Our children have been forgotten in this pandemic and putting them through invasive nasal swabs, as any parent of a young child will know, can be traumatic.
I just know:
a) How many children are now terrified of a PCR swab every time they start to get a cold, including my DD who sneezes and instantly goes “Do I need to have a nose test?”. It then requires 2 people to physically restrain her in the back of a car while she begs “Please don’t”. It’s horrible and the winter is going to be very challenging.
b) Many parents are now just refusing to put their child through it, potentially increasing the amount of undiagnosed covid in society and in schools and putting the wider community at increased risk.
Click this link to sign the petition:
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/598824/sponsors/new?token=iVBsQazKj3IraRITA4gD
My petition:
Offer non-invasive saliva covid tests for children instead of nasal swabs
Non-invasive saliva tests have been available for a while and can be purchased privately for a fee. Please offer the option of saliva testing for coronavirus instead of the invasive nasal swab for young children and those older that require it. More children would then be tested.
Saliva tests are available and can be purchased for a fee of around £89. Young children (and some older children/adults) can find invasive swabbing traumatic. Parents are less likely to take their children for a PCR nasal swab as children can find it traumatic and consequently they (particularly when alone) can find it challenging to get an accurate swab. More children would be tested resulting in less traumatic experiences for them and more accurate results to protect the wider population.