School allowing girl with positive test to return to lessons

[girasol]

Hello
Am not sure how I feel about this but interested to hear other's views and if this is happening at other schools!

A child tested positive in my daughter's primary class, and the school advised all kids to get a PCR. Daughter's friend's PCR test then came back positive (let's call her Sophie).

Friend's mum v surprised/disbelieving (not least as they'd had Covid last year) so she tested the whole family including Sophie.
This time Sophie's PCR came back negative!

We all expected the school to say 'sorry, Sophie had a positive PCR so she now has to isolate for 10 days regardless of any subsequent results'
It looks like probably one of the test results was wrong, and who knows which one - right?

But the school have just confirmed she can go back! I suppose you could argue that the negative test shows that now Sophie does not have Covid (anyone who tests positive will of course at some point go from being positive one day to 'negative the next, as they get over the virus.)

But at the same time, doesn't this just encourage parents to keep testing (possibly not being very thorough about it...!) until they get the result they want?!

I didn't know it was that easy to get PCR tests for people without any symptoms.

It is very easy to get them if the school requests there is a box to tick it and request one.

What was the timings between them as it could be she had completed it by the time the second test came through

@lljkk It's super easy. You just book via the gov.uk website, say you're a contact and click the 'found out another way' button. There are tens of thousands of tests available across the country every day. Nobody is checking what people click to get one.

If the test is now negative then I don't see the issue myself.

As the advice is not to re-test for 90 days after having a +ve because of the likelihood of still getting a +ve even if no longer infectious, I think the first test was probably incorrect to get a -ve so soon after (assuming both were carried out correctly).

Best of three...?

Also, false negatives are more common on pcrs than most people realise - up to 30%+ when self swabbing and when testing early in the latent period after contact. So whilst there's a reasonable chance that the girl is indeed positive, I suspect the school actually have little choice in accepting her back if the patents have provided a negative result.

I managed to get the swab up DS nose once for 0.3 seconds and it came back positive (as did we all) so I think false positives are quite rare unless they actually get it wrong in the lab, in which case I’d be questioning it. That said, it could be that she’s actually been ill with covid a while without knowing it and is actually past the infection stage. Seems dodgy decision making though.

@Quartz2208 the the second test was done the day after the first. As soon as the first results came through in the morning they booked a second test for the whole family later that day.

Very strange that they tested her again!
Why would you?
She should be off. Simple. It is a disgrace your school has allowed her back however, maybe there is more to this than you are being told.

For example,
Maybe she tested positive on a lat flow.
Maybe she tested neg on a PCR

Ehat would happen if they put the swab in tube without actually swabbing? My worry is they have done this so child doesnt need to isolate

The mum tested her son again because she couldn’t believe the positive test result.

The mum is a friend of mine which is how I know all this, the school told us nothing at all about it! The kids had already all been told to test after the original positive case, so they didn’t need to tell us that another child had tested positive so was off school or that she had then tested negative abs was back in again.
They were definitely both PCR tests.

I believe my friend did her best to do both tests correctly and that she would not try to fiddle the second test to get a negative result, but I’m sure there are parents who would do this. Hence my surprise that the school was happy to treat the negative test as trumping the positive one.

Sorry that should have said “the mum tested her daughter”
It was a boy who was the first case and then the friends daughter

I can’t believe the school would be able to PHE are very involved
And having got a positive test in the household track and trace is on it

@lljkk

I didn't know it was that easy to get PCR tests for people without any symptoms.

Government guidelines are now to get a PCR test if you are close contact of someone who is positive.

Quartz2208
I can’t believe the school would be able to PHE are very involved

Not anymore.

On a different note posters wanted back to normal and this is it, any child with ant ailment through the doors.

FrippEnos not from my current experience - track and trace are calling far more than they did when other household members have had it. And our school has meetings with PHE all the time

It would not be a school decision at all. They may well only be aware of the negative test. Although I would be shocked if track and trace would allow it.

Lots of children are ill in DS school and all of us have been contacted a lot by track and trace (I am on 2 phone calls in 24 hours)

The skeptic in me would worry that Sophie's second test was carried out at home and wasn't taken by Sophie

(If not then I sure other selfish fuckers will go down this route if we allow several test results to count)

Government guidelines are now to get a PCR test if you are close contact of someone who is positive.

I freely admit I can't keep up.
This is from 27 August 2021. It says "In this circumstance you can arrange to take a PCR test, even if you do not have symptoms, because you may be at higher risk of being infected."

That's not the same as "you should get a PCR" which is what above implies.

Am not sure if 27 August 2021 is current advice.

If you click no to symptoms there are loads of options with cover these @lljkk

I’ve been in contact with someone who’s tested positive for coronavirus
I was asked to get a test because I visited a venue where others have since tested positive
I've been told to get a test by my nursery, work or place of education
I’ve been told to get a test by my local council, health protection team or healthcare professional

It has been around since Christmas that schools can ask pupils to get a test

My friend’s DD had this happen. Test and Trace at the time advised the positive over-rode the negative and she had to isolate. This was a few months ago though. Was tested twice in hospital appointments, hence the double PCRs.