Should I get a Covid test for DS?

[MimsyPorpington]

DS(15) has had a nasty snivelly cold for a couple of days and is now coughing occasionally. No fever or other symptoms.

This is really pissing me off, because now he technically has "a cough" even though (to me) it's just a very minor cold symptom and not Covid.

But do I need to get him a test? Should I send him into school tomorrow? Do we all need to isolate? How "continuous" does a cough have to be?

Sorry, I have been looking up stuff online but am still confused about this simple question... please help me, wise ones of Mumsnet!

If it's occasional then surely its not continuous?

With re continuous is it not coughing a lot on an hour. Or 3 coughing episodes in an hour.

That's the hardest one I think, but to me it would be a reasobable amount of coughing in a short period of time.

If it’s continuous I would have thought you would know - as in it would be obviously continuous. The fact you’re questioning it would make me think no. My toddler has had a stinker of a cold the last few days, he coughed a few times in the night then more when he woke up and that was it so we didn’t go down the isolation route.

I've had the same with my son(13) and had to get him tested this morning as school wouldnt have him back even with occasional cough. Feels perfectly well now, cold has cleared.

Coronavirus doesn't make you snotty - so as he's snivelling, it's a cold. No test required.

No to a test

How occasional is it? If more than 3 episodes of coughing - yes to test and isolating.

@ittooshallpass

Coronavirus doesn't make you snotty - so as he's snivelling, it's a cold. No test required.

People need to stop posting that. Lots of people have had a 'snotty' nose & tested positive.

My NHS trust offers covid tests for staff with runny noses. They are not required to self-isolate but as it is listed as another symptom of covid, trust staff can get a test on this symptom alone. Other symptoms trust will test staff for are muscle aches, sore throat, headache, fatigue, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing. You don't need any of the main symptoms to be tested - these alone are enough. Just pointing out that although certain symptoms are not listed as a main symptom, it doesn't mean an illness can't be covid.

Know of a child who tested positive with no cough, snotty nose and bit of a temperature. This is the problem - covid seems to have a very wide range of symptoms and a very wide range of severity of those symptoms. Personally, if said 15yr old were mine I'd get a test and be (hopefully) sure.

Don’t send him to school. Even if it’s ‘just a cold’ that will spread and then loads of other kids will develop a cough and need testing.

Snotty nose is sometimes a symptom. Just less often.

I’d test if coughing.

My ds has a cold and a tickly cough, I rang his school to ask if any were being sent home with those symptoms, the answer was no - there’s loads sniffing and coughing (from their colds) and he was done to go in.

My MIL has a continuous cough. It’s not covid, we’ve checked. But she coughs all winter every year 🙈 she coughs several times at once all day long. Not literally constantly but it’s all day long..

We carried on as normal when my DD had a non continuous cough recently. She coughed maybe 4/5 times in the whole day to clear her snotty throat. Not remotely continuous. No-one we’ve been around, including anyone in her nursery have come down with covid, so it clearly wasn’t!

It's also perfectly possible to have more than one virus at the same time. For example a cold and covid...

A runny nose can be a sign of corona .
I just got a positive result and I thought I just had a cold .

@ittooshallpass

Coronavirus doesn't make you snotty - so as he's snivelling, it's a cold. No test required.

This is not true. Some cases do have a runny nose (or congestion) and think they have a cold.

Thank you - lots of info and food for thought here!

He definitely doesn't have a continuous cough at the moment. I'll see how he is in the morning.

The definition of continuous cough confuses me. Coughing for an hour is obvious. But three or more coughing episodes in a day - what is a coughing episode? If my toddler coughs a few times several times a day are these coughing episodes? Someone needs to define it.

A 'continuous cough' means 3 or more 'coughing episodes' in a 24 hour period. I think people are taking the 'continuous cough' thing quite literally. A quick google can tell you this, people just seem to think it doesn't apply to them for some reason. And of course you can have a snotty nose and have COVID! The chances are it is just a cold, but this is why COVID keeps spreading as everyone thinks this.

Trouble is if you just have a snotty nose or sore throat you can't get a test , half the kids round here seem to have one or the other and most are in school

@Carrrs i dont get the 3 in 24 hrs either , does it mean just three little coughs over a day / night as
I reckon i cough 3 times a , every day normally
Or does 3 times mean three longer coughing episodes than just a quick cough

Yes the WHO have symptoms inclyde a runny or blocked nose.
The NHS has not asked for us to be tested except for the 4 specific ones.

Schools that denand tests shoukd be reported to the LEA

I was in the same position as you but live in an area were covid is high. Headteacher had said all coughs had to be tested. Ds has test on sunday and we have just received his results via email (negative). So if you are going to get tested do it asap.

Our school is allowing all sorts of coughs in as apparently to be a coughing episode it needs to be more than just a couple of coughs. Also our powers that be prescribe to the incorrect 'it's productive so it can't be Covid' chain of thought. So the fact that I heard a child cough 3 times in the first ten mins of her being in means nothing. I feel so safe! Not.

I wish the guidance was more clear cut on what a coughing episode is.

Good luck with getting a test.