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Original poster

Sending kid into nursery without test results because not symptomatic anymore?

38 replies

FlippinCovid · 26/09/2021 16:39

DS' nursery make you covid test for any form of cough, he started coughing Friday overnight all through the night so I got a test booked in for Saturday morning. We did it and haven't had results yet, but he hasn't coughed since Friday night and is happy and fine in himself. Obviously just an overnight tickle or something. I rushed to get him tested as I've missed so much work with him isolating I couldn't afford to miss more, now I've fucked myself over as if I hadn't tested he could go to nursery no problem but now I have can he? So ridiculous

OP posts:
Whentheydontmeanwhattheysay · 26/09/2021 16:44

Imagine if you sent him in and the results came back positive though, what a conversation that would be with nursery!

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 26/09/2021 16:51

You needed to test as he had a cough so now need to wait for the results.

Ignoring the cough and not testing would have been very wrong. You don’t know if there are any CEV children/staff/parents.

Dauphinois · 26/09/2021 16:52

Don't blame the nursery for following government guidance! Keep him isolated until you get the results, no exceptions.

Streamingbannersofdawn · 26/09/2021 16:53

If they hear him coughing they will ask you to test and if you dont want to they will insist that he stays away for 10 days as per latest guidance.

We ask for a test if the child is coughing, I'm sensible, an occassional cough, no but several times in a hour is a main symptom so a test or isolation it is.

As a nursery practitioner, please keep him off until you get the result. I appreciate its awful for your job but repeated isolations isn't great for us either and if it goes round the staff we will have to shut anyway!

Original poster
FlippinCovid · 26/09/2021 16:54

He hasn't coughed in well over 24 hours. Not once. I cannot afford to miss more work when he isn't even ill. It's all a fucking joke at this point.

OP posts:
User5827372728 · 26/09/2021 16:55

You did the right thing. Hopefully results will come back through the night tonight

MotherOfKitten · 26/09/2021 16:55

I'd be careful with this- I kept DS off school and got him pcr tested because he had a cough and was snotty. His lateral flow was negative. Then literally driving to the pcr test he stopped coughing and being snotty and said he felt fine and wanted to go back to school as it was PE day.

Pcr was positive.

Thank god I never sent him back to school!

I'd definitely wait for the pcr results before sending a child back in. Shouldn't be too long to wait for them now, ours are always back within 24 hours.

Thirtyrock39 · 26/09/2021 16:55

I bet you'll get the results tonight - it's usually 24 hours

Unicornish · 26/09/2021 16:57

Dd had a high temperature one night so we decided to PCR test her.

She was then completely fine so we got her into her school uniform and rang the school to say we'd drop her in once the result came back.

It was positive. She was only "ill" for about 8 hours. Needless to say, we were very glad we hadn't sent her into school!

Original poster
FlippinCovid · 26/09/2021 16:59

It's been over 24 hours and no sign of it. I'm so fed up of missing work. I've missed so much it's ridiculous I can't keep doing it. I've used all my annual leave and am now having to take unpaid. My toddler has had 40+ tests. Toddlers are germy, toddlers cough, especially when they've got no immune system for being isolated half their life. Unsustainable and ridiculous

OP posts:
whatswithtodaytoday · 26/09/2021 16:59

You did the right thing. Imagine if it comes back positive and he's been at nursery! Public health will have the nursery details so they'll find out.

Ours need a negative test to return with a cough too, it's just the way life is at the moment.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 26/09/2021 17:01

My DD had a slight sore throat and a headache on Friday morning, gone by late afternoon Positive. Other DD no symptoms... Positive.

Yes its annoying. But thats how it is.

Both tests were back in 18hrs, so hopefully you will know soon.

whatswithtodaytoday · 26/09/2021 17:01

40+! Christ, that's a lot - I thought we were doing badly with around 10!

Does he maybe have asthma? Might explain a frequent cough.

Original poster
FlippinCovid · 26/09/2021 17:04

@whatswithtodaytoday

40+! Christ, that's a lot - I thought we were doing badly with around 10!

Does he maybe have asthma? Might explain a frequent cough.

