Please only get a covid test if you have covid symptoms.

[Bluewavescrashing]

Only 3 symptoms indicate the need for covid testing.
Persistent or continuous dry cough
Fever
Loss of taste and / or smell.

If you have a cold, you do not need a covid test.
If you have a sore throat - no test.
Vomiting or stomach pain - no test.
Carry on going to work, kids to school or nursery as long as you are well enough to do so.

Please don't waste tests which are on short supply.

I agree but lots won't. Oh well. There's lots I am in minority opinion on.

DS was told DGD couldn’t go back to nursery until she had a negative test. He is not going to keep her off indefinitely, because of posts on MN!

I agree too (at the moment while tests are in limited supply).

I think there's a lot of panic going on, understandably, but colds in children are normal at this time of year and will still be around despite the emergence of covid19. I'm a teacher and I've had 5 year olds breathing in my face, holding my hand etc, some with bright green snot- it's just how life is in school. I encourage them to keep their distance but it's futile really. Colds are fine to go to school with unless the child is feeling really unwell.

@DarkMintChocolate

DS was told DGD couldn’t go back to nursery until she had a negative test. He is not going to keep her off indefinitely, because of posts on MN!

That's not wrong, depending on her symptoms. You haven't said why the D.C. was off

www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/covid-19-talking-children-families-about-returning-school-guiding-principles

Just posted thread but rcpch guidance available as of 9th sept

That’s all well and good until you are kept off work, nursery or school for a phelm filled cough which you know is a cold....Blame the “rules” the “guidelines” and not the public

I agree wholeheartedly and I have said this many many times over the past few weeks on here when people suggest testing without a main symptom. People don't want to hear it though and come back with 'but other things are listed in Outer Mongolia as symptoms' rather then simply following the NHS advice. We don't need to interpret the evidence of the virus we just need to follow the rules

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

That’s all well and good until you are kept off work, nursery or school for a phelm filled cough which you know is a cold....Blame the “rules” the “guidelines” and not the public

If you have a cough you get tested - that's ok. Nobody is saying don't get a test if you have w cough

Only 3 symptoms indicate the need for covid testing are on the UK list for testing, unlike in other countries, and this is especially worrisome with regard to children as the listed symptoms are rarer in children than some other symptoms that are not included, so many cases of covid are being missed.

The UK does not have:

• adequate testing
• adequate tracing
• adequate isolation

A fortnight ago MN was full of threads by people asking if their DC should be tested for what were clearly cold symptoms, and almost all replies were "Of course! You would be irresponsible not too!" Etc etc. I was one of a handful who argued that that approach would overwhelm the testing system. And here we are. I don't mean that to be smug, but to say that the whole "Can't be too careful" mentality around Covid is actually counter-productive. Likewise telling people to strictly isolate for a fortnight for common cold symptoms, which is totally unsustainable longterm & going to cause quarantine fatigue to the point where people who get actual Covid in January won't isolate because they're already done two rounds of pointless unnecessary isolation in October and December.

There was a thread on here the other day with people discussing their children having clear symptoms of a cold (including mine). So a productive/wet cough, runny nose and people were up in arm about the fact that we weren't running off to get them tested.

That’s all very well but some schools and employers are insisting on negative tests regardless of symptoms.
I won’t be seeking one generally but if I need one for work or to get my kids back in school then I will be joining the queue

What if you’re self employed? No sick pay, no compensation? My husband has been out of work for months because lockdown killed his business. He has work now, and we have debts to pay, as well as four children to feed. He would go for a test rather than self isolate. We have no saving left. He works or we go hungry and lose our home.

Most colds have a cough and the official advice is to test with a cough- it does not differentiate between a productive or dry cough. We are isolating and awaiting test results and ds is fine in himself but what was a cold has left a phlegmy but regular cough- he would be sent home from school with it I'm pretty sure and I would understand that. It does feel like an over reaction and It is so hard that coughing is such a key symptom but people aren't wasting tests if their child is coughing - you can't send in to school with a frequent cough so you need to rule our Covid with a test to get back to school and work

a productive/wet cough

The wet cough/dry cough distinction has been invented by covid minimisers

The NHS clearly states a new persistent cough. No mention of wet/dry.

