We are actually going to be testing our kids all the time aren't we

[yukka]

Dd (1yr) got sent home from nursery with 'a bit of a temp' yesterday, it just about reached 38. She had the MMR jab on Wednesday. She was poorly Wednesday, better Thursday and fine Friday am hence sent her in on Friday. By 1:30 her temp was up.

We had to go for a covid test as she's not allowed back until we confirm it's not that.

Thankfully the process was straightforward but it really made me realise how often we will have to do this over the next year.

Because she had a temp on Wednesday (surely from mmr) you have 5 days from first symptoms to get a test. if the test is inconclusive we can try another one tonight/ tomorrow or we have to assume she has it and isolate.

It's really hard to get a stick down to your 1 yr olds tonsils for 10 seconds... I have a gut feeling we will be isolating. And gutted as she only started nursery on Monday having being delayed due to covid and was doing really well.

On the flip side, of course hoping she doesn't have it and mmr is masking symptoms. We've followed all the rules throughout this pandemic it would be a shame if her first week of normality led her to be sick.

Something does need to be sorted out for those children sometimes adult sized for who it is impossible for parents to test without outside help. The option of self isolating for 10 days won't work when it means all of his bubble including staff would have to self isolate for 14 if no test is done.

Schools are being given kits to give to parents, not to administer themselves!

I hadn’t seen that confirmed in any guidance, but if true, I’m pleased to hear it.

@Redlocks28

Schools are being given kits to give to parents, not to administer themselves!

I hadn’t seen that confirmed in any guidance, but if true, I’m pleased to hear it.

I think they've recently updated the guidance, but not highlighted the updated sections. The guidance now says 'By the autumn term, all schools will be provided with a small number of home testing kits that they can give directly to parents/carers collecting a child who has developed symptoms at school, or staff who have developed symptoms at school, where they think providing one will significantly increase the likelihood of them getting tested. Advice will be provided alongside these kits.'

Swabbing young kids is very easy as they scream (which gives you a brilliant view of their oropharynx) and it takes 10 seconds.

Says somebody who has never had to covid-swab a toddler. I’ve done it three ones, and it is far from easy. I’ve swabbed plenty of adults via work, and swabbing a back-arching, kicking, jaw-clenching toddler is not easy at all, even if you pin them down and pry their teeth open with your finger.

It’s also really horrible to do all of that, when your child is sick and in pain with earache anyway! It feels really abusive, and unlike necessary medical procedures which are for the benefit of the child, this is purely for the peace of mind of the nursery.

Swabbing young kids is very easy as they scream (which gives you a brilliant view of their oropharynx) and it takes 10 seconds.
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@iminatent that's sounds like madness given it's a pandemic.

We have been told in our primary school that we only need to isolate as a bubble for a positive test. Seems a bit silly that different schools have different rules!

I think the official guidance is no bubble isolation until advised by PHE, and only liaise with PHE in the event of two or more confirmed cases.

@Sockwomble

It is far better for ds if school staff administer the test rather than us. They have training to safely restrain him and we don't. The only way it can be done on ds is if he is restrained by several people or sedated. Alternatively it will have to be done in a medical setting with sedation.

Awful, though. That would make my son's conditions go through the roof (HFA, OCD, ADHD).

DS developed a cough last night and it sounded worse this morning so we booked a test. He has a very snotty nose too so I’m sure it’s just a cold but he always gets a bad cough whenever he gets a cold. I was saying to DH as we drove there that this is what winter will be like - he’s starting school in September and it’ll be one cough after another - no school for a few days while we isolate, test, get negative results and repeat ad nauseam ☹️

@DinoGreen

DS developed a cough last night and it sounded worse this morning so we booked a test. He has a very snotty nose too so I’m sure it’s just a cold but he always gets a bad cough whenever he gets a cold. I was saying to DH as we drove there that this is what winter will be like - he’s starting school in September and it’ll be one cough after another - no school for a few days while we isolate, test, get negative results and repeat ad nauseam ☹️

Also you've been really proactive but there will be kids sent in to school with a cough, school will call home and day come collect. Whole bubble sent home. Parents won't be able to drive for test until Tuesday or will order one bit won't do it or lose it etc, meanwhile everyone is off. Then they'll finally get it sorted and came school, everyone back and two days later someone else has a temperature

But the whole bubble shouldn't be sent home unless there are at least two confirmed cases - that's the guidance.

