Anyone else not going to test children anymore

[Baileysforchristmas]

My daughter is 15, she said none of her friends are testing anymore. Why should I make her test twice a week now? All it will do is stop her going to school and us getting on with our lives, it will also stop her bubble going to school and she will get blamed. My daughter didn’t go to school for 3 months while flights were coming into the country from other parts of the world which could do as they please. Why should I take the risk of putting my daughter’s life on hold, also the more we test the more the numbers go up, Europe’s not testing secondary school children twice a week so obviously their numbers won’t be showing as high.

My son (18, CEV dad) didn’t go to College for over a year.
Testing is a piece of cake. Please, just test.

All the efforts we have been making, locking down, children off school for months, locked away in our houses, children being tested twice a week and then thousands coming in from India who were not locked down, millions were mixing for weddings, religious ceremonies, no I’m not doing it anymore

According to the Civil Aviation Authority, about 50,000 people travelled between India and the UK in February, nearly 900 a day in each direction. On 13 May, Public Health England found nearly half of Delta variant cases in England were travellers.

Ds is12. He tests himself when reminded. It takes minutes so I can't see the problem.

[quote Baileysforchristmas]@Watapalava I agree with you, I started doing it to be responsible but now I just think what’s the point. The government wasn’t worried about variants coming in from other countries so why should I risk putting my daughters life on hold.[/quote]
This just doesn’t make sense. The only time her life will be on hold, will be if she tests positive

Going to be selfish and woe-is-me for a sec but I’m a secondary teacher, have so far only had one dose of the vaccine, as in the middle of fertility treatment for desperately wanted baby and really really really do not want to get covid at work. Younger colleagues not vaccinated at all yet. I know for a fact LFTs have kept asymptomatic cases in school from causing an outbreak.

Please test. I know it’s too much plastic and I know the government are as useful as a chocolate teapot regarding border controls, but neither of those things are school staffs’ fault and it really does help.

My DS is back back full-time mask wearing yet barely any adults in the shops bother now.

We have done a few tests but I don't bother logging on the NHS Website.

@Chailatteplease I don’t want to know if she’s positive or not if none of us have any symptoms, no one round us are poorly then what’s the point. I could’ve already had it and have spread it, who knows, no one in my daughters bubbles are testing, we don’t have to do it so we’re not going to do it anymore, it will spread anyway because people allowed to come in out of the country, so no I’m not having my life and my families life on hold anymore unless I really have to.

@Baileysforchristmas

My daughter is 15, she said none of her friends are testing anymore. Why should I make her test twice a week now? All it will do is stop her going to school and us getting on with our lives, it will also stop her bubble going to school and she will get blamed. My daughter didn’t go to school for 3 months while flights were coming into the country from other parts of the world which could do as they please. Why should I take the risk of putting my daughter’s life on hold, also the more we test the more the numbers go up, Europe’s not testing secondary school children twice a week so obviously their numbers won’t be showing as high.

You are being totally irresponsible. My school is currently closed. The delta variant was gone through it like wildfire. We have several teens very ill, and many many less ill. We have hundreds of families self isolating, and at least one grandparent associated with school spread is in hospital. All of this could have been avoided if children had been testing properly. Some were, some were not. The lateral flow tests are not particularly accurate, but on a community wide basis they work. Of course it takes a whole community effort

@BeingATwatItsABingThing

I am only going to test my DD if she shows symptoms. She’s 7 though. I’m a primary school teacher and will test twice a week when I’m back off mat leave.

Lateral flow tests are not appropriate for testing people with symptoms. They are for asymptomatic screening. If your daughter has symptoms, get a pcr

Will only test if we have symptoms

I wouldn’t personally test a healthy child. I feel deeply uncomfortable about children being subjected to a medical procedure which isn’t medically in their best interests. I’m not sure how it can be okay from an ethics perspective. We don’t force children to donate blood even if it might save someone’s life and I see this as a similar thing though with less chance of it benefiting someone.

I have a 1 yr old so different situation but I will only test if it is absolutely necessary now I.e he has indisputable symptoms and we can’t isolate. I think the test is really cruel and dangerous for young resistant children.

@0None0

Where in my post did I say I would use a lateral flow test to test her with symptoms?

Why should you lower yourself to the governments level and potentially continue the problem? Just because they don't care doesn't mean you need to behave as badly.

Catching the odd case as it trickles around will contain it further. We're not out the woods yet.

My DD and her friends do it religiously hoping she’ll get a few days off school

I personally do it because if I was positive I would avoid certain family members/friends who are elderly/shielding so I’d rather know when though I know it’s not 100% accurate.

@Chessie678

I wouldn’t personally test a healthy child. I feel deeply uncomfortable about children being subjected to a medical procedure which isn’t medically in their best interests. I’m not sure how it can be okay from an ethics perspective. We don’t force children to donate blood even if it might save someone’s life and I see this as a similar thing though with less chance of it benefiting someone.

I have a 1 yr old so different situation but I will only test if it is absolutely necessary now I.e he has indisputable symptoms and we can’t isolate. I think the test is really cruel and dangerous for young resistant children.

Using a cotton swab to collect a sample is not the same as giving blood.

@Buzzinwithbez

We test if unwell. I'm aware from religiously using the Zoe covid symptom app that there are many more symptoms than just the 3 the govt class as covid symptoms. I also wonder if what they're referring to as asymptomatic is more the absence of the main 3, but otherwise not being completely well The latest strain of concern seems to consists of headache and sneezing far more than cough, loss of small etc... My kids were the illest I've ever known them to be with cold type symptoms and so they tested. They were -ve so I'm putting it down to lack of exposure to the usual winter bugs this year.

They tested with lateral flow tests? Or pcr tests? You need pcr tests if they have symptoms, not lateral flow

@Randominternetbitch your post is brilliant! 🍿

@Feenie

Cases rising rapidly here - we will carry on testing.

And contribute to the numbers rising 🤦🏻‍♀️ 🤯🔫

@Chessie678 I agree my daughter is healthy, why keep testing all the time, shoving something up your nose and down your throat twice a week which makes you gag. How many adults test twice a week? Do teachers test regularly? Do you @0None0?

If people stopped testing we wouldn't have rising number it's no brain surgery
If you are healthy why do you feel the need to test?! And don't tell me because you can be asymptotic 🤯🔫

I have been testing my eldest as I have to test twice a week so its easy enough to do us both however once he breaks up for summer I'll be stopping, unless he has symptoms of course then I'll get a PCR. I dont plan to recommence testing in September for him.

Well no because we opened a brand new pack of tests last weeks and there were no swabs in it 🙈.

*last night I mean.

I've actually done a 180 on testing the kids.

Testing is quick, easy and results have been back within 24h (or thereabouts). Its the only way to keep them in school / nursery.

That said my 8yo has been tested zero times, 6yo 4 times and 3yo just the once.

@BeingATwatItsABingThing

I think that’s a matter of personal opinion. Personally I find the covid test a lot more unpleasant than giving blood as I really hate having something up my nose but don’t mind needles. But the principle that we wouldn’t usually subject children to medical procedures which aren’t in their own best interests stands in any case even if you consider the covid test a very minor procedure.