Cough, should I keep him off school??

[AnxiousPixie]

Y2DS has a cough, else fine in himself. We have been doing LFTs twice a week so I know it's not COVID. Prepandemic I world have sent him to school cause it's not bad enough to be off but sending him in with a cough now just feels a bit wrong. I really don't want him to miss any more leaving unnecessarily though. What do you all think?

Yabu - keep him away with a cough, the rest of us just don't need it.
Yanbu - hes missed enough, if he's not too I'll to be at school send him.

I will have to miss work if I keep him home but that's not the most important thing.

[SageYourResoluteOracle]

But on the subject of school advice, I just think everything’s so confusing in terms of covid duties for schools: no wonder messages are getting muddled. I hope your wee DS is okay though!

[ComeAllYeFaithful]

He needs a PCR. My DD was negative on an LfT for 3 days before turning positive. Symptoms were that of a cold.

[Popopopo]

People keep saying that lateral flow tests are if you are symptom free, but apparently they work at the onset...

www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/2021/smd/lateral-flow-tests-are-95-effective-at-detecting-covid-19-when-used-at-the-onset-of-symptoms.html

[Sceptre86]

My 5 year old and 4 year old have a cough but they initially had a fever so they had a pcr test and we isolated until we got the results. Thankfully they were negative so now they are back at school. Hopefully will be the same for your son.

[vixeyann]

My son has been the same but we did a PCR that has come back negative. So many cases are 'just a cough' or ;just a cold' and the LFTs don't catch them. Don't send back till properly tested. I wish our school insisted on it as so many people are using the 'it's just a cold' to send sick kids in.

[DumplingsAndStew]

There isn't actually a rule that says he has to isolate while waiting for results but I will keep him at home until we have the neg.

There is!

How on earth are people still getting this wrong? This rule hasn't changed since the start.

[NewbieAlert]

There isn't actually a rule that says he has to isolate while waiting for results but I will keep him at home until we have the neg
If he has one of the 3 symptoms and is testing for that reason, then yes. Yes he does need to isolate.

JFC.

[ComeAllYeFaithful]

@Popopopo not true. My dad was negative on lft for 3 days before turning positive despite symptoms

[Popopopo]

The study tested 2,500 people with symptoms and found them to be 95% accurate

[ComeAllYeFaithful]

My have been one of the 5% then!

[ComeAllYeFaithful]

Must have *

[Hoolahupsaresquare]

How many times do people have to be told it’s PCR with symptoms ?

AND that you need to isolate until you get a negative test ?

[Skysblue]

Keep him home until you have a negative pcr, that’s the law.

Also he’s year 2, it’s just before xmas, he’s learning basically nothing at school. If he passes his cough on then imagine how many other people are going to have to isolate and test (including teacher).

[Crunchymum]

I know you are taking him for a PCR test and you've had mixed messages from the school but it still staggers me that people do not know a cough = PCR test.

Your school sound utterly shit by the way, unless you have misunderstood their policy?

[DixonD]

@MrsColon

Get a PCR but please send him in, school-age children do not need to self isolate, despite what some schools are saying.

???!!

If you need a PCR test (child does in this case), you isolate until you get results.

[DixonD]

@DumplingsAndStew

There isn't actually a rule that says he has to isolate while waiting for results but I will keep him at home until we have the neg.

There is!

How on earth are people still getting this wrong? This rule hasn't changed since the start.

THIS!!

How can you NOT know this?

Come on, this is why CV spreads.

Ignorance.

[AnxiousPixie]

Maybe some people are to worried about being branded 'ignorant' or stupid or getting sworn at. Some of you are just so unnecessarily rude. But maybe that opinion is just me being ignorant and stupid. 🤷

Am glad I checked with mumsnet font of knowledge, got my understanding right and did the right things. And didn't just do what school suggested.

Thanks to everyone else. DS is fine and will keep everything crossed for a negative for him.

[Lineeyes1986]

I had 5 days of negative lateral flows after my positive pcr (as close contact - not with symptoms) so I’m a bit wary to trust them
Now. Finally showed up as positive on day 6 of isolation

[Exhausteddog]

The lft tests that I order from the government website (flowflex) say you can use on symptomatic cases so even though they are meant to be backed up by a pcr there is some ambiguity.