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Covid

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Original poster

Why aren't people pcr testing?

245 replies

Acer82 · 04/10/2021 19:25

Spoken to two friends with dc in my child's year last few days. One child has had a temp, sore throat etc...and they have just been doing lft tests, the other child was off last week with a cold and bad cough and I said did they have a pcr and they said no, we just kept isn't the lfts. My dc from the same year has been off today, woke up with sore throat, achy, cold but no temp/cough/loss of taste/smell. I'm probably thinking ill get him a pcr anyway. I don't understand why people aren't getting the pcr tests especially when they have a cough and temp? Have people just given up on them?

OP posts:

Howarewenotthereyet · 04/10/2021 19:27

I don't think people know that laterals have such a high false negative rate.

ACNHMAMA · 04/10/2021 19:29

Having had to do LFT on my kids, having the screaming and crying is much easier at home than in the testing centre.

I think a lot of people are just kind of getting on with it, not bothering testing etc. Because it means taking time off etc. There are covid cases in my DS school, I have no idea who or where though.

WoMandalorian · 04/10/2021 19:29

How old are their children? If older then yes they have no reason not to test, but as someone who recently did a pcr on their 2yo I won't be doing it again. Even with his dad holding him down he thrashed his head about, I was so scared I was going to poke his brain 😩

Justwingingit2005 · 04/10/2021 19:29

Had the same discussion with a friend of mine.
Two of her kids have has temps, coughs etc. She said I can't be bothered with PCRs. She's not even doing LFTs.

H0cusP0cus · 04/10/2021 19:30

I had to do one once on my 2 year old and honestly, never again.

Narutocrazyfox · 04/10/2021 19:31

I thought testing had stopped? I've not had a PCR test (nor has anyone in my family) so not even sure how to arrange it. I'm not sure why anyone would test for a sore throat or a bit of a sniffle - you'd be at the test centre all winter!

BlackLambAndGreyFalcon · 04/10/2021 19:33

@ACNHMAMA

Having had to do LFT on my kids, having the screaming and crying is much easier at home than in the testing centre.

You can do a PCR at home in the same way that you do a lateral flow. You order and return it by post.

SuperstarDog · 04/10/2021 19:34

I didn’t realise people weren’t. We’ve all done a PCR over the last couple of weeks. Lots of my kids friends have done them too. It must be hard with young children though.

randomome · 04/10/2021 19:34

@ACNHMAMA my DC hate the tests so we order a pcr to the house - normally comes the next day. Just in case you didn't know that was an option.

We've only tested when they've been close contacts. I'd test for a temp or cough but not a runny noise or sore throat.

staffieslobber · 04/10/2021 19:36

We're doing them. Do them on the baby too (nursery requires it, although tbh they never check) and it's not fun but also not that bad. Putting her in the car seat helps.

MiddleParking · 04/10/2021 19:36

The government have chosen to distribute rapid at-home tests that they then say can’t be relied upon AT ALL, plus continue to use an out of date list with just three symptoms on it. Why would people PCR test if it wasn’t totally unavoidable?

TheDrsDocMartens · 04/10/2021 19:36

We tested as close contacts (no symptoms) but taking time off work/school each time would mean no one was in at the moment.

MindyStClaire · 04/10/2021 19:36

I don't know OP. You see it on here all the time, people looking for any reason not to test. One of those things that really gets under my skin, the rules haven't changed in over a year for people with symptoms.

We must be hitting about 20 as a household now because we have two small children in childcare so of course it's constant coughs and temperatures.

dementedpixie · 04/10/2021 19:37

@ACNHMAMA

Having had to do LFT on my kids, having the screaming and crying is much easier at home than in the testing centre.

You can do PCR at home too if you order a home test

Chronicallymothering · 04/10/2021 19:37

I took my son (aged 7) today to the test centre. It was 30 minutes each way by car, and not much fun convincing him to do it. Luckily it fell on my day off so I didn’t have to miss work today. If I had no fuel, or car, or couldn’t afford to miss it work, then I can see why people are just working on the assumption it’s just a cold and ploughing on. Some people can’t afford to lose the wages or risk their jobs, because it’s been a shitty period financially for a lot of people.

As it happens we all had a cold 10 days ago, 2 of us were tested with a PCR and came back negative. But you can’t assume it’s the same thing especially not when there are cases in his class.

scrivette · 04/10/2021 19:37

We are PCR testing, DC1 had a cough last week and we PCR tested and DC2 was coughing all last night so we PCR tested this morning.

LFT's are not always reliable as they require a higher viral load. We had experience of this earlier in the year when DC1 had a high temperature and tested negative on the LFT and positive on the PCR test which was completed 4 hours later.

ParkheadParadise · 04/10/2021 19:40

I know lots of people who have done PCR tests in the last week ( me included). Ordered on Thursday, arrived Friday, results Saturday.

PickAChew · 04/10/2021 19:40

We currently have no testing on our side of town but I did a home pcr test after being invited by zoe app, last week. It's much less unpleasant than the lft tests because the swabs are softer, rather than like little bottle brushes.

batmanladybird · 04/10/2021 19:42

Funnily I have just come on here. I am not clear on guidance any more
Have 4 dc
One has sore throat and headache And temp
What am i meant to be doing?

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 04/10/2021 19:42

We had to test DD as she was send home from school with a headache and sore throat... positive. As was her sister.
Headache and sore throat are apparently common symptoms these days.

UK is doing roughly million tests a day so people are testing...

dementedpixie · 04/10/2021 19:44

The temperature should prompt a PCR test for the symptomatic child. What happens next depends on the test result

mnahmnah · 04/10/2021 19:45

Interestingly, we had an email from DC school today saying that nobody should be doing LFD tests on under 12 as they are designed for asymptomatic over-12s. Any symptoms with under-12s should be PCR only

secretllama · 04/10/2021 19:48

Can you honestly not guess why people wouldn't test if a positive result meant isolating? Really? I'm not condoning it but that's the reality. People will lateral flow knowing full well its less likely to pick up but its better than nothing and less hassle than going to a test center.

AttaGirrrrl · 04/10/2021 19:50

@batmanladybird

Funnily I have just come on here. I am not clear on guidance any more Have 4 dc One has sore throat and headache And temp What am i meant to be doing?

Book a PCR test, or order a home test kit

orangeautumnleaves · 04/10/2021 19:51

Have to say I know a lot of people who have never tested their symptomatic kids throughout the whole pandemic. More understandable for very young ones but this is with older ones. Have to say during the spikes pre vaccine I was pretty unimpressed with how some parents I know were just saying oh it's not Covid and sending them to school!

Even my 3 yr old has had 2! My 8 yr old at least 8 over the course of the pandemic.

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