare! Shambles !
'I will never financially recover from this'

A cough is clearly one of the 3 symptoms that officially mean you need to self isolate/ get tested, so if it is accompanied by a runny nose it doesn't mean it can't be covid. Although lots of kids who have had it seem to have only had cold- like symptoms, no major cough or fever.
I'm really frustrated by the whole situation and it does seem like schools are all making their own rules about some stuff. The head at school I work for wasn't going to mention to parents when there was confirmed positive case in one class- had a talking to and change of mind.

I'm in hospital now with my youngest , they think it's viral so keeping an eye on his obs , won't test him for Covid as he's not been admitted but said because he's had cough and fever it's 14 days isolation , before we were told to based on just a cough

It's a coughing episode, not one cough three times in 24 hours.

Interested in what you think a coughing episode is, if you think a cough isn't a coughing episode. I would say (and my NHS employer would agree) that a coughing episode is an occurance of coughing one or more times in a short period.

So coughing a few times in quick succession and then not coughing any more (for example because of food stuck in throat) doesn't require a test.

Coughing several times over a day because of symptoms you believe are a cold does require a test.

Getting tests as directed isn't unnecessary, it is literally the only way to stop the spread. If everyone had stuck to the rules in the first place we wouldn't be dealing with the situation we are now in.

@beachbodhi sorry to hear about your DS. Why won’t they test him for Covid?!

I thought it was a non-productive cough that was a symptom (revolting concept of a productive cough, but does at least explain it clearly!!). My DC have been off for 4 days over the last 10 - streaming colds and coughs. It never occurred to me to sort tests as it was clearly a cold, but maybe people are confused if they think any cough is a symptom?

They'd have been too ill to go in in normal times, though, so stayed off. Including DC1, who is NEVER ill.

I caught it too and am similarly rarely ill. It is clearly attributable to mixing so little with others since March. I just hope it's boosted our immune systems.

I've had a few kids in my class with runny noses this week. They get their own tissue box and told to bin it and wash their hands often and they stay in school.

Similarly we didn't last a week before only 1 bubble was left with confirmed cases and our positive cases were out and about in the community playing with others as were many of the isolating kids from the bubbles.

I thought it was a non-productive cough that was a symptom (revolting concept of a productive cough, but does at least explain it clearly!!). My DC have been off for 4 days over the last 10 - streaming colds and coughs. It never occurred to me to sort tests as it was clearly a cold, but maybe people are confused if they think any cough is a symptom?

Here is a link to the NHS guidance about symptoms.
www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/

Any new continuous cough (3 times in 24 hours) is a symptom and a test should be sought.

An episode is not one cough ffs. It's multiple coughs in succession. Most people probably naturally cough 3 times in 24 hours.

As a follow up we drove from London to Leicester for test as only centre available after trying government website foe 14 hours. Upon arrival went straight through drive in testing even though an hour early. Parked up outside test site for an hours rest before driving home. In the 90 minutes we were there we saw 12 cars pass through the 4 lane drive through section and no one tested in the 4 lane walk in section -checked whilst there and showed no tests available in Leicester- world beating testing NOT!

There is no need to test for cold symptoms, it's this which is blocking up the system. If a child has no raised temperature (or only slightly raised), is obviously 'coldy' with runny nose and so on and the cough is very obviously 'phlemmy,' it's a cold and not the virus. If the child is feeling very unwell they might be best at home but just as an unwell child, no test or isolating families is needed at all. We have sent children home but emphasised to parents no test is required.

Schools do have a few tests, sent by the government, they are for real emergencies only....we have about 5 which won't be replaced once used up so they can't be handed out for every cough or cold going....

By this it sounds like a lot of head teachers are willing to put their staff, children and families at risk by keeping potentially symptomatic children in school.

I'm a teacher and am having the same problem with my management. I had a child with a persistent cough and my DHT just said "it's just a cold, they need to stay" without every laying eyes on the child who didn't have a runny nose but was coughing and visibly hot. I went around her to another member of management and had the child sent home. I don't understand why managers are willing to risk everyone like this.

@WanderingMilly my son has cold symptoms, but today he developed a cough. He was due to play a football match today and have training tomorrow. He can't do either because of the cough - imagine how other parents would feel seeing my child coughing away and knowing I hadn't got him tested because I thought I knew better and it was "just a cold" when until he is tested I can't be 100% sure about that. I am not going to be that person who means dozens of kids have to self isolate because I didn't do what the guidelines tell me to do and get my son a test when he has a covid symptom.

