COVID test every time your child has a cough

[Jenbot78]

Hi, has anyone else been in this position? DD (3) has been back at the childminders for 5 weeks now. She has already had a snotty nose and cough for which we got a COVID test which was negative. We had to get another one last night as she again had a cough.

I understand why we need to do this (to stop spread) but it is SO disruptive! It affects both mine and DHs work as we can’t go back until we get the test results!

Turnaround was less than 24 hours last time but that still meant juggling work around.

Yesterday’s test was a nightmare as DD got wise to what we needed to do (last time PP on the ipad distracted enough...)

I’m just interested in other people’s experiences when their children have developed coughs and snotty nose?

I feel winter term will be a nightmare if every time there is a new cough we have to self isolate until we get test results! My son will be starting childcare so I don’t know what we’ll do as I remember DD being perpetually ill in that first year 😱.

(assuming you feel ok enough to go to work, obviously)

Our school states
"Anyone who becomes unwell with covid symptoms will be required to self isolate for 7 days and arrange to have a test. They will not be allowed to return to school in this time.
" At this point any siblings in school will be sent home, even uf they dont have symptoms. They will gave to isolate for 14 days. They will not be allowed to return to school in this time."

Positive or negative test, home for 7 days, and 14 for siblings. Positive test, agreed this us in line with the government. But I thought government guidance was negative test meant you could go back to normal as soon as you were well?

@SqidgeBum

What I am a little concerned about is the tests are only 60% accurate. I dont know what's worse, having to get one and isolate the whole family off work and school while waiting for a negative result, or getting a negative result and now knowing for sure if it is actually negative and then returning to work and school.

Yes, saw something on the news tonight about a lady who tested negative 3x for coronavirus and then died from coronavirus. Sounded like the death was very soon after a negative test.

RedCatBlueCat,

I would possibly point your school in the direction of this document:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools

They need to look at Prevention, Point 7. Unfortunately, Prevention, Point 1 implies what your school has said, though Point 7 clarifies that a negative case and clearning up of symptoms ends isolation.

It is the unclear, poorly written guidance that leads to this type of situation. Like the 2m distancing within bubbles for partial opening - the guidance was unclear, so some schools thought this was necessary, limiting how many children could return to school.

My DS discovered that if during key worker childcare provision he pretended to be unwell he got sent home and didn't go back for 7 days orginally and then later on at least 48 hours whilst we awaited a test. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I swear that boy has wasted so many tests about 6. I'm also a lone parent, so the distribution to my work was massive 🙄

I'm dreading him going back to school in September!!!

He's 5 I'll add and should probably deserve an academy award for some of his illness symptoms. 🙄

It's really difficult - if we DON'T send a child with symptoms home, and they turn out to be positive and infect others, that's clearly terrible.

But some children will definitely choose to take advantage of this situation.

What should we do?

Oh, thank you forever. I most certainly will ensure my understanding of the policy matches that document come September if no further modifications are made to the policy. Thank you. The Gov.uk guidance seems much more manageable.

I've reminded school that DS has asthma that often presents as a dry cough in certain weather conditions and accomanies colds, and that is his normal... 🤞...

I teach in FE, and we are continuing with online learning after summer. Obviously the college is taking everyone’s safety very seriously, but the cynic in me thinks part of it will be about not having to worry about staff absence. Even if we’re off ill under normal circumstances we’re expected to put work on the VLE for students, but someone would have to physically cover classes.

My hayfever this year is dreadful and I have a cough with post-nasal drip because I am so mucus-y. I have the dentist tomorrow and am scared they won’t let me in!

I’m a teacher for an independent school and time off for childcare reasons if dc are ill are unpaid. I’m sure many other employees are in the same situ. I’ll be diligent with following rules on keeping dc home if necessary but I suspect many children ill be sent into school regardless

Aside from anything else a 'youll be fined' ist going to be very helpful.
Also letters from schools rather assume
Parents can read
Parents read them
Can understand the English and the rules.
The gov are so stingy with the rules too.
Zoe app saying pretty much every verson had sore throat or maybe could have.
I dont think they can ignore an asthmatic child with cold symproms having a new cough.

Dc2 got a cough that lasted 8w or more we all got ill about a mobth later we cannot tell if she had a new cough (her nose did start running too) or it was the same one. It would nt have mattered as she would have been covered by the 14d rule. But i guess its possible to get ill several weeks later and it not be distinguishable from existing conditions.
True nightmare for anyone with kids who get fevers or coughs.
Any kid that makes it to xmas without time off will have been very lucky as they would have 14d for family members illnes anyway even if they are not getting ill.

