Cough but no temperature- cant get a test!

[Whenwilligrowup]

So my eldest ds has woken up this morning with what I'm pretty sure is a cold. Just a cough and sniffly nose but no temp. Pretty sure this still means we all have to isolate until we can get tested doesn't it? I can't drive and there are literally no home testing kits available any time I try! Anyone in the same predicament? We managed one week of school I suppose!!

[Happyhippos2020]

Sorry, but what is an 'episode'? My DH seems to think this means a coughing fit, but this isn't clear. Does it just mean 'has coughed 3 times in 24 hours'?

[Cassie71]

My DD is in the same predicament, she needs a negative test result or have 2 weeks off school. There are no tests available. She gets a lot of colds, so I doubt she'll be in school much.

[imaflutteringkite]

The thing I'm finding most frustrating is that I've been offered four tests, the first crashed and logged me out and when you click through to book the other three there are no tests available in the next four days.

[conkersarebonkers]

An 'episode' of coughing is when someone coughs. It doesn't have to be a coughing fit.

If someone is coughing several times in a day when they don't normally (e.g. someone with asthma may cough normally) and there is no other reason for the cough (e.g. dusty room, swallowing a drink the wrong way), then they have a new cough that is continuous.

[Amber0685]

On my local fb page it suggests trying at 8pm, people have been able to get tests at that time.

[FromTheAshes]

I was in the same boat, don't drive, been trying since Friday evening to get a test. Finally managed to book one at exactly 8am this morning. I think that's the only time home tests get released.

I filled in all my details in ahead of time then just kept refreshing the 'available tests' page until home tests came up as an option and filled in my and my daughters details as quickly as possible and submitted them. It sounds like your ds does need a test, for the cough you've described, so tomorrow morning is probably your best bet unless you manage to get a walk through centre close by. Good luck, I completely get the frustration.

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

If I'm applying for a child, do I fill it in as the child? It asks "have you....do you....etc"

[alwayswantchocolate]

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

If I'm applying for a child, do I fill it in as the child? It asks "have you....do you....etc"

When I tried to book in my child's name, it said 'no test sites found'. When I did it as myself 'booking for someone else' it found some test sites (although they were fully booked the first 1435 times I tried).

Eventually it booked the test for me (even though I said I was booking for someone else) and I was able to add my child to my booking. So we ended up with 2 tests booked. I couldn't find a way of booking for only someone else. As it happened I also got the same symptoms an hour or two later so it worked out well!

[Snailsetssail]

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz you fill in as yourself, say you don’t have symptoms, then later on you can add family members where you will say they do have symptoms.

I couldn’t get anything doing it this way though so ended up booking one for myself (I’m a key worker in a school) and adding on DD so we both ended up getting tested, waste of resources as I don’t need one but it was the only way to get one for her and I need to be back in work ASAP.

[NoSquirrels]

This is ludicrous- so when I tried to get a test for my DC I should have said ‘no symptoms’ for me - but that’s totally counterintuitive because of course you click ‘symptoms’ as otherwise why are you asking for a test? Argh. Rage! (Couldn’t get anything but the ‘busy’ page anyway and I’m really not sure if DC is suffering ‘episodes’ of coughing or just clearing their throat from snot so not sure how persistent to be.)

[EducatingArti]

twitter.com/BenKentish/status/1305498910249676801?s=09

According to LBC there are no tests available in any of the Covid hotspots at present!

[MrsStefani]

By continuous cough they mean a persistent cough, so a coughing episode three or more times in 24hrs. Not constantly coughing all day!

The whole situation is ridiculous. We have a social responsibility to be vigilant. Nobody wants the schools to close because of Covid outbreak - and nobody wants to be the one that started it. But the government need to honour their side of the bargain and make sure there are plenty of accessible tests with a quick turnaround.

We need to be testing more, not less. It will be worse as we go into winter, they really need to sort this out.

[MrsStefani]

What @conkersarebonkers said!

[bottomdrawer]

Me! I'm in the same situation. Very frustrating as we all have to isolate for what is likely to be a cold and life goes on hold until we get access to a test.

[Snailsetssail]

@NoSquirrels yes you should have said no symptoms for you. The form isn’t very clear!

