We've just had our 5th PCR Covid test in as many weeks? Anyone else?

[Crunchymum]

FFS. Its summer!!! I dread to think how we'll be in winter.

16th May - 6yo (cough)
7th June - 3yo (cough)
16th June - me and 3yo (3 night planned hospital admission)
20th June - 6yo cough.

All barring today have been negative.

I'm trying my hardest to be responsible, but I also need to keep my kids in school and I need to work. Since March my primary aged kids have had about 10 days off

Here's hoping the results come back quickly. We've waited 20h, 27h and 22h for recent results so hoping to hear something overnight.

Haven't even had one test yet..... haven't had a need to

Hope it comes back negative

Just having a cough doesnt mean you need a PCR

None of my 3 kids have had one, DH never had one..I had one in April 2020 and May 2020 negative and then dec 2020 was positive.

I'm coughing right now, asthma & hayfever. Post nasal drip and all that fun stuff causes mine

A new continuous cough is one of the main 3 symptoms? Of course it requires a PCR test.

Its just unfortunate my 6yo is a child who catches every bloody cough and cold going (anecdotally she was the child I breast fed the longest and has the healthiest diet of my 3 kids)

On balance DP and DC1 haven't had to test and I've only tested once as the hospital required it due to admission (PCR not LFT)

School also insist on negative PCR for a cough.

Errr how are people still not getting this, @SpnBaby1967?! @Crunchymum is spot on about coughs!

Just having a cough doesnt mean you need a PCR

Fuck sake - YES IT DOES!! Yes, as school staff I'm constantly taking them and am yet again isolating and have missed my grandads funeral. People who think the above are part of the problem!

@Crunchymum

School also insist on negative PCR for a cough.

Ah that’s annoying. Our school have said send in unless it’s “not their usual cough”. Which is obviously open to interpretation.

Schools with more stringent rules around this will have less self isolations so I would support this. Hope you get a negative again and yeah, it sucks.

"We don’t want people to get unduly anxious about their hay fever. However, we also want to make sure that they don’t go out and about, assuming they have their usual allergies, when they may actually have coronavirus and should stay at home."

www.leedsccg.nhs.uk/news/dont-confuse-hay-fever-with-coronavirus-warns-leeds-gp/

@SpnBaby1967 yes you do. Any new onset of a cough or worsening of existing cough, even if you think you know the reason should be PCR tested. That’s the problem with mild symptoms - they get explained away.

@Crunchymum I ended up contacting the GP after dd’s (5) third test in the first term back at school. Unsurprisingly it wasn’t covid but she kept shaking one bug off then developing a new one with every bug she picked up.

It isn’t something I’d usually go to the doctor about but given the consequence of a cough at the moment the doctor agreed to try a course of antibiotics to try and shift any underlying stubborn infection and if that hadn’t worked to look at examining for asthma. Luckily that worked and she got through till just last week without another cough symptom (tested again and negative).

@conkersarebonkers I have hay fever every May/June. Sneezing as normal, but this morning after 6+ months of twice weekly lateral flow tests, I got a positive result.

Have been for a PCR test and waiting with interest to see if I have COVID or the LFT was wrong.

Not in the same league as you but PCR early May for DS1 (6) and DS2 (3) for cold with cough. PCR today for DS1 only, same reason. He gets a mucousy lingering cough with nearly every cold he gets. It's rubbish. Hope we both hear soon!

@klangers Hope your PCR is negative, but good that you were doing LFTs to catch it quickly if it does turn out to be positive.

It's really tricky - all very well doctors telling us to know the difference between hayfever symptoms and COVID symptoms, but it's possible to have both at the same time! You could have a cough but think "well, my eyes are itchy too so it must just be hayfever" when actually the cough is COVID and you just happen to have itchy hayfever eyes at the same time.

And nobody WANTS to isolate, so many people do tend to look for a non-COVID explanation wherever they can.

That article from Leeds CCG is just confusing and contradictory. I’ll be sticking to ruling out covid properly with any new symptom that triggers a test.

It’s also worth noting that the UK has the shortest list of triggering symptoms. There is a long list of other, very common, symptoms that are widely experienced. It’s a pain but there’s no particular defining feature of covid in its milder forms.

So sick of the cycle now - parent sends child in who turns out to have a cough. We send child back home. Parent is furious as it's just because of a cold, hay fever, because they had ice cream for breakfast (yes I've had this more than once). Child tests positive then the class plus I are stuck at home for 10 days. As a single parent I'm unable to work, shop, walk my dog or take my dc to school, exercise, generally have a life . PCR tests are coming back the same day or early the next. Just take a test ffs!

Yup! My dd8 has been feeling generally poorly for a few weeks, ended up with a hospital admission overnight 4 weeks ago so PCR for that, then has had three episodes of fever so PCR for all of those. Last week she vomited which at least meant it was just her that had to stay off school (and an adult to look after her obviously!) not the whole family isolating pending results again. It sucks. Her attendance is shocking but there you go.

Well we've had the test result back. Negative.

Less than 10 hours as well. I'm incredibly impressed!! The test part of this whole debacle is finally starting to shine (I've had quick, easy tests and fast results for all the 5 tests I'm moaning about!!)

People like you are the reason the figures are going up! Ffs just stop

@IAmDaveTheSerialShagger

People like you are the reason the figures are going up! Ffs just stop

Sorry, what now?

Do you care to expand?

@crunchymum great! We also had a speedy negative.

@conkersarebonkers my PCR came back in less than 24 hours and was negative.

Yeah the testing seems to be a lot quicker now than it was when it started. I've had to do a fair few, it's not too bad now the results are coming back quickly.

We've only done one PCR this year. I was feeling ill the other week so wanted to check.
So far we've not isolated or had any other illnesses that need testing for. I have no idea how we've been so lucky.

@IAmDaveTheSerialShagger

People like you are the reason the figures are going up! Ffs just stop

How?

The OP's test is negative. That doesn't make the numbers go up!

If it had been positive it means the OP's child was a symptomatic case (cough become a key symptom and all that) therefore not a false number to add to the total cases.

Or do,you believe in hiding cases and letting it spread around the population and hope for the best?