Lateral flow testing for kids who’ve already had Covid

[samsalmon]

Just wondering what people feel about voluntary regular LTF testing for secondary school kids this term. We didn’t do it in the spring due to recent infection so I’m not sure whether to sign up for it now for DC. The tests are not that reliable (my own was negative just before a positive PCR) and wondering whether it’s worth it for kids who’ve had Covid this year. My DC doesn’t want to do it but we will if it’s the right thing, I’m just not sure that it is. It’s really unclear what the chances are of reinfection are at this point, especially within this time frame. TIA.

What do you mean by sign up for it?

Are you in England? If so it's voluntary so no need do it but I don't know the rules in other parts of the UK

Our school have said not to for a certain period after having COVID anyway as you can still test positive on LFTs for some time afterwards, might be worth checking with the school.

Thank you, yes in England and the school are asking us if we want to sign up for the voluntary twice-weekly testing and we would then report the results both to the NHS and the school. I’m not sure who would provide the tests. I know about the 90-day no testing after an infection. Just trying to see whether people will be continuing to regularly test their children this term or not.
Thanks again!

Obviously things must be different in different places.

I can only speak about secondary but everyone I know gets the child to do the test if they choose to, log the results with NHS if they want to and only tell the school if it's postive

It sounds like a lot of work for the school to be signing the children up to something and doing the tests

I'd rather they were concentrating on teaching and running the school properly. Do you know why they are doing it that way?

We’d be doing the tests at home and logging all results with the NHS and school.

Thank you, I guess the logging bit is optional, it’s just whether it’s worth my kids doing regular testing when they’ve had Covid this year. I’m at the stage where I think we should be doing things that make sense not just doing them for the sake of it and because it makes us feel like we’re doing something useful!

The first tests are meant to be done in school, so if your DC are under 16 the school need parental consent. If 16 and over it will be DC giving consent

Funny that’s there’s no mention of people having had covid and have proof of a positive PCR test!

It’s madness that they still require testing in the small chance of a second infection.

It maybe that a new variant appears which differs to the one they’ve had, so in someways it makes sense, in others it doesn’t!

Yes, they’ll do the 2 initial tests next week under school supervision. It’s the continued testing at home after that which I’m not sure about.
@BluebellsGreenbells that’s my confusion! Why regularly test kids who’ve had Covid, without evidence that they are at clear risk of reinfection? It doesn’t seem to make any sense and I’m beyond the stage of just doing things for the sake of them.

Tbh I think you're over thinking a non compulsory thing.

In your position I probably wouldn't do it either but I'd just get on with not doing it rather than worry about it.

@caughtinanet you’re 100% right!

my dd (15) has had covid twice, once in Jan this year, and again in July. Both confirmed by pcr. had negative lft in between times. second infection was only detected my routine lft as she was asymprtomatic.

@greenweepingwillow thank you for that, it’s useful to know, although I’m sorry your DD has had it twice.