Also those with siblings. I think I’m right in saying if a child has any symptoms the household isolates until test and results and some schools are then saying household isolate even if negative. If that’s the case siblings will potentially miss an awful lot of school as bugs make their way through families.

I just think many people will totally disregard these rules and send children in anyway.

It’s going to be a nightmare. My eldest basically has a cough from September to March as she seems to react to the cold, exercise and at night. GP won’t text for asthma yet. Youngest has a viral wheeze after every illness. I’m quite worried they’ll both be sent home lots and I really don’t want to be testing the 1yo regularly as it is not a nice test for them at that age.

"some schools are then saying household isolate even if negative."

This will cause some parents to not test because the children will be off anyway or if the symptoms were not present during the school day, lie about what sort of illness it is so the children can go back sooner.

I don’t blame the schools for these policies, it’s the rubbish, unclear guidance that’s to blame.

But, our school are giving our some really mixed messages. On one hand, any child with a cough must isolate and test for 7 days, siblings and parents for 14 days but on the other have sent out a reminder of how attendance is monitored and will continue to be reported to the local authority etc etc. Parents can’t win, they either want us to follow the guidance and therefore presumably have less than perfect attendance or prioritise attendance which likely means parents will send possibly symptomatic children into school!

@Thateverlastingyes77 from what I’ve gathered from our school I think they want to test in case the rest of the bubble need to isolate. Apparently if parents refuse to test it will be treated as positive so 60 children and 4 teachers would have to isolate.

DD's nursery will have the kids back straight away after a negative test, but I have to say I'm not convinced by this approach.

I just cannot see how people are getting a good enough sample from a 3 year old. My DD surprised me with how hard she tried to tolerate the test but her reflex was to move away. It is not a nice feeling having your tonsils swabbed!

I'd rather prick her finger for a blood sample and know that the result is more definite than go through the palaver of doing a swab test which I highly suspect won't give a valid result anyway.

@Soubriquet yes definitely you should get a test every time you have a cough. There is no way of knowing if it is a regular cough or COVID19 and you could be unwittingly spreading this.

Thanks for all msgs. Glad it’s not just me wondering what will happen!

Just to share experience; there was no way we were getting into the tonsils. I didn’t even try. Problem is if you touch gums and cheek you can end up with an invalid result. We did up the nose. Still awful for her and she kept pushing it away so it took 3 goes. Don’t know how I’d do this with my 1 year old when he starts childcare.

The turnaround for the result ended up being 24 hours. This was longer than the last time which was 18. Disruptive as a self employed person; I lost a day’s income.

I think if the test could be turned around quicker the disruption would be minimal. We went straight after the childminder and got a test at 6.30pm. If they had turned it around in, say, 12 hours then we could have got on with our days as normal.

The other hope is that more robust evidence comes to light about children and whether they catch and spread it. I read a study in Germany which was quite large that indicated that children mostly don’t get it but 🤷‍♀️.

Problem is if you touch gums and cheek you can end up with an invalid result. We did up the nose. Still awful for her and she kept pushing it away so it took 3 goes. Don’t know how I’d do this with my 1 year old when he starts childcare.

When I tried to swab my 11 month old DD's throat she promptly shut her mouth and sucked on it I have no idea how we got a negative rather than an invalid result.

Our school states
"Anyone who becomes unwell with covid symptoms will be required to self isolate for 7 days and arrange to have a test. They will not be allowed to return to school in this time.
" At this point any siblings in school will be sent home, even uf they dont have symptoms. They will gave to isolate for 14 days. They will not be allowed to return to school in this time."

That school will be requiring new laws to be made to give them that power, under current legislation it would be an illegal exclusion as far as I can see.

I have a cough all the time sometimes it's bad sometimes I don't even notice it. I cough in the summer with hay fever and in winter as I seem to have a constant post nasal drip. I can tell the difference between my normal cough and a 'cold' cough. When I have a cold my cough is chesty and pretty constant. My daughter is exactly the same as me. She always have a bad cough in winter I'm dreading the amount of time I'm going to have to have off as from September. I've already had to reduce my working hours ( and step down in position) due to no breakfast club or after school club. I'm not sure my manager is going to be understanding if I'm constantly off work.

It’s going to be a nightmare this autumn/winter. I’ve got a baby and a toddler. Every time the baby toddler gets a temp or cough I will have to test. I will probably end up getting tested once a fortnight. Thank goodness I’m on mat leave.