Scottish schools - other viruses

[Bramblespoint]

Just wondered seeing as schools have been back a few weeks in Scotland what the prevalence of viruses/illness was (not specifically COVID)

My dd seems to pick up everything going and am worried after so long out of a large group setting she'll just be ill constantly with colds etc

She's also asthmatic so has a tendency to cough with every illness which I suspect is going to lead to many tests 😬

This might answer your question

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-53983392

Yep, everyone I know with kids at school currently has a cold. Both my DC have been off with it this past week.

Testing levels have increased dramatically because of this.

My 2 have been fine and have been at school every day since school started back on 12th August

''22,821 recordered as Covid-19 related''
Well we know that isn't ALL covid. So students with positive test results & isolating for others aside, I'm assuming that's temps / coughs etc related to a cold but due to also being covid symptoms it's been recovered as that?
Still seems like an awful lot to me.

Our of the 17500 tests on children last week they only found about 50 positive cases.

The Scottish Government only just released clear guidance that 'a cold isn't Covid and you don't need to get a test for a cold.' Last week schools were insisting kids off with colds needed tests to go back to school, I saw this at two local primary schools. DS has a cold now, but the letter that came out yesterday meant I just sent him back in without a Covid test - it's as clear as day that he has a cold (and no Covid symptoms either).

I think Scot Gov has caused a lot of hassle with lack of guidance, as 17500 tests shows!

But yes, to answer your question - everyone has the cold right now!

DS1 has a heavy cold plus cough, which he is prone to getting with every cold, although not asthmatic as far as we know. We have had to test and isolate already. I can see this happening repeatedly.

Yes both of mine had snotty noses within a week of being back at school and nursery (school based).

My inlaws are teachers. My MIL is first aider for her school and said last week that she was insisting that any pupil sent to her last week with anything at all be tested before returning.

My FIL has a cold (he went and wasted resources getting a Covid test even with no symptoms - was negative shock horror!) He is very much in the 'test for everything camp'.

It has been a bit of a shit show tbh thank goodness the government are issuing clearer guidance because I think expecting schools to use common sense is a stretch too far.

Yep, we all got the cold, brought home by ds2 half way through the first full week of school, and I was on a call yesterday with 2 other parents in different parts of the country both of whom had families full of the cold.

That 22.000 absent also includes people who don't want to send their kids to school because of Covid / Covid restrictions.

Approx 39.000 kids tested since 12/8 and only 117 positive for Covid so a lot of other viruses around as expected.

Yep colds in this household and brothers both seem to have come from schools (only place people have been)

We have been advised the symptoms to test for are high temp, cough, lack of smell, not cold symptoms (England)

However if pupils are catching colds then surely they are passing around viruses despite the increased measures for covid surely. Unless mainly out of school.

In the link from the above BBC article, that is the same in Scotland..

www.gov.scot/news/guidance-on-children-with-non-covid-ailments/

Although I heard some parents had been advised otherwise by their schools.

Dd and ds1 have had a cold they are both at secondary. Despite most of his class having the cold ds2 aged 10 has clearly been licking less children than the rest as he, so far, is completely well. He is desperate not to get the cold or be ill at all so he doesn’t have to take a day off school.

For our school (England) been advised as in guidance above before start of school, which was helpful to be honest. They shared the school advise from the local health authority with us.

All got colds since going back. No one with covid. Some parents keeping them off due to heightened fear.

I’m personally happy that their immune systems are being worked again after being in relative isolation for so long. It’s not natural for children to be away from their peer group for such a prolonged period.

We've all had a horrible cold. Definitely out of practice!

Bad cold but terrible cough for dd so had to keep her off and test. Can see this recurring!

@LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett The guidance has always been clear on the symptoms which require test/ isolation. The Scottish government has issued a letter to reassure parents that they don't need to isolate for colds, but can't be blamed for parents failing to read a simple bulletpoint list.

Thing is, shouldn't the increased cleaning and hand washing be stopping all of this?

The guidance has been clear from the Scottish government side, but the info from our school implied that we shouldn't send kids in with cold symptoms. So I think a lot of people (me included) started stressing about runny noses and sore throats as well.

The temperature DC got with the sore throat meant that we ended up testing anyway. It wasn't that bad and the drive through testing is fast. Hoping that's us done till half term!

@Barbie222 the extra cleaning and hand washing seems to have little effect on colds. Lots of kids with runny noses about
Haven't noticed much coughing, but that's an official Covid symptom so those children are probably off school.

My toddler came home with a cold pretty swiftly from nursery, which he quickly passed on to me and that was nearly week off work getting over it. So much snot