Are we unusual?

[MattDillonsEyebrows]

Are we unusual in that the four of us in our family have never done either a lateral flow or PCR test?

We are a family of four, me, DH, DD5 (just finished reception)& DD4 (just going into reception after the summer).

We had one period of isolation for DD5 before Christmas and DH had to isolate last year when a work colleague tested positive but at the time, the advice was just to isolate, no need to test.

Since then, we’ve had no symptoms no school, (DD5 continued school during lockdown 3), nursery or work bubbles burst, and no pings on the app. I don’t think we’ve been reckless, we are double jabbed, and wear masks but we’ve never had symptoms so never tested.

I feel we have been exceptionally lucky, but also, a part of me feels a bit weird because none of us have ever done a test and I’m wondering if if we are unusual or others are similar to us?

These twice weekly tests for work or high school arent mandatory and in our household only dd has done a LFT and that was to enable her to go to her high school prom.

Neither of the four of us have had a high temp or a cough or cold in over a year. We havent had to isolate or had bubbles burst yet!

I think we have been extremely lucky!

You are exceptionally lucky to have kids of that age and not one of you has had so much as a temperature or cough in that time.

But I don’t understand why you weren’t doing LFT given you have school and nursery age kids. Parents were recommended to test regularly which you seem to have completely ignored.

I feel we have been exceptionally lucky it's not really down to luck, you've chosen for some reason to opt out of doing regular LFT testing.

Also regarding symptoms it's not just the three main symptoms people are testing positive with, children are displaying a range of symptoms like colds, sickness and diarrhoea without any of the main three symptoms listed by the gov and lots have called for an updated list but the truth is any symptoms could be a positive.

None of us have tested (3 adults in house, one sec teacher, one office worker who occasionally wfh, one retired volunteer).

I refused to do the LFT despite having shielded last year. We’re all double jabbed.

The only illness in the house (touches wood) in the last 18m has been me with sinusitis.

I've done one lft but no pcr, one of my primary dc has had one lft. And no, we haven't been poorly at all or had any symptoms in the last 18 months

But I don’t understand why you weren’t doing LFT given you have school and nursery age kids. Parents were recommended to test regularly which you seem to have completely ignored

This! Why did you just decide that you would opt out?!

I'm a HCP and have only had one mandatory test!

We are encouraged to do LFTs and spit tests, but getting the kit and etc proved too much of a hassle, working PT across several sites, for me.

Interestingly, a fact has emerged: those like me who haven't tested correlate strongly with those who've not had a single ping, or haven't SI'd at all due to their own symptoms.

Those testing every five minutes are off far, far more. But no one has as yet tested positive.

Ds and I have not done any tests at all either, he has been in school throughout and no burst bubbles or isolation. No cough or temp but he had a cold back in Feb but no classic symptoms. I wfh so no real contact with anyone.

No tests needed here (me, DH or DD10) and no burst school bubbles.

@Fordian

I'm a HCP and have only had one mandatory test!

We are encouraged to do LFTs and spit tests, but getting the kit and etc proved too much of a hassle, working PT across several sites, for me.

Interestingly, a fact has emerged: those like me who haven't tested correlate strongly with those who've not had a single ping, or haven't SI'd at all due to their own symptoms.

Those testing every five minutes are off far, far more. But no one has as yet tested positive.

Probably because those who have tested are a much greater majority of the population so that will skew all your statistics.

I've never done a PCR. Thanks to social distancing etc I haven't been ill and neither have my kids or DH since the March at start of the pandemic which is brilliant. We work in healthcare though so do lateral flows.

Pretty good going for all 4 of you.

I've done exactly 1 PCR because in the early days of Delta we had surge testing here so we all took a test to do our bit. DH has done a couple of additional LF tests due to various appointments. Oldest DC has the worst end and was doing 2x weekly LF for school. Youngest DC had only done the one PCR until last week when school bubble burst so did another one during isolation.

no,not unusual. we are a family of 4, both key workers, children in preschool and year 1, no test of any kind yet.

