One test per symptomatic family?

[Babyboomtastic]

If several members of a family all come down with a bug at the same time, and are showing Covid symptoms should the guidance be changed so only one person gets a rest, and them the result is presumed for the others?

Surely the likelihood of one being Covid and one not is really tiny, and it could relief stress on T&T.

Test not a rest.
I wish...

Given that if there is one case then all the family need to isolate for 2 weeks anyway then agree this would make sense.
That said when I booked my son in for a test the bod at the drive through encouraged all four of us to have one (we declined). That was in July though when they didn’t have much to do.

Only really makes sense if they haven’t all been to different places.

It’s a nice idea but if you’ve got 2 adults working out of home and children in different classes or schools or after school activities, you have no way of knowing that two symptomatic people living in the same household have caught the same illness of one another.

Tbh, given we were told there would be tests to enable school return, I'm we are already discussing rationing.

Total shitshow.

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

True, would work for me because of the ages/activities of our kids, but could see it wouldn't always be appropriate.

I still think it's most likely going to be the same bug though, but if rationing although utterly depressing (and not fully accurate) fees up slots for others to get tests, so people don't just ignore SI, then it might be helpful.

Tbh, they just need to get it sorted. They must have known this was coming. We all did.

I think that's a good idea. DS had a sore throat/cough/temperature bug and was tested, Ds2's school wanted him to get a test when he developed exactly the same thing 2 days later, DD's school were more rational.

I guess the problem with that would be that if the one tested gets a false negative or is negative because they're a bit too late after the onset of symptoms but the rest of the family are still ill or something. That feels like a bigger risk if one false negative leads to six infectious people going out into the world, instead of just one. I don't know - if tests were 100% accurate this would be better

Makes sense.

I know it’s not strictly the rules but morally I felt bad using extra tests when I knew parents were all struggling to get their kids tested. So as I haven’t been anywhere without social distancing or seen anyone other than my kids I just got kids tested, who needed it for school.

If I’d been commuting on public transport or something then I think it would be wise to test separately, just in case.

Given my circumstances (working from home and not having socialised in last 10 days) I feel 99.9% confident that since they are confined as not having COVID just another cold type virus, that’s what I have too.

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

Only really makes sense if they haven’t all been to different places.

It’s a nice idea but if you’ve got 2 adults working out of home and children in different classes or schools or after school activities, you have no way of knowing that two symptomatic people living in the same household have caught the same illness of one another.

^^ This.

In my family, we’ve got the DC back at school, and DH working in a hospital.

In a scenario where all of us were showing some sort of symptoms, it’d be possible for the DC to have picked up one bug from school, and DH to have picked up a different bug from work at the same time.