Are we supposed to get a covid test for just a cold ?

[user19097527484949]

It seems on MN that's what people do. But in real life, I know lots of people out and about with colds. Going into work etc. I mean just the minor, usual head cold.

What's everyone else doing if they get a normal cold at the moment ? Or if their child gets a normal cold? Not the main three symptoms. My toddler is at home with me and not at nursery. Just want to do the right thing when / if we get a cold.

Also, when will a cold just be a cold again ?

Clearly some people don’t find the self isolation whilst waiting for a PCR test for a family member with nothing but a runny nose any kind of difficulty. I wonder how you would feel if it was your child’s teacher repeatedly SI awaiting PCR test results, or your childminder? For their children having runny noses every couple of weeks?

NB I am not talking about the three symptoms

Locally to me, there were a couple of staff deaths at primary schools from staff who caught Covid at school. The children who gave it to them had cold symptoms so the parents sent them in and didn’t test. There was a lot of “FFS it’s just a cold!”. Then in the space of about 10 days, 1 teacher, 1 school cleaner and a TA (one to one for one of the “FFS I’m not keeping them off for a COLD” kids) were all dead, all in their 50s.

Meanwhile in the local private school, they decided to offer optional tests for all the children, mainly because they were concerned about the number of children coming in with colds and tummy bugs mysteriously followed by staff testing positive for Covid. Most of the parents consented and it was found that a massive number of kids, pretty much all of them who had “JUST a cold” tested positive. My friend’s tutor group came back with 21 positive cases. There were only 25 in his class! Unsurprisingly “a bit of a cold” had been doing the rounds in his class. This was all back in November and December.

Now it’s tricker because of hay fever and there are some other illnesses going round, but purely based on what happened locally, I’d test. It’s not unusual to get a new fever and cough with a cold anyway and due to previous sinus problems I often have a change in or loss of my sense of smell for a few days. It’s not hard to get a test. So why wouldn’t people?

[quote CervixHaver]@HazeyJaneII Well that certainly was not the case at the walk in one we went to! [/quote]
I'm surprised as the staff in PCR testing sites will obviously be trying to avoid Covid, so should be social distancing and wearing PPE...especially as the people getting tested will be be people with symptoms!

@Schmetterling1

We all have colds right now and haven’t tested. Kids in school as normal especially since that’s the only place the cold could have come from. Tbh we have major test fatigue and my threshold for testing (tests have always been negative) has gone way way up.

I think we're all getting pretty fatigued, to be honest ... especially of the worry that people aren't getting tested!

We had a letter from the school from the LA's Director of Public Health that basically said we should (obviously he is referring to school kids but I take his advice to include parents as well) get tested for any cold/cough that seems different to their usual cough/cold.

So no, I wouldn't test for a usual cough cold unless the cough part was properly persistent and/or we had a fever (as we never get fevers).

I think we're all getting pretty fatigued, to be honest ... especially of the worry that people aren't getting tested!

As a teacher, I have developed yet ANOTHER stress-related condition this week - another that the doctor has said 'well, unsurprisingly under the circumstances, it'll be stress related' - having not suffered pre-pandemic at all.

I personally would test just to rule it out, my nephew barely had a cough, that was the only symptom and he tested positive for covid.

Interestingly I've just read a paper about covid outbreaks at work and the reason they turned into outbreaks was because they had symptoms that they thought weren't covid. Get a test.
europepmc.org/article/pmc/pmc7928819

Can those who want every runny nose tested (without the three covid symptoms required to qualify for PCR) please confirm whether they are bothered by the fact that in my household, it would take a secondary school teacher and another key worker out of circulation for 24-48 hours in self-isolation every 1-2 weeks? We have a 1yo and 3yo in nursery and this is what you are expecting to happen if we do a PCR test for every runny nose

I’m wondering whether some people don’t realise that the whole house has to isolate, not just the toddler waiting for a PCR result

@Frazzled2207

We had a letter from the school from the LA's Director of Public Health that basically said we should (obviously he is referring to school kids but I take his advice to include parents as well) get tested for any cold/cough that seems different to their usual cough/cold.