@WanderingMilly
There is no need to test for cold symptoms, it's this which is blocking up the system.

If there is a temperature (37.8+) persistent cough or change/loss of taste is smell - then people need to self isolate and test. If teachers feel concerned that a child has symptoms, they have to think of the other children, themselves and the spread of infection in a public health crisis, l and let parents know.
It is the testing system that is at fault NOT the people trying to get tests, or the schools trying to navigate their way through this.

I work in a school and started with a cold last Friday. I checked the 111 website and spoke to my headteacher who agreed that it was just a cold - blocked up nose, pressure headache due to being blocked up and lots of sneezing but no temperature, coughing etc - then I was fine to continue working. When I got to work on Monday lots of people had the same symptoms and we carried on as normal.
Later in the week one class was sent home due to a positive case and a few staff and children were off awaiting test results for themselves or a member of their household (but all results except one have been negative )

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon and I started with an awful, continuous cough that has kept me up all night. Luckily I have managed to book a test for this afternoon but I am really worried that my ‘common cold’ is actually COVID and I have exposed my class and colleagues in my bubble without knowing.

@AliciaWhiskers 3 different doctors and 4 nurses all said as he's not being admitted to hospital they can't test him as they don't have enough tests

There is no need to test for cold symptoms, it's this which is blocking up the system. If a child has no raised temperature (or only slightly raised), is obviously 'coldy' with runny nose and so on and the cough is very obviously 'phlemmy,' it's a cold and not the virus. If the child is feeling very unwell they might be best at home but just as an unwell child, no test or isolating families is needed at all. We have sent children home but emphasised to parents no test is required.

This is contrary to NHS guidance.

I hope you are making it clear to your parents that you arent following guidance about testing symptomatic people - I would be furious to find out a school had exposed my dc in this way.

We have been sent information by the school saying a continuous cough is for coughing at least an hour consistently.

So why is the school using a different definition of the 'continuous cough' than what is on the nhs website?

I thought that if the child was isolating because their bubble burst, their whole family had to isolate too?

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No. Like with all track and trace contacts it is only the person who had the contact.

The whole household only isolated if they've all been in contact with a positive case OR someone within the household has symptoms or a positive result.

Teachers didnt want 30 kids in stuffy rooms

Yes, and the official line was that it was just the unions being obstructive.

Parents were clamouring for children to go back to school though, and those saying it was risky were told things had to get back to normal.

Some fucking normal - over 4,000 new cases yesterday.

Me too stompy. Im hoping our school is sending those with a cough home 🤞

Our primary school have said if they have any cold symptoms, like a snotty nose, we have to keep them off for 48 hours to monitor them

Well we’ve just been off for a week. Dd (9) had a temp (39 on Calpol), headache, sore throat and fatigue. She also kept complaining that food tasted ‘off’. Did a postal test and it’s come back negative. However it’s incredibly difficult to swab the tonsils of a child and eventually after many attempts I did a double nose swab. Was that an adequate sample? I don’t know, our nearest walk in centre is 30 miles away. I wold have felt better having a professional do the test. Anyway it’s back to school on Monday. I can see this being repeated time and time again over the winter.

I have been ill since last Thursday, I felt exhausted Thursday sheer exhaustion that wiped me out Friday I started coughing and developed a high temp, I tried getting a home test all day Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Have had to self isolate for 10 days as couldn't get a test, my temperature was high until yesterday and is now only 37.3, still coughing still aching and still tired. I had a snotty nose start on Saturday. 3 colleagues began the same symptoms on the same day and managed to get a drive through test on Saturday and all tested positive. All had a snotty nose high temp and cough along with exhaustion. Having a snotty nose does not mean you don't have COVID. It worries me that so many people are going to continue as normal because they think that having a snotty nose means they don't have COVID. Having a snotty nose on its own is unlikely to be COVID but along with the other symptoms does not mean it isn't!

My two kids were off last week and did not return until we got a negative test result - school have not issued firm guidance and kids are going into school with a continuous cough and not being sent home - if no one else is following the rules and self isolating, I'm tempted not to bother the next time either!

If a child has no raised temperature (or only slightly raised), is obviously 'coldy' with runny nose and so on and the cough is very obviously 'phlemmy,' it's a cold and not the virus

What is slightly raised?

We are sending our extremely vulnerable child into school, it is frankly terrifying reading stuff like this.