Are parents testing for every cough?!

[Cacee3029]

Dd has had 4 coughs since September. All pcr tested and all negative. Currently waiting on pcr results for current cough.

Anyway, I spoke to a friend who works in a school, she said a lot of kids are coughing and honesty no one seems to be testing for a cough anymore unless it's particularly bothersome or they are obviously poorly?!

Dd has had a snotty nose, her school allows them in with snotty noses but now is left with a cough. Likely is just a cold but you just don't know surely? So I've done a pcr test.

I have noticed lately that lot of kids are coughing - I get that, my kids cough. Ds is mildly asthmatic and often coughs randomly at this time of year particularly, Dd has allergies that make her cough too. But I've heard some kids with real hacking coughs. Obviously I have no idea who's had a test and who hasn't. Some may just do lft tests. I totally get that not everyone cough is covid - I mean my own Dd has had 3 negative pcr covid tests since September with a cough! Coughs are totally normal.

But parents, are you testing your children for coughs? If it's appearing like a cold? But covid can be like a cold too for many!

Dd's current cough is a little bothersome at night but not too bad, she only coughed once last night, quite bad first thing then barely coughs at all during the day apart from an odd throat clearing but comes back again in the evening. She's had far worse coughs before.

Are we going to get to a point where we all don't panic about a cough?!

Feeling like it's going to be a long long winter!

I've even read that coughing isn't even the main sign for kids but it's obviously something that transmit it between kids easily!

I am. Even though I’m starting to think it’s pretty pointless xx

Yes I have been testing for every new cough. DS's nursery want proof of a negative pcr before he can attend so each time he gets a new cough he's having a test.

I've also sent several children home from school a super our policy who have a persistent new cough and they have not been allowed back until their parents present a negative pcr for them.

MY toddler is asthmatic so basically coughs most of the winter. I'm not testing for coughs but if he has a temp I do.

I have my reception age child off again for the 3rd time since September with a cough and temperature. We tested this morning. She would have been OK for school as her temperature broke overnight and she has driven me mad all day while I tried to work from home, but I don't want to be irresponsible. It is going round the class but I am pretty sure she hasn't got it as she had a confirmed case in August.

@Emsie1987

MY toddler is asthmatic so basically coughs most of the winter. I'm not testing for coughs but if he has a temp I do.

I can understand that 💕

We didn't until we got notification that she was a close contact. Otherwise you'd be in every week and those tests are needed by people who have more pressing symptoms.

@ItsSnowJokes

I have my reception age child off again for the 3rd time since September with a cough and temperature. We tested this morning. She would have been OK for school as her temperature broke overnight and she has driven me mad all day while I tried to work from home, but I don't want to be irresponsible. It is going round the class but I am pretty sure she hasn't got it as she had a confirmed case in August.

It's tough isn't it. We barely had a sniffle last winter so I'm already sick of winter this year already!

Thankfully, my kids school have had barely any cases. A couple staff members have had it at different times but there's been no known cases in the children - I do wonder if a child has been asymptomatic or mild symptoms though and spread it to said teachers though. Who knows 🤷‍♀️ A school of 170 pupils and zero cases in the kids! Hopefully it'll stay that way but very unlikely!

@PleasantBirthday

We didn't until we got notification that she was a close contact. Otherwise you'd be in every week and those tests are needed by people who have more pressing symptoms.

Today was our second visit with Dd in 2 weeks. Also 2 tests before that. Before September she hadn't needed a single test throughout the whole thing. Ds has had a couple, I haven't been tested since last Christmas and dp never as he's got the strongest immune system and doesn't seem to get ill ever! Luckily tests are not in short supply now though! ☺️

Parents aren't testing for every cough, no. Some will be, but the fact that lots of people simply can't afford any time off work means a cohort exists who couldn't even if they wanted to. Your friend's experience broadly reflects what I'm seeing and hearing about locally.

We’re testing any new persistent cough. Twice in the last month with DS2 (Y2). Hideous but necessary is my view. Luckily my work are sympathetic to me having him in the background (3 days and then half a day as negative both times).

