Is anyone planning on refusing to allow their children to have the lateral flow tests.

[Witchcraftandhokum]

I'm really not looking to start a bunfight. Just tying to better understand the reasons if you are not planning on allowing your child to be tested.

I haven't consented yet. I don't think they are accurate enough and I strongly disagree with them being used instead of isolation as a result. I would and have test if there were symptoms.

I am a LFT testing volunteer. I've been working in a school with SEN pupils including those with an autism diagnosis.

I am amazed at the pupils, they have taken testing in their stride. We encourage supervised self-testing. They take the stick, swab their tonsils, a nostril and then pop the swab in the tiny test tube without any fuss.

Some of the adults including myself find it much more challenging as the swab can make you gag or sneeze.

Have faith in your children's ability and resilience.

Maybe it's variable- the previous tests at my DDs school were just nose and mine for school staff are just nose.

If they show any sign at all of illness, then I would test.

What? Surely that's dehumanising them?

My DS is having his nostrils cauterised due to severe nosebleeds next week. He won’t able to do the tests. Can he just do it in his throat?

Mine will not consent to it and are of age where they are able to consent themselves.

I was going to refuse to test instead of isolation but as far as I know that nonsense has been dropped.

Please tell me it's been dropped?

Testing for surveillance fair enough and have consented.

@FreekStar

The lateral flow tests only require you to swab the nose, not the throat. I am doing them twice weekly for work and they are very easy.

We’ve had lateral flow tests here since November and you have to do both nose and throat. I didn’t realise it was different elsewhere. Tbh, I’d rather do my throat than my nose.

@thirdfiddle

Happy for him to have surveillance testing if he is willing. If exposed to known cases in his bubble I want him isolating at home - not sure if that is part of the current plan or not.

This is important to me too.

Awaiting detailed info from school - looks like staggered start is possible?

@Frankinmachine

My DS is having his nostrils cauterised due to severe nosebleeds next week. He won’t able to do the tests. Can he just do it in his throat?

Mine had to have this done some years ago, too. He had a nasal influenza vaccine and then started to have horrific nosebleeds and later needed this procedure. He then refused the nasal vaccine and has jabs instead. He has autism and would never consent to this test.

I can’t believe @TinaYouFatLard is describing the tests as ‘dehumanising’. What a poor choice of words, to me dehumanising means something akin to torture, perhaps some of the practices that took place in the concentration camps. It certainly doesn’t mean sticking a cotton bud up your nose. Please, get a bloody grip woman.

[quote Soontobe60]@purpleboy
What are families supposed to do if they cant work? My single parent niece works in a supermarket and has 2 children in different schools, shes had to take 4 weeks off since September as the children’s classes ended up self isolating. She didn't get paid. Her benefits having increased and she didn't qualify for the emergency payment. She’s lucky in that family could support her.[/quote]
You are right, I was probably a bit harsh with my comment. It stems really from having a CEV nephew in school and my 2 best friends CEV who both have senior school children, the though that something could happen to them because people don't want to get their kids tested is horrifying and it makes me feel sick to think people could be so selfish and what the outcome of that decision could be. However I do understand how someone could view it as a difficult decision when they are talking about a potential job loss which obviously impacts further.

I completely understand if children have additional needs it would be distressing for them. But if they do not and understand the situation then it’s fine!!

@DipSwimSwoosh

Why do you feel for the teachers? If not vulnerable then Covid is not a big threat to them. If they are they should have had a vaccine or be staying at home. As a teacher, I feel for the students junping through all these hoops. I think they have done enough.

This is simply not true, and I can't quite believe you are a teacher if you genuinely think this.

My friend who is 49 has chronic asthma and is very anxious about catching Covid. It is actually quite a big threat to her if she gets it and she will be back with 150 teenagers per day in two weeks time. She is counted as CV - but is not currently on the list for vaccination as the govt has now decided asthma, even severe, doesn't count.

I (not a teacher) caught Covid, fairly mildly, from my Y11 DC who brought it home from school in October. I have no underlying health conditions.

I am still off work, with chronic fatigue and long Covid. It is very unpleasant and I understand roughly 10% of people can suffer with it.

I feel for teachers.

@LabiaMinoraPissusFlapus

I am not consenting to testing my two secondary age children. I do not agree with how the whole pandemic has been handled, and I think children have suffered enough in order to protect others. I have strong doubts that the testing is actually beneficial enough to warrant the effort and distress caused. My children do have sensory issues too linked to ASD and ADHD, adding to the distress element.

We have the same SEND so I won't make a final decision until the last moment. If I can't persuade them, there is no point in signing the consent forms. Idk if it's worth contacting the SENCO at this stage; I imagine there will be many SEND kids in the same boat.

Do people think that they are going to use their DC's saliva to create clones? Or plant their DNA in crime scenes?

Why do people have to make everything an issue, ffs 🤷

@FreekStar

It's a cotton bud swab up each nostril. How can any child, special needs excepted, be frightened of this?

Because they don't want to have an invasive medical procedure on their body that they don't consent to .

How inaccurate are the tests for false positives? I know they can give false negatives so other measures need to be in place too.

As far as I am aware the testing instead of isolating if a contact has been dropped.

Yes, EndoplasmicReticulum the idea of daily testing instead of isolating has been dropped. It is strictly to try to pick up asymptomatic cases. Close contacts of infected peoole will still be told to isolate.

As far as I have read (a lot) there are virtually no false positives with these tests.

Lots of false negatives, because they are not very sensitive, but no false positives, because they ARE very specific. (And you don't even get a "void" result if you've not swabbed properly).

@TinaYouFatLard

My children cannot and I do not consent to any regular, invasive and dehumanising procedures to be carried out on my perfectly healthy children.

If they show any sign at all of illness, then I would test.

By the time they show signs of illness they may have infected others.

I just wondered people who say they don't consent actually asked their children or not.
I have shown a video to my dc, he said no problem, he would do it. It looks simple and harmless enough.

I'd happily consent if it were solely up to me, and DS1 (16) will take as many tests as required. However, DD2 (11) is on the autistic spectrum and has categorically said he will not have anything up his nose. Given the flu jab just before Christmas sent him into such a meltdown I had to collect him from school, I'm taking him at his word. The SENCo has already told me it would be discriminatory to refuse him access to school based on his inability or unwillingness to do the test, which is, after all, optional. Obviously if he were symptomatic he'd be at home self-isolating, but outside of that he needs to be at school!

My DS has taken part in one of the research surveys and did the tests voluntarily. He is happy to do them at school, again as with masks it does seem that some parents are more concerned about this than the children.

The tests aren't mandatory anyway, but if we can't control the virus in schools then parents will just have to accept their children will be sent home to self isolate many times. Some schools were lucky last term, others were not.

@FreekStar

It's a cotton bud swab up each nostril. How can any child, special needs excepted, be frightened of this?

It goes very high up the nostril and is very uncomfortable (for me at least). Having said this, I would do it if it would mean I could go back to the office and see people.