If you have covid, and your child shows symptoms..

[guiltynetter]

Please note this isn't for me, I'm trying to convince my sister.

Do you have to get them tested too? They are already isolating with her, so won't be going anywhere. what happens if they got a test, it was negative, but then the child had symptoms again a few days later? Do you keep getting tests?

Wouldn't you need to because their isolation has to start again from when their symptoms start?

Yes I think that and I've told her. I think I'm more confused about the children thing, about whether you could constantly get tests for them. One of her children is a baby so I would feel like he is likely to get it, he's near her 24/7.

If a parent has it and then a child shows symptoms, it’s reasonable to assume the child has got it. They should just isolate for 10 days from when their symptoms appeared. Our whole family had COVID and we didn’t bother testing the children, just assumed they were positive.

It would be very difficult to test a baby in any case.

Not testing young children means they aren't included in data hence nurseries and schools being declared safe. I know it's not pleasant for them or you but its really important to understand community transmissions and the role played by children.
I know people who have done this as a nursery nurse it worries me. I ended up in hospital after contact with a child who wasn't tested when his parents were positive, brought in after parents isolation with just a cold.

I would order home tests but assume they do have covid.

I tested my children 4 days after my test came back positive. They had symptoms a day or 2 before me, test and protect who advised it. I wasn't going to bother but they said if they were ever to suffer from long covid, or anything else they don't know about yet, it may be useful to have it on their medical records.

Dd 6yo, Ds 22months, and DD 7months, they all tested positive. Oldest Dd let me swab her throat and her nose. With the 2 babies I only swabbed their nose, instructions state 15 seconds each nostril. Was quiet easy to do when they were both sleeping.

If they are school age and were attending before isolation due to mums test, I would get them tested as there may be a knock on effect with their school bubble.

You should get a test.

However if child hasn't been anywhere outside of home for 48 hours before they personally got symptoms a test will only confirm what is likely - positive - but it won't flag up anyone to isolate via track and trace.

It's important to get a test for the track and trace part mostly.

But the child does need to isolate 10 days from their symptoms not from the parents.

@OpalOwl

Not testing young children means they aren't included in data hence nurseries and schools being declared safe. I know it's not pleasant for them or you but its really important to understand community transmissions and the role played by children. I know people who have done this as a nursery nurse it worries me. I ended up in hospital after contact with a child who wasn't tested when his parents were positive, brought in after parents isolation with just a cold.

That’s a slightly separate issue, because the parents have just not followed the rules which are to test, or isolate. They did neither with the child. Not sure the situation with the OP, but I f the child is at home because they don’t go to nursery or because schools are closed, and it’s a parent who works out of the house that got symptoms first, then testing the child would have no effect on alerting nursery staff etc. If the child has no additional contacts that would need to be informed, I’d probably just act as though they tested positive and isolate accordingly (ie continue to isolate beyond the parent’s isolation)

Yes get them tested

Not the end of the world if the child won't tolerate it - I would just assume they are positive and act as such. But as a PP said its important for data collection and track and trace

Once someone has tested negative, they will not send out another test for a certain amount of time. It will not be possible to test the child every few days.

Yep, test required as it affects how long to isolate. I made this point with my own DSis, her child tested positive then later her partner. Isolation periods were extended.

I wouldn't test a small child unless I really had to. If adult has a positive test and then child gets symptoms, I would just assume they also have it and add on the necessary extra days to isolation. The PCR swabs are horrible.