Just counted, 32 to be exact. They've gotten me to go pick him up because he's coughing before and I pick him up and he doesn't cough once. It's happened so much. I'm fed up! Just wish I hadn't got him tested now to be honest.
OP posts:
girlmom21 · 26/09/2021 17:08

They won't have him back without the result but it's getting so frustrating now.

DD was off for a week with a bug she'd caught at nursery - which included a cough. We got her tested and it was negative.

When she went back, they tried to get us to test her again on the second day because they hadn't heard her cough much on the first day Hmm

Whyarewehardofthinking · 26/09/2021 17:42

@FlippinCovid

He hasn't coughed in well over 24 hours. Not once. I cannot afford to miss more work when he isn't even ill. It's all a fucking joke at this point.
My partner was off for 3 months after catching it from a child who had been tested but sent in dosed up to hide the symptoms whilst they waited for the results.

That was 3 months of a school without their only physics teacher. Then another 2 of him on a phased return. Not to mention our daughters having a father who is still trying to regain the fitness he lost and forget about him being hospitalised 3 times. And me catching it from him, taking a member of SLT from another school for 3 weeks. Other staff also caught it from the child (the 3 assigned to the room he was in for 2 days, as well as several other students).

insancerre · 26/09/2021 17:48

I’m on a Facebook nursery managers page and they are all battling with how to provide a service when so many of their staff are off either I’ll or self isolating
Some are talking about closing and down and going out of business because they can’t afford to refund parents if the nursery closes
Not to mention the managers who have had ofsted inspections and received requires improvement due to a depleted staff team
All because you don’t want the inconvenience of waiting for the test result

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 26/09/2021 18:10

Unsustainable and ridiculous

It’s a pandemic, it’s not about just individuals but society as a whole.

MRex · 26/09/2021 18:14

Call 119, just in case your test wasn't registered properly and they can identify it.

redsky21 · 26/09/2021 18:15

Nursery asked you to get him tested. If you hadn't he wouldn't have been allowed back in for 10 days. So you wouldn't have been able to take him back either way.

Bizawit · 26/09/2021 18:20

Does the nursery know you PCR tested? What are the gov guidelines? Do under 18s still have to isolate whilst waiting a PCR result? I’m not sure of the current rules tbh..
If you have done 32 tests sounds like you are over- testing OP!! I totally know what you mean about toddlers- aren’t they supposed to get 8-12 colds a year? If I tested my toddler for every little sniffle / the odd cough, I’d never leave my house again!!

CyclingIsNotOuting · 26/09/2021 18:27

Agree @MotherOfKitten

My DC had a cough one Friday night. Coughed during the night and that morning. I got them a PCR.
Within hours the cough stopped but we had to cancel all our plans and isolate all weekend. Still no result Monday morning and I had to keep them at home, silently seething.

Result came through Monday afternoon positive. I was jaw to the floor. So sure I had jumped the gun getting a test.

I know how shit it is OP. I’ve had to keep one of my other DC off school twice in three weeks for PCR’s because of a cough and a temperature. Both negative. It’s a bloody nightmare.

Thirtyrock39 · 26/09/2021 18:39

@Bizawit

Does the nursery know you PCR tested? What are the gov guidelines? Do under 18s still have to isolate whilst waiting a PCR result? I’m not sure of the current rules tbh.. If you have done 32 tests sounds like you are over- testing OP!! I totally know what you mean about toddlers- aren’t they supposed to get 8-12 colds a year? If I tested my toddler for every little sniffle / the odd cough, I’d never leave my house again!!
If you've had a pcr because of covid symptoms you must isolate till you get the results - same as before regardless of age or vaccine status - if you've had W pcr cos of being a close contact you don't need to isolate if under 18 or double jabbed
Babamamananarama · 26/09/2021 18:42

OP I am just recovering from intensive chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. If I pick up covid it would land me in hospital. I am completely shielding but my children still have to be in school. The reason why symptomatic kids need to be tested and kept at home is so they don't spread it and the vulnerable are protected.

I'm sorry it's a massive inconvenience to you and you've had to miss work etc. I've spent 62 nights in hospital this year without visitors, that was also a massive PITA.

Bizawit · 26/09/2021 19:44

@Thirtyrock39 ah ok thanks !