What would you define as a continuous cough in a child?

[shesellsseashells99]

My ds is off with a cold and an occasional cough as he has to clear his throat as it tickles. I was going to send him in today but he said the school are very strict about any child coughing more than once or twice. He is occasionally coughing to clear his throat....he is fine and should be at school but I I have to drive miles to get a test for him then I will so he can go back. WWYD??

As I’m assuming it’s not a lot of coughing for more than an hour, does he have three of more coughing episodes for his tickles in an hour?

I wouldn't say so but it was a bit worse yest eve, but he had asthma and always worse in the eve if he has a cold...At the moment he is fine and I havent heard him cough at all for a while

I think you need to get his tested. At least you should get the result back quickly so he can return to school if negative.

This does not sound like a continuous cough. Therefore I would keep him off school as long as he is coughing occasionally, out of respect for the teachers and students, but i would not isolate or seek a test as he does not have any covid symptoms.

Have you asked him about sense of taste/smell?

I spent ages googling this and watching random videos on u tube after DD had a cold last week and a minor cough - my understanding is it's coughing for a period of an hour OR 3 or more episodes of coughing so clearing of throat etc isn't a continuous cough

No loss of taste/smell. No temp. Minor cold, minor cough. He says his throat gets itchy and feels the need to cough and it's a dry cough when he does.

Keep him off but don’t isolate.
Hope he gets better soon

@ISBN111

Keep him off but don’t isolate. Hope he gets better soon

That's what I was thinking. Maybe one more day to check there will be no cough then he can go back Wed!

Is this classed as an unauthorised absence ?

We had similar. DC not coughing for a whole hour at a time, but coughing hard several times. It is "coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours", where the person has a new cough.

Our DC is certainly coughing and coughing, hard, more than 3 times in 24 hours. So DC has 1 of the 3 key symptoms, the others would be fever, (NHS sites define this variously as over 37.8,over 38, and "hot to touch") and loss of smell or taste. DC also has had other symptoms (but not key ones) associated with covid, such as headache, sore throat, short of breath.

So we ordered & have sent off a home test, which is justified by the cough.

To be honest, if we sent DC in to school, I suspect the teachers would be worried by the cough,even through a mask, and DC would be at risk of being sent home, which, being rather sensitive to implied criticism, DC would find unpleasant and embarrassing. Like this, there will be a result to refer to. If it does come back and doesn't get lost, that is.

I think the asthma complicates it slightly but in general I would say any new cough and the fact you would describe someone as having a cough counts.

I would probably test in your situation but I think it’s reasonable to keep him off school and see how it develops. Ultimately the only way to rule COVID out is to test and I would work on the logic that coughs can be the last thing to resolve after a cold and it may be quicker to just test to rule it out so he can return to school.

@herecomesthsun

We had similar. DC not coughing for a whole hour at a time, but coughing hard several times. It is "coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours", where the person has a new cough.

Our DC is certainly coughing and coughing, hard, more than 3 times in 24 hours. So DC has 1 of the 3 key symptoms, the others would be fever, (NHS sites define this variously as over 37.8,over 38, and "hot to touch") and loss of smell or taste. DC also has had other symptoms (but not key ones) associated with covid, such as headache, sore throat, short of breath.

So we ordered & have sent off a home test, which is justified by the cough.

To be honest, if we sent DC in to school, I suspect the teachers would be worried by the cough,even through a mask, and DC would be at risk of being sent home, which, being rather sensitive to implied criticism, DC would find unpleasant and embarrassing. Like this, there will be a result to refer to. If it does come back and doesn't get lost, that is.

Exactly this!!

@Cornettoninja

I think the asthma complicates it slightly but in general I would say any new cough and the fact you would describe someone as having a cough counts.

I would probably test in your situation but I think it’s reasonable to keep him off school and see how it develops. Ultimately the only way to rule COVID out is to test and I would work on the logic that coughs can be the last thing to resolve after a cold and it may be quicker to just test to rule it out so he can return to school.

I'm just going to get him a test I think. If I can get one!! Am in Devon and only been offered Cardiff so far!

I heard on the radio that tests are released on the website at 8am and 8pm so it’s worth trying then and refreshing a lot. That’s how I got a home test for DD on Sunday (drive through option wasn’t available and greyed out).

@Cornettoninja

I heard on the radio that tests are released on the website at 8am and 8pm so it’s worth trying then and refreshing a lot. That’s how I got a home test for DD on Sunday (drive through option wasn’t available and greyed out).

Thank you. Will set my alarm!!

Good luck getting a test.
How is the cough now? Has it become continuous in any way?

On ITV the other day they said coughing for a few minutes at a time 3 or 4 times a day or coughing every couple of minutes for more than an hour.

Update. I rang school today. DS worried about going back 'just in case he coughs in class' he is well and maybe is coughing once or twice in an hour, just because there is a tickle. I asked for reassurance and they said no, he cant come back without a test Even if he coughs once or twice in class he will be sent home without a negative test!! I have managed to get one for tomorrow. If I want him to go back to school then this is what I have to do!!