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!

Here is a symptom checker. I have a cv19 positive teen at home and their symptoms were 1. headache then later 2. fever then later 3. standard cold symptoms (runny nose).

According to the the BBC symptom checker 2 out of 3 symptoms are rare/sometimes. Yet it is a positive.

I think we all metabolise the virus in different ways so it is very hard to make the call.

I would test to protect the rest of the school bubble.

Well, I have kept him home because he was coughing intermittently a bit this morning (seems to have stopped now though). He feels quite well, but I didn't want him being sent home or infecting other people. Also he may recover more quickly at home and get this whole thing over with.

I phoned my daughter's school to see whether she should be going in - they said yes, because from my description her brother's cough doesn't meet the criteria which they would be worried about.

I phoned his school and they advised just keeping him at home today and keeping an eye on it.

I'm worried that this is his GCSE year and he could really do without missing school. In normal times I would have sent him in today.

I tried applying for a test for him (when he was coughing in the morning and before I spoke to the schools)... no tests of any kind were available via NHS/govt. Just nothing, and no waiting list or queue. What a farce - if he had worse symptoms (or if he gets worse) then we all have to isolate, probably pointlessly, for ages because no test is available to rule it out. And there must be so many families in that situation right now - people unable to work or go to school for want of a test. I feel so angry at this incompetent government.