Could this be the flu? Advice please

[Zenab12]

Hi so just looking for some advice
My daughter (5) came home from school on Thursday on the last day of term complaining of feeling unwell and having a slight cough, I thought at first she was just coming down with a cold as a few of the children in her class had been of that week with illnesses. That same night she got unwell quite quickly, high temperature, sleepy, coughing she wouldn't eat anything she just kept going in and out of sleep, by saturday she looked a lot better but still had the cough and looked still a bit unwell Saturday though my son who will be 4 next month was like a radiator and started coughing, I had been giving him calpol every 4 hrs for his temperature, since Thursday till now i'd say both of the kids hadn't even slept the full night bevause of them both being unwell, my son who is usually very very active was in bed all day on Saturday, on Sunday he was slightly better so I thought he was on the mend, but they both woke up again on Monday unwell, my daughter throughout the day was much better and seems back to her normal self, but yesterday my son had a temp all day( in between calpol doses) coughing, when his temperature is up he seems to be quite drowsy, he is alert but he is just drousy and very sleepy, I was panoikcing last night due to my aniexty but after calpol and a full night's sleep last night I thought he would be better today, he woke up day, he says he feels better but he just looks so tired and ill in his eyes if that makes sense, he goes through phases of wanting to play then he goes and lies down or comes to me for cuddles, it's the 4th day now and I don't want to keep giving him calpol but he's still got a temp today and very sleepy and drousy, I'm going to call the doctor in the morning if he's still not any better but I just don't think this is a normal cold I've not seen my kids like this for a long time the last time was when my son was around 6 or 7 months he was very ill for 4 or 5 days, same high temp and drousy and very sleepy. I was thinking it could be the flu, I haven't had them tested for covid because I genuinely thought at the start it was just a normal cold ( we are all at home anyway and haven't been out since school broke up on Thursday) what is your advice please

Forgot to add, both me and my husband are absolutely fine and haven't come down with what the kids have.

Get.a.test.

You do need to get a covid test for both of them. It could be flu, although flu levels are very low at the moment. Or one of those random childhood viruses. But really, the priority needs to be a covid test and for all of you to isolate until the results come back.

I meant to add, it doesn't matter if you and your husband are fine (although that's good for you both, obviously) - I've got several in my friendship circle of children having symptomatic covid, while the adults were positive but asymptomatic, or negative (presumably because they'd already had it). A cough and a temperature at the moment should always be followed by a PCR test.

Get a test. It might be flu ( although we are way out of flu season). Or a cold. Or a virus. But you don't know it's not COVID so get tested.

Unlikely flu at this time of year, however lots of germs have resurfaced recently. But if you haven’t ruled out covid that should be tested for it spreads amongst asymptomatic children but they can also and do get some symptoms and be unwell too. Pcr test needed not lateral flow.

Our immune systems haven’t been as tested this last 15 months so ordinary colds etc could hit us a bit harder too.

get a test - you may not be going out but her classmates are and they need to know!

I really don’t know why you’re jumping to flu when you haven’t done a Covid test.
First thing you need to do is get a test for Covid.

You have an ill child with temp and cough and are asking what to do?

Seriously?

You get a COVID test for a start.

Pleaseeeeeee tell me none of your family have left home since the first one had symptoms. You should all have been isolating.

That's not new or shock information - we've all had this drummed into us to since March 2020.

If the test of negative you end isolation, carry on treating illness and like if positive or negative seek GP advice if you are concerned.

It's likely a cold. Half my class had cold and horrid sore throat last week of half term that I somehow avoided catching!

@Idontgiveagriffindamn
I don't really know why it was my first though, I guess I have been googling the symptoms and the main thing it's coming up with is flu, as he keeps saying he feels very cold but he has a high temp.

As far as I know we haven't had covid, my kids have had 7 or 8 colds since starting school in September and tests have been neg every time that's why at the start of it I assumed it was a cold but now with it lasting longer I am starting to think otherwise now. I will get them tested, I was just looking for some advice on what it could be as at this point I'm assuimg it's not a cold.

@itsgettingwierd

I am going to get them tested, and no we haven't left the house as the kids have been ill and I've been at home looking after them and trying to get them better. It's obviously something she has brought home from school because as I posted a few children in her class have been off the past week with different illnesses. I was just looking for some advice on how to treat the symptoms, I will get them tested.

But it's 5 days post the symptom onset. So if positive there could be close contacts who have spent the last 3-4 days passing it around unknowingly (allowing for test and trace). It'll now take 2 days for results as minimum and if positive tests and trace will only be able to isolate contact for final 48 hours at most.

You should have tested an unwell child with a covid symptom immediately. It's irresponsible not to do so.

Having said that I hope she feels better soon as none of this is the child's fault.

Your DD has been in a room every day with 30+ unvaccinated people not wearing masks.

She developed a temp and cough, so should have had a Covid test immediately.

Yes, it could be any virus, but the one you need to rule out is Covid

I hope they both feel better soon. Keep them hydrated and give regular Calpol and cuddles.