@iminatent

But the whole bubble shouldn't be sent home unless there are at least two confirmed cases - that's the guidance.

Not at my school and I doubt were the only ones

I have swabbed plenty of kids (just not mine!) Honestly I find it easy. They don’t like it but are fine a few minutes later. I really don’t get what the fuss is about. So many adults whinge about it too. I have to do weekly swabs on myself and it’s totally fine.

If this is what we have to do to keep schools and nurseries open then I’m all for it.

Sleeping - at our school nobody is sent home (except for poorly child) until there is a positive test and even then I don't think the whole bubble isolates.
If they send the whole bubble home every time there was any cough or fever while awaiting test result then surely nobody will ever be at school!

My 7 year old woke up Friday morning with a sore throat and cold so we went and got tested yesterday (negative result thankfully) I’m sure that will be the first test of many.

I wonder if your school will change in September though, sleeping? Everything was all so new last term, and the new guidance is only really aimed at the full reopening in September I think. Fingers crossed.

@welshweasel

I have swabbed plenty of kids (just not mine!) Honestly I find it easy. They don’t like it but are fine a few minutes later. I really don’t get what the fuss is about. So many adults whinge about it too. I have to do weekly swabs on myself and it’s totally fine.

If this is what we have to do to keep schools and nurseries open then I’m all for it.

The fact that you've done it plenty of times and not to the children you have an emotional attachment to night be why you find it easier. It would be like my community nurse saying fitting an NG tube is easy. Yes when you've had practice and the person who is hysterical is not the person you love most in the world.

DS would just clamp his mouth shut, I have no idea how I'd swab it for 10 seconds as has been mentioned. And of course we'd try, but the whole attitude of "your being pathetic if you can't do it first time and find it easy" isn't v helpful

@Frazzled2207

Sleeping - at our school nobody is sent home (except for poorly child) until there is a positive test and even then I don't think the whole bubble isolates. If they send the whole bubble home every time there was any cough or fever while awaiting test result then surely nobody will ever be at school!

Quite.

@iminatent

I wonder if your school will change in September though, sleeping? Everything was all so new last term, and the new guidance is only really aimed at the full reopening in September I think. Fingers crossed.

No idea, the notes I attached earlier on are part of a long letter about September opening, Inc staggered opening times etc so it's certainly the plan for when we go back. They may well issue new guidance before he head back as we have a couple of teacher training days (return 3rd so one of the first schools back) but🤷

Maybe it's better to introduce regular testing? Say 50% of pupils in every bubble where locally confirmed cases are high, but below lockdown watch list measures. The % of Tests obviously increases/ decrease according to confirmed local cases.
Tests should be done every 3-4 weeks. Yes it's costly and time consuming, but I think it would make a huge difference and would help with contact tracing as well as keeping an eye on child to adult transmissions. I
This virus is here to stay, all we can do is keep a close eye on it.

I doubt 'regular' tests every 3-4 weeks would be value for money.
Unless they can get down to results in 90 minutes, then occasional surveillance testing when there's low prevalence is pointless.

The schools will close if prevalence gets above 'low'.

Saw this on twitter, done by a specific school, but is the guidance. Some schools might go further than this:

@ohthegoats

Saw this on twitter, done by a specific school, but is the guidance. Some schools might go further than this:

That is brilliant.

It is. I wouldn't have even started looking up what to do unless one of us was ill/T and T had got us or whatever. I've printed it out.