We haven’t done any either, DD is at nursery but hasn’t had any bugs, probably because they’re only mixing with their own bubble so no new kids coming in, DH is WFH and I’m on maternity with baby DD so haven’t seen anyone.

We’ve all had far fewer bugs the last 18 months, I normally get at least 3 or 4 a year.

I don’t know a single parent in real life doing twice weekly lateral flows. Literally none. I didn’t even know you were supposed too?! Since when? Yet another classic example of mumsnet being a parallel universe.. I do have some LFT’s & I use them to double check cold like symptoms from time to time (I know the classic symptoms warrant a PCR, don’t get your knickers in a twist).

Recon you are unusual with kids though OP. I have a 4 year old & 16 month old, both in nursery & we've had SO many 😫 they are constantly ill. It’s a pain in the bum. We’ve only had one bubble burst to fair. And I & the then 9 month old had covid in December so isolated for that obviously..

*I say constantly ill, they’ve been constantly ill since March when things started opening up again! In the last 6 weeks, we’ve not had a single week without some form of illness. The hospital told us it’s basically a delayed winter of illness hitting in summer instead. We were in hospital a couple weeks ago & the children’s ward was so so busy but not covid. Other illness that’s been suppressed by lockdown 🥴

The government asked people to test twice a week from April, providing free LFT tests so that they can build a continually updating map of covid hotspots in this country, so that they can also see the asymptomatic spread.

Why on earth boast about choosing not to help.

@Bobholll

I don’t know a single parent in real life doing twice weekly lateral flows. Literally none. I didn’t even know you were supposed too?! Since when? Yet another classic example of mumsnet being a parallel universe.. I do have some LFT’s & I use them to double check cold like symptoms from time to time (I know the classic symptoms warrant a PCR, don’t get your knickers in a twist).

Recon you are unusual with kids though OP. I have a 4 year old & 16 month old, both in nursery & we've had SO many 😫 they are constantly ill. It’s a pain in the bum. We’ve only had one bubble burst to fair. And I & the then 9 month old had covid in December so isolated for that obviously..

It’s only on MN that I know of people admitting not to doing the tests.

The government asked parents of primary/nursery children to do them (before asking everyone to) so that was in the media. School and nursery also sent several emails imploring us to do so in order to do what we could to support them being able to stay open by keeping cases down.

I am a one person household and have never done a test. I have worked from home throughout though.

The recommendation was for everyone to do twice weekly LFTs to pick up asymptomatic cases. You can order them online for free and they arrive within two days usually, then you just do them at home and register the result online. Couldn't be easier really and helps protect the people you are in close contact with too.

Blimey, thanks for all the responses. Love the MN range of responses from ‘I’m being so selfish’ to ‘meh! Not special, we haven’t either!’ 😂

So just to clarify a couple of things. DH works in an office with just two, they socially distance, and have a very sensitive temp checker on the way in daily. (Not a hand held one)
No coughs or temperatures from the children at all, we have a tomytippee temp checker and we have checked periodically. Chicken pox went round the town and they got that last year, but that’s the only time they've been ill, it didn’t occur to me to test then as it was obvious what it was, but also it was the last week of term so they weren’t in school for 3 weeks anyway after they had it.

I honestly didn’t realise parents were supposed to be doing regular LFT’s regardless of symptoms, I don’t recall anything from school or discussions with other parents about it, and I clearly missed the government’s advice on this one. No idea how. I genuinely thought it was just if you either had symptoms or had contact with someone who has.

I will take on board everything everyone’s said though. Thanks for all the responses.

I'm surprised the school newsletter at some point hasn't mentioned LFTs for parents @MattDillonsEyebrows

Same as us until last month. I did my first test because I was going into hospital for a day procedure, not because I had symptoms.

DH has done 2 LFTs as had a cough. Hayfever I think!

Only had 1 isolation - missed the last week of school so got pretty far.

Kids 6 and 3. Nursery haven’t reported any absences due to covid! 🤷🏻‍♀️

@MattDillonsEyebrows it's not just parents, everyone was encouraged to get some (unless that was just my area.) They are for asymptomatic testing to try and keep the numbers down not for if you have symptoms. You can get some posted or your local pharmacy might have some.