Why aren't people pcr testing?

[Acer82]

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?

@SuperstarDog

People are getting complacent and also burying their heads in the sand. My DD’s class is full of children hacking away with dreadful, and I mean dreadful, coughs! They even look really ill but their mums say it’s just a cold! How the fck do they know?!!

I suppose they may have tested them. My son had an awful cough about 8 weeks ago that lasted for a month, went away for a couple of weeks and now its back. It sounds awful. He’s done lots of LFTs and 4 PCRs but all negative. He said all his friends seem to have been coughing for as long but they’re all negative too. I haven’t had a cough or cold in years but have now come down with it along with the rest of our household. We’ve all took PCRs and we’re negative, so it is just a cold I suppose.

@SuperstarDog I get your point but in my case, these parents have freely admitted that they haven’t tested as “it’s just a cold”. I completely understand that testing on primary aged children can be traumatic - my daughter now refuses to be tested - but if they haven’t tested & have suspected Covid, stay at home!

I get your point but in my case, these parents have freely admitted that they haven’t tested as “it’s just a cold”. I completely understand that testing on primary aged children can be traumatic - my daughter now refuses to be tested - but if they haven’t tested & have suspected Covid, stay at home!

That’s really irresponsible. I suppose they can’t be made to test but yes, that would annoy me. It’s only going to get worse through winter as well.

It seems to me that if you have a positive test then you commence isolation (although possibly too late by then anyway) and that’s it. You don’t get any treatment, even if you go to hospital they’ll only treat your symptoms, so what does it even matter which particular virus it was?
People that are sick but have a negative covid test and then go on to carry as normal are the problem!! Some of these people have worse symptoms than the average cov positive person but don’t think it matters if it’s not covid!
How has it come to this that we only care about one virus alone?! Sick people stay home, healthy people carry on.

@Narutocrazyfox

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!

My DD has a sore throat and a sniffle. She got her positive PCR result through today! I don’t know why anyone ‘wouldn’t’ get a test!

People are relying on LFTs as they’re more convenient even though they know deep down they’re not very good.

I feel silly keeping dd off school and getting her a PCR but I’d rather do that than spread it if she does have covid.

I thought testing had stopped?

What made you think that?

@ACNHMAMA

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.

You can do a PCR at home if you want, the process is identical to an LFT!

I’ve got a streaming nose, tickly throat and feel generally under the weather. I got a negative LFT but was told on here that I should do a PCR test to be sure. I have plans to see friends and family at the end of the week so that’s another reason to get it done just in case. If I do have Covid I don’t want to pass it on. It’s a right PITA but I don’t really have a choice if I want to see others.

People don’t test because not everyone has the luxury to wfh/have paid time off. Where I work they’ve just reverted the policy, so if you need time off with a dependent who’s isolating for 10 days it’s either annual leave or unpaid leave

@Tobermory

Really? You don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to get their child PCR tested? Are you being genuine or just acting stupid on purpose?

Some people (although admittedly very few on here) will lose out on money by repeatedly taking time off to PCR their kids at every hint of a sniffle (or not even so much as a sniffle in my kids case).

It’s a huge inconvenience for …… a sniffle, or maybe not even a sniffle. Seems a lot of schools are just making their rules and regulations up as they go along.

The more people test, the more ammo Boris has to lock us down in Winter again. No more lockdowns or curbs on our freedoms! We need to get on with life, yes covid was bad but we can't dwell on it forever.

Some people (although admittedly very few on here) will lose out on money by repeatedly taking time off to PCR their kids at every hint of a sniffle (or not even so much as a sniffle in my kids case).

They can order PCR tests to do at home though. Even if they sent their child into school whilst waiting for the results, it would be better to test. Then just stay home if it’s positive. I know it’s really hard but kids really shouldn’t be at school with covid and not testing means that’s going to happen.

[quote Treblebass]@Overthebow

Lost three jobs now combined because of repeated isolations due to covid. Now I’m being asked to PCR my asymptomatic child, and then PCR him AGAIN after 5-7 days due to cases in the class. They have also requested we do LFTs DAILY on him. I mean on what planet is that okay for a year one child who hasn’t even got any symptoms. And I don’t even care that he could potentially have it asymptomatically. Not even one little bit. Requesting my child is tested daily is ridiculous, and I do wonder when this mass hysteria will ever stop.

The school mums who PCR at the drop of a hat at my kids schools are the ones who don’t work.[/quote]
They said the same at our school. Just don’t do them. I’ve done 1 lateral flow on my kids this term and that’s it. I refuse to do any more and am certainly not doing and pcr tests unless there are definite symptoms.

I've ordered us both a covid test just in case

I mean a pcr!

@SuperstarDog

Some people (although admittedly very few on here) will lose out on money by repeatedly taking time off to PCR their kids at every hint of a sniffle (or not even so much as a sniffle in my kids case).

They can order PCR tests to do at home though. Even if they sent their child into school whilst waiting for the results, it would be better to test. Then just stay home if it’s positive. I know it’s really hard but kids really shouldn’t be at school with covid and not testing means that’s going to happen.

If they have symptoms of Covid then they should isolate while awaiting the results! They must not be sent to school!

I phoned 119 to chase my daughters pcr test results this week (after 48 hours had passed with no result). They told me I shouldn't have got a test as she didn't have one of the 3 symptoms - she had a cold, runny nose and tiny cough but rates are high in her secondary school and 2 close friends have just tested positive. 119 said I definitely shouldn't have got a pcr (I said but we know delta often shows as a cold in teens? Doesn't matter apparently). They really made me feel like I'd wasted resources. She didn't have it by the way, but has dodged getting it from a number of close positive ontacts previously including her sister who she shares a room with.

We all had dizziness and lethargy, bit of a snuffly nose, but no cough, lack of taste or temperature. We all tested positive on pcr after having all tested negative on lft. It's not been good, it's never felt worrying or dangerous but like proper flu. We had no idea we might have spread it when we'd tested negative with lft. People who have colds should get a pcr if they can. I wouldn't wish this illness on someone vulnerable, I'm normally healthy and it's been shit.

We PCRed when DC was in close contact with a positive case. Otherwise we’re using LFTs twice weekly.

All as in me, DH and two teens.

If they have symptoms of Covid then they should isolate while awaiting the results! They must not be sent to school!

I know and agree. But if that in itself means people don’t test and their child is infecting everyone for 2 weeks, I’d rather they at least tested even if they didn’t isolate whilst waiting. Some people just can’t afford the time off, what are they meant to do when kids get ill constantly?

I've no idea how much covid there is in the school but dd says everyone has got this lergy including teachers and they're saying it's not covid. So hopefully that's alll we have. And they're all at school still .

@Silverswirl

You would need the head of a rhino to get past the clipboard head teacher at my children’s school at pick up ticking off who’s been tested and who’s not this week. I draw the line at her requests for us all to send her the results though.

I am very sceptical about the accuracy of these tests so I do sympathise with people who don't bother with them. If we do get covid it's going to be from schools where it is circulating like mad in our area. What's the point of people isolating when it's already spread around anyway and the worst symptom is akin to the common cold. I really can't see the point of scoring a positive test result and then being housebound for however long, it's disproportionate. What are people supposed to do for work, money, food and education. We wouldn't go near anyone vulnerable if we are suffering with average cold symptoms anyway and I hope people are being sensible about that instead of relying on the dodgy tests.

In all honesty, it is getting to the stage where it is an absolute faff to go for these PCR tests. I have 2 children (18 months & 4) and they have a new cough, cold, runny nose every single week. I have not got the time to get everyone tested every single week for, realistically, the next 5 months.