[Skyisbluetoday]

Yes, same here. No tests available, tried for days. We've now given up as past day 5. It's appalling and will make us think twice about declaring symptoms next time it happens. We can't all isolate for 14 days with every bug because the government can't get the testing sorted.

[NoSquirrels]

By continuous cough they mean a persistent cough, so a coughing episode three or more times in 24hrs. Not constantly coughing all day!

But ‘a persistent cough’ = ‘3 episodes of coughing’ is really very unclear to me, and I’m not stupid. Child has cold, sore throat & sometimes coughs a bit (due to irritated throat or nasal drip) - I wouldn’t say that was ‘persistent’ or ‘continuous’. But we can’t watch & wait in case we transmit something, and we can’t test if there’s none available. It’s such a shambles and I’m so surprised there’s not more public & MSM outcry. God knows how they can have the audacity to blame it all on people ‘requesting tests without symptoms’ - I’d like to know quite how they’ve managed it seeing as it’s impossible to get any tests at all even with symptoms.

[ChronicCovid]

@NoSquirrels.I know, it seems the government are really trying to limit who gets tested and confuse the public, which is bonkers. They should be encouraging people to get tested, not the other way around.

Personally any sign of a new cough and I would test. It seems the sensible thing to do.

[YouJustDoYou]

Yup. Same. 27'c it was registering weatherwise where we are. His temp was slightly elevated. Now all three of my children aren't allowed in school and I can't work and therefore earn money until a negative test comes back....except there's no. Fucking. Slots. Anywhere. I'm so angry about the unfairness of it all. Ds when home and out of the sun has been measuring a normal temp.

[SummerHouse]

I am enjoying all the fun of trying to get a test for a boy with a common cold and cough (am I him or am I me, he has symptoms or do I, his date of birth or mine, has he been going to work (no, he is fucking 8)) on an endless glitchy loop for eternity whist simultaneously explaining to DP what isolation means (no, you can't go for a walk, no, you can't pop to the shop) whilst simultaneously WFH with two perfectly well children. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhgggghhhh.

[Lemons1571]

There was no option to put school child or student, so I just put that they worked in education, job title not found. I decided the main point of the question was the environment they’ve been in during the last two weeks. There’s no guidance on there to say whether that’s right or wrong 🤷🏼‍♀️

[NoSquirrels]

@SummerHouse

I am enjoying all the fun of trying to get a test for a boy with a common cold and cough (am I him or am I me, he has symptoms or do I, his date of birth or mine, has he been going to work (no, he is fucking 8)) on an endless glitchy loop for eternity whist simultaneously explaining to DP what isolation means (no, you can't go for a walk, no, you can't pop to the shop) whilst simultaneously WFH with two perfectly well children. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhgggghhhh.

Argh - yes! You’ve got the D.O.B you dumbass form - why would my DC be going to work? But if you’d asked if they were going to school, and other useful track and trace data I’d feel better.

And why do I need to fill in the form 100x just to be told ... nothing. Nothing at all. ‘Some testing centres may not be available to U18s’ you say. Argh! You KNOW schools just went back, right?

[timtam23]

I am trying to get a test for DC1 (who probably has a cold but their temp went up this afternoon) I am in one of the covid hotspots where tests are supposed to be being concentrated but there is absolutely nothing available. DC2 - no symptoms - will have to stay off school tomorrow I think, and I may not be able to go to work later this week (frontline NHS) my boss has been sympathetic but this is going to happen time and time again whenever one of the children has a cough or a temp. I did briefly thjnknj might have an appointment booked but I was bounced off without a QR code being sent so I don't want to turn up on spec with DC1 as he really isn't feeling very well at the moment

[SummerHouse]

Yes @NoSquirrels the helpful warning about some test centres only open to over 18s. But no mention of which. AGAIN you bastard form, you have coughing child's DOB and he is 8! Yes 8!!! That niggling feeling that yes, they would book a child into an over 18 only site coz everything else is totally arse about tit.... But then, hey ho, it doesn't actually matter coz "NO TEST SITES AVAILABLE!!!!"

[SummerHouse]

@timtam23 can you try / or your boss try HR. I am annoyed for my family but if frontline NHS can't get a test then I am livid!