So no, I wouldn't test for a usual cough cold unless the cough part was properly persistent and/or we had a fever (as we never get fevers).

What on Earth is a usual cough or cold? I've had three in two months and they've all been different from each other.

It's not that hard really, is it? If you've got a cough, get a test. If you've got a temperature, get a test. If your sense of smell has changed, get a test.

@BooblePlate

Can those who want every runny nose tested (without the three covid symptoms required to qualify for PCR) please confirm whether they are bothered by the fact that in my household, it would take a secondary school teacher and another key worker out of circulation for 24-48 hours in self-isolation every 1-2 weeks? We have a 1yo and 3yo in nursery and this is what you are expecting to happen if we do a PCR test for every runny nose

If a child has new cold like symptoms, then yes they should get a test

I have 2 children in secondary and 1 in primary yr6. The one in primary has shielded all year, so we are all quite keen to keep him as safe as possible, including his sister's who obviously don't want to pass anything on to him.

Are you saying you children have a new cold every 1 or 2 weeks?

@Puntastic
Fair point, but in our house, for all four of us, coughs and colds tend to follow a fairly standard path.

Anything that included a persistent cough, or fever, or of course weird taste or smell, I'd test like a shot. But def not if (just) a runny nose, occasional cough due to snot in sinuses, sneezing.

Everyone (secondary age up) is meant to be doing two lateral flow tests a week at home now.

The only people I know doing that have jobs that require it.

“ Are you saying you children have a new cold every 1 or 2 weeks?”

I am saying that one of my toddlers will almost certainly have a runny nose every 1-2 weeks. Are you surprised?

Gullible2021 that is so tragic

How do you get a test if you don't have any of the symptoms? Will they test me if it seems like I just have a cold?

@Whatalottachocca

We have children in school with colds at the moment and children with hayfever. There's no need to test with cold symptoms unless you're still hysterical about Covid. 😉

In my class there’s 4 little cherubs with snotty noses, the odd cough and are as miserable as sin... been a year without any kids getting a colds how I’ve missed the snot 🤢

Bloody hell, no. We don't do lateral flow tests for no reason either.

I’ve recently left, but the trust I used to work for had a policy of any respiratory tract symptoms or general ‘flu’ symptoms, including those of a suspected known cause such as allergy or asthma, if newly onset had to stay away from work and PCR test.

There is no one defining feature of covid in its earliest stages and it doesn’t present with a ‘hallmark’ cough like whopping cough.

Yes, you should. Our governments list of 3 symptoms is far too short.

@ThatIsMyPotato

How do you get a test if you don't have any of the symptoms? Will they test me if it seems like I just have a cold?

You lie 🤷‍♀️

We’ve only done that once because the collection of symptoms was flu-like but didn’t include any of the main three. We ticked fever and got tested. I feel zero guilt about it. Our list of symptoms is tiny when compared internationally and as there is now widespread lateral flow testing it’s clear to me that asymptomatic/presymptomatic infection is worth looking for. The discouragement of taking tests last autumn was wildly irresponsible and my view is capacity should meet demand not the other way around.

This is so interesting - it’s so simple in some people’s eyes but no one wants to get into the nitty gritty practicalities of how frequently some people would need to isolate waiting for PCRs to be completed for toddlers in their family having frequent runny noses. Im not talking about fevers, coughs, or obviously miserable with cold etc - those are obvious. I know for a fact that nurses are going to work while sending their toddlers off to nursery with just a runny nose, as are teachers, nursery staff, doctors, binmen, mechanics, bus drivers, all those people you need to keep your lives running. They have to - their employers dont have the resources to keep covering.

Yes I thought their plan of if you want a test get one was a good one but I guess it cost too much