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?

Are you saying that at no time other than the last 18months that you've been concerned about a bug/illness/cold/flu/norovirus?

the anger on this thread is directed at the wrong people. The GOVERNMENT are the ones who have failed to provide financial support for low income families to test / isolate, who failed to deliver an effective track and trace from March 2020 (at which point it was MORE than possible to do so, with the cases / transmission as it was), who failed to close the borders in time particularly once delta took off.

Don't blame people for trying to keep their incomes and lives on track. The failure lies squarely with the government. Remember that and don't bloody vote for them again.

@Covidworries

You dont need time off to do LFT at home and PCR tests can also be sent to your home. So why would your job be at risk from doingnthose. What you mean is if the child is actually positive you would need time off, so youd rather not know.

Its not one up man ship it is calling you out for saying its too difficult to test your child.

Let me tell you something. When there is a virus in the house I do the LFT and PCR tests. I don't test my older son.

However, if you really REALLY want to perform regular LFTs and PCRs on my autistic four year old, please... PLEASE... feel free .

@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?

I PCR test my son every time he has symptoms - I make time for it because I don’t want him to infect the higher risk kids at his nursery. But plenty of parents don’t give a shit & are too thick to understand how kids catch covid and will not only send their kids in even when they have 40 degree fevers but also complain when asked to pcr test / take them to the GP.

However, if you really REALLY want to perform regular LFTs and PCRs on my autistic four year old, please... PLEASE... feel free

The highest risk kids in any school setting for serious viral complications (next to those with compromised immune symptoms) are those with SEN because their development can regress (sometimes permanently) with extended hospital treatment. Testing him regularly though difficult would be preferable to them catching covid & potentially getting a serious presentation of the disease.

Id be more inclined if the nearest test centre wasn’t a 40-45 minute drive away. We used to have loads round here, they’ve shut them all. I LFT for cold like symptoms (sometimes) & I’d PCR for a fever lasting more than a couple hours or a severe cough, as per the guidance.

@Narutocrazyfox

I'd like to think people with the main symptoms would stay home until feeling better, but I guess that won't be the case for some people. Everyone around me thinks testing has already come to an end, so we're already in the 'sensible precautions moving forwards' camp.

But many employers won't put up with that. We'll be back to people being sanctioned for staying off with anything less than a severed limb.

Do you have a severely autistic child @ozanj? Mine is bigger than me and I'd probably lose a few teeth if I tried to do regular lfts on him. I can just about manage a few little nose pokes for a pcr test.

DH and I test regularly and his school is still bubbled, to limit spread, if there is an outbreak as they realised it w as actually better for the kids in what is one if the largest special schools in the country.

But many employers won't put up with that. We'll be back to people being sanctioned for staying off with anything less than a severed limb. yep already heading that way!

@londonwriter.

You have a choice through. If you child has symptoms you can get a PCR test or you can isolate them for 10 days.

What you shouldnt do is send them out if they have had a symptom and not been tested.

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?

I always take my child to our local test centre for a cough or high temp ASAP as the results take no time at all, however would LF for any other cold symptoms.

The form for the PCR test specifically asks if the person taking the test has symptoms - a sore throat and a cold do need meet the requirements for a test!

However, I'm saying that as someone who can WFH. I competely understand that not everyone is able to do that and for some people, not turning up to work means they don't get paid.

I posted similar recently and got slammed for it. People don't seem to understand that lft lbs are for asymptomatic testing. Symptoms means a pcr test! Lft tests are giving false reassurance so likely people walking around and spreading covid!

To add my kids primary school have sent letters reminding us that if our kids are ill with covid symptoms they need pcr testing and lft results will not be accepted!

[quote Treblebass]@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.[/quote]
Not “acting stupid” just have a different opinion to you 🙄

It’s true that at this time of year, a sniffle might ‘just’ be a cold. But who’s to know? You can’t know unless you’ve tested. And those people who choose not to PCR test because they ‘think’ the symptoms are just a cold, well they’re the ones walking around passing it on.

@Tobermory

My child hasn’t even got a sniffle so I object to giving him a PCR test weekly to placate an over anxious head teacher.

DH and I didn't bother getting PCRs when we tested positive on LFT. The only place either of us had been for about a week was one trip to the supermarket (me) where I think I must've caught it. He wfh and had only gone out to put the bins out! We don't have visitors (we've no friends or family or anything) so there was nobody for T&T to call re contacts. We just isolated instead. Didn't seem much point getting tests, everything taken into account.

@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 order home PCR.

@CBroads

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.

Was bad? I hadn’t realised it had gone away.

Testing, means the ill people isolate and it reduces the spread of covid so fewer deaths and long term illnesss or as that is u important to you in terms you can relate to less chance of a lockdown.

You can order home PCR.

Once again, for those at the back, postal PCRs take an extra day to arrive. That's an extra day off school/work. Not happening.

@Legomania

You can order home PCR.

Once again, for those at the back, postal PCRs take an extra day to arrive. That's an extra day off school/work. Not happening.

They should partner with amazon or something and get them shipped out same day

For those with their heads up there arse.
If they have symptoms go and get a pcr test. For thos without symptoms you can order a PCR test and this can be sent to your home meaning you dont have to take a day off.

If you have symptoms you should test if you dont want to test then isolate for 10 days

Dont carry on spreading covid just because you cant be arsed to do the right thing

Haven't read the whole thread. My DS has a cough following a cold, school advised no need for PCR if LFT is negative. As it happens, he always gets a cough following a cold, so I'm fairly confident that's what it is. He went back in today, coughing, following a negative LFT. School fine with it.

No he needs a pcr test. Looks like your school is incapable of comprhending this too. Worry when teachers dont have good reading comprehension

@Covidworries this level of disruption is not sustainable. I am fortunate not to be in the position of having to choose between altruism and my family's livelihood, but if I were, especially after all this time, I would choose the latter every time.