Child with blocked nose

[Disabrie22]

We’ve got back from a holiday in England, my daughter seems to have got a cold from no where - we’ve been Antibacing, wearing masks etc. She has a very blocked nose - mouth breezing constantly. Very congested. Should we get her tested?

Doesnt sound like any of the 3 symptoms that prompts a test

There's a thread further up, '5 days til school and flu', with a worried mum who has flu like symptoms including temperature after being exposed to someone else's snotty nosed child.

I agree that the symptoms don't match those which require a test, but, if you don't do so, please at least keep your child at home until the symptoms pass.

This is why 17500 children were tested last week in Scotland - they found under 50 cases and the extra testing put strain on the testing system

The issue isn't extra testing putting strain, though. The issue is that testing capacity wasn't ramped up sufficiently to cope with the inevitable increased demand that a return to schools would pose.

Demand is inevitably only going to increase as more kids go back and we go into autumn. But the solution isn't to limit the criteria for testing - it's to up capacity to cope.

My son came down with a cold last week but this morning has an awful cough so I've booked a test.
Back to school this week so I'll probably have to keep him home until the symptoms are gone even if he is negative.

Those symptoms don’t require a test.

Why on earth can people not follow the guidlines that are set out by the government for testing. Mumsnet is really not the place to ask as you will have people telling you to get a test for anything. (There was one last week telling people to get tested for a sore ear)
The three symptoms that require a test are High temperature (over 37.8)
New persistant or continuous cough (this is dry not chesty like you get with a cold) Loss or change of taste or smell.
It really is not hard.

No cough.
No temperature.
No loss of taste/smell.

No test/isolation required.

@Motorina

The issue isn't extra testing putting strain, though. The issue is that testing capacity wasn't ramped up sufficiently to cope with the inevitable increased demand that a return to schools would pose.

Demand is inevitably only going to increase as more kids go back and we go into autumn. But the solution isn't to limit the criteria for testing - it's to up capacity to cope.

A very good point.

Why on earth can people not follow the guidelines that are set out by the government for testing
Probably because anyone who has read up on the subject will know that those guidelines are woefully inadequate, eg someone with a textbook Covid rash would not get tested if they followed the government guidance, despite the fact that the Zoe research suggests that for a fifth of Covid patients who develop a rash, the rash is their only symptom. The government also took ages to add loss of taste and smell to the list of official symptoms, so it's hardly surprising that people don't fully trust government guidance. However, I do agree that an ordinary cold with none of the "official" symptoms doesn't warrant a test.

I'm in Scotland and my darling dc brought this home from school, we're both now choked with it and had to be tested before dc could go back to school. We have been and are both covid free.
If you're dc are ment to be at school tomorrow best get them a test ASAP or there's a good chance that they won't be allowed in school without a clear test