It's such a fine judgement, isn't it? I honestly don't think anyone knows exactly what we're supposed to do for the best!

My children both have a cold and cough at the moment. They had covid 3 weeks ago so we haven’t tested this time. That will probably be the case with lots of school age kids at the moment as rates have been so high in their age groups.

Not children here but no we aren't, we lft if going to see elderly relatives but not otherwise. We both have acid reflux which causes coughing!

If a child is ill (even if not coughing) then precautionary testing makes sense but you need to also live

We have been testing for new coughs. We had both dc out once in the first half of term. They then were not well with a cough over half term and had a test again negative. Both still have the same cough, but one dc has been asked by school to take a PCR so we have done so today (both dc even though only one is a contact) and awaiting results.

If it's a persistent cough then yes, but then I just tried to order a home PCR test, but apparently they aren't available for my area at the moment. So I'm going to do some lateral flows tomorrow and keep him off nursery.

Anyway, I spoke to a friend who works in a school, she said a lot of kids are coughing and honesty no one seems to be testing for a cough anymore

How does she know they haven't simply tested negative though?

@gogohm

Not children here but no we aren't, we lft if going to see elderly relatives but not otherwise. We both have acid reflux which causes coughing!

If a child is ill (even if not coughing) then precautionary testing makes sense but you need to also live

I can relate with the acid reflux! I always cough after eating. Not so much other times but it causes me to have a dry mouth which makes me feel like I need to cough sometimes.

Please please do test your kids with PCR for a cough. All coughs can be COVID, of course not all are but there is really no way to tell especially in children without testing. What is a cough for your child could be very serious for someone more at risk if it gets passed on.

Totally understand it’s a pain at this point especially in winter but let me reassure you that you are the one being responsible here, don’t let yourself be influenced by other less responsible parents (of which there are unfortunately plenty) - and don’t listen to any nonsense about tests being needed for others more in need or any such absolute rubbish that people like to tell themselves to ease their own conscience about not doing the right thing. A cough is a COVID symptom until proven otherwise and the government guidelines on testing for cough remain unchanged.

I am a doctor and the amount of people who just don’t bother is absolutely shocking and so so selfish - I would never have dreamed people would be so selfish about this pre pandemic - they then put me, other staff and patients (including vulnerable and elderly patients, those with HIV or cancer on chemotherapy etc.) at risk when they get worse and need to be seen before a test can be done and returned. Not to mention school staff and other kids etc. People are still dying every single day of COVID. The same people would be the first to complain if their elderly mother caught COVID in our waiting room from the coughing child next to them and became seriously ill or died. I would just encourage everyone to give some serious thought to how they would feel if this was someone else’s child and not your own happily running around untested and potentially spreading COVID everywhere.

Of course they might still need seeing anyway regardless of COVID or not, and the tests aren’t 100 percent but if we know the test is positive or negative, it allows us to deal with these things in a safer way and direct to the right services. Just test your children (and yourselves) for cough or a temperature or loss of taste/smell. Does it have to be all 3 and no the lateral flow test won’t do instead - way too many false negatives.

And thank you for taking it seriously.

And by the way I absolutely do know whether the test has been done because the results come to me!

Yes, I am taking DD for a PCR test for every new cough. She's needed two tests since September.

It’s not a fine judgement at all. The rules on when to test are crystal clear and have remained unchanged since the beginning of the pandemic. Your only decision is whether you are going to do the right thing or not. And the more people who don’t bother the longer we are all stuck with stubbornly high numbers and all the crap that goes along with it. Please for the love of God test for a cough. I have had several who later very much regretted not testing when it became very clinically relevant and important to know if they had recently had COVID or not but it was too late.

There are plenty of tests!

Yes, even though my DD is prone to coughs, you just never know.

My DD has cough variant asthma. If I tested for every cough she'd never leave the house.

DD has just had her 3rd PCR in 6 weeks. It's a pita but I'm lucky that I have an understanding line manager and can wfh when she has needed PCRs. I have some CEV clients so would not want to visit those people particularly if DD had one of the symptoms.