Am I right in getting my child tested

[yarncakes]

He has to self isolate as a child in his class tested positive for covid. He has now developed cold like symptoms and complaining that his head hurts so I am getting him tested. He is usually energetic but he isn't really being active. Has anyone else's children tested positive with cold symptoms?

Not my child but me. I had a headache, tiredness and a bit of a runny nose.

As a mother you know best, I'd do the same...and yes I've heard children with colds get tested positive and others negative.

If a classmate is positive then i don't think your unreasonable to test him.

Yes. I know several children who have tested positive with headache and sniffles as their only symptoms.

I’d do it. Government are claiming they have loads of capacity for testing at the moment.

He doesn’t’t have the 3 symptoms that would qualify for testing, but he does have covid symptoms and has been a close contact of a known case.

I would do the same, definitely.

I would say it isn't a bad idea so that the rest of you can then isolate if necessary. Fingers crossed it is 'just' the cold though!

My mum has Covid and her only symptoms for the first 3-4 days were headache, glands up and cold symptoms, not the listed ones at all, which meant a delay in testing - definitely get him tested, it’s really not as clear cut as temperature or cough.

Personally I’d only do it if you needed the negative results for him to go back to school or join family for Xmas or something. I’d probably let it ride it’s course otherwise as it’s really not a nice test, and with a blocked nose or sore throat it would be even worse. Not that I’m against testing children, we had to test our 6yo DD in September, but we only did it because school and nursery wanted the results for other DCs to go back otherwise we would have to wait the whole isolation period which we didn’t want to do after getting them back in school after 6 months off.

Yes get him tested. Children seem to present with quite different symptoms to the three listed (teacher here)

I’m currently at home with covid positive test this week. I had a cough, headache and fatigue so quite textbook. Partner had weird symptoms - sneezing, burning in chest, diarrhoea and extreme fatigue.

Hope all is well x

@AliceMcK

Personally I’d only do it if you needed the negative results for him to go back to school or join family for Xmas or something. I’d probably let it ride it’s course otherwise as it’s really not a nice test, and with a blocked nose or sore throat it would be even worse. Not that I’m against testing children, we had to test our 6yo DD in September, but we only did it because school and nursery wanted the results for other DCs to go back otherwise we would have to wait the whole isolation period which we didn’t want to do after getting them back in school after 6 months off.

The advantage of getting the person in the household who has been the 'close contact' tested is then being sure whether the rest of the household should also isolate.

At the moment, it is only the 'close contact' who has to isolate and is not advised to get a test unless they have the 'three symptoms'. Other household members are permitted to go to work/school etc. I imagine this is where a lot of transmission is happening when people don't realise that they are carrying the virus.

If the 'close contact' tests positive, the whole household needs to isolate, which is safer all round.

@christinarossetti19 which is why we tested. Our DD had been sent home from school feeling unwell, but didn’t develop COVID symptoms until later. We all isolated until the results came back. If it had happened this week we probably wouldn’t test unless she was really severe as we won’t be mixing over the holidays and have plenty of supplies so don’t need to go out. But because the DCs had only just gone back to school we didn’t want to isolate a full 14 days if we didn’t need to.

But that makes it slightly worse, Alice. Your DD was in school so a test would be the difference between her class being sent home to self isolate or not. So not getting tested would mean all of her class would be going out over Christmas potentially spreading Covid but being unaware because they don't know they are a contact.

If my child was isolating anyway then no I wouldn't test unless they needed medical help. I would just take it they had the virus. They need to isolate for correct amount of time though.

As you can get false negatives it seems unnecessary. To test as you should just keep isolating child regardless of results.

If you need results so the rest of the family can now isolate with the child. For time off work or to show school that is different.

My kids are currently of school, I am home with baby and husband can stay home if he likes. So we have nobody that needs to see results. Therefore we would just all isolate for 14 days probably rather than the new 10 days (I haven't looked up the evidence on 10 days so not sure about that yet)

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

But that makes it slightly worse, Alice. Your DD was in school so a test would be the difference between her class being sent home to self isolate or not. So not getting tested would mean all of her class would be going out over Christmas potentially spreading Covid but being unaware because they don't know they are a contact.

That’s a fair point. But I thought that even if someone had symptoms as long as they isolated they weren’t expected to take the test. I’m saying this as someone who has given up a long time ago watching the news and constantly changing updates/rules. I generally just follow what I’m told by the school at that particular point in time.

It's really confusing AliceMcK. My understanding is that the person isolating should have a test if they have symptoms as, if it is positive, the rest of their household should them isolate.

The child's school would then advise 'close contacts' to isolate.

The problem being that so many children in particular are asymptomatic, they may well have passed the virus on to their household who are permitted to continue going about their business outside of the home, and PHE have some bizarre ideas about how far an airbourne virus can spread.

It's not your fault - you've done exactly what was required of you.

We received a text asking our dd to SI a week ago due to 'close contact' with a positive case at school. Only half the class were sent home. Two children not sent home were kept off school by their parents, taken for tests and both tested positive with no symptoms.

If they had been going to school as per PHE guidance, they would have been unknowingly spreading the virus further.

@Truelymadlydeeplysomeonesmum

If my child was isolating anyway then no I wouldn't test unless they needed medical help. I would just take it they had the virus. They need to isolate for correct amount of time though.

As you can get false negatives it seems unnecessary. To test as you should just keep isolating child regardless of results.

If you need results so the rest of the family can now isolate with the child. For time off work or to show school that is different.

My kids are currently of school, I am home with baby and husband can stay home if he likes. So we have nobody that needs to see results. Therefore we would just all isolate for 14 days probably rather than the new 10 days (I haven't looked up the evidence on 10 days so not sure about that yet)

I think testing is important (as do the WHO), so that contacts can be traced and so that numbers of cases are recorded accurately which enables the government etc to plan (haha) and make decisions.