I think our list of symptoms is too short already.

I totally agree but unfortunately judging by many threads lately I’m probably in the minority.
It’s getting to the point that somebody will stab their finger and you will still get people screaming that they are are a murderer if they don’t rush out and get a test.

covid.joinzoe.com/post/back-to-school

We don't need to interpret the evidence of the virus we just need to follow the rules
What an inane post! It is clear beyond reasonable doubt that sore throat is a common symptom of Covid and the UK is the outlier in not listing it as a symptom. If people follow the rules for getting children tested,it is likely that more than half of cases in children will be missed, as latest research from the Zoe app suggests that less than half of all children with Covid show any of the official symptoms. The government also doesn't list unexplained rash as a symptom despite this occurring in 15% of cases in children and potentially being a very useful indicator as it's not a symptom that usually occurs with a cold.

@roadsurvey

I agree wholeheartedly and I have said this many many times over the past few weeks on here when people suggest testing without a main symptom. People don't want to hear it though and come back with 'but other things are listed in Outer Mongolia as symptoms' rather then simply following the NHS advice. We don't need to interpret the evidence of the virus we just need to follow the rules

But for 'Outer Mongolia' you should have written the 'World Health Organisation'. They have about 5 further symptoms on their Coronavirus list.

@LilyPond2

covid.joinzoe.com/post/back-to-school

We don't need to interpret the evidence of the virus we just need to follow the rules
What an inane post! It is clear beyond reasonable doubt that sore throat is a common symptom of Covid and the UK is the outlier in not listing it as a symptom. If people follow the rules for getting children tested,it is likely that more than half of cases in children will be missed, as latest research from the Zoe app suggests that less than half of all children with Covid show any of the official symptoms. The government also doesn't list unexplained rash as a symptom despite this occurring in 15% of cases in children and potentially being a very useful indicator as it's not a symptom that usually occurs with a cold.

This X 1000

Sore throat should be on the testing list unless we want it to run right through schools.

Too many people don't seem to care if their kids get it. I do not understand this approach.

But for 'Outer Mongolia' you should have written the 'World Health Organisation'. They have about 5 further symptoms on their Coronavirus list.

I could have said anything. It really makes no difference, but using WHO is a great example of what I am saying. We are being asked to test if we have any of the 3 symptoms. We are not being asked to look at the WHO list and decide based on that.

@roadsurvey

But for 'Outer Mongolia' you should have written the 'World Health Organisation'. They have about 5 further symptoms on their Coronavirus list.

I could have said anything. It really makes no difference, but using WHO is a great example of what I am saying. We are being asked to test if we have any of the 3 symptoms. We are not being asked to look at the WHO list and decide based on that.

Our list is stupid, that's the problem.

Negligent and bloody stupid.

We're missinghalf the fricking symptomatic cases by not having the right symptoms on the list.

The list has been designed to fit the number of cases available.

It's a mess.

What do you want? To identify covid cases (then use WHO criteria) or save money (just test on three criteria)? Personally I don't care. Don't bother testing at all, let it spread as it is going to any way, give up as our country can't organise a piss up in a brewery, just don't bother trying to track/trace. If you do care, I am surprised you aren't focussing on why we are running out of tests six months in to this pandemic. Perhaps it was a surprise.

But it depends whether you're more interested in stopping the growth in cases in your locality/the whole country - by isolating when necessary - or following the government's unfortunately dubious advice.

The lack of tests is making the former aim impossible.

Me too, @SomewhereEast
About a week ago a poster said "pay no mind to KitKatastrophe. I've seen the same poster on lots of threads telling people not to get tested. So irresponsible"

I have never told someone not to get a test if they had one of the testable symptoms. Indeed, I had my daughter tested when she had a high temperature one night (negative). But I was around telling people not to test for a runny nose. I'm the irresponsible one.