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Original poster

Child with cold

63 replies

mylittleyumyum · 23/08/2020 07:31

My 9 year old has come down with a cold. Typical symptoms, stuffed nose, cough, sore throat, loss of smell.
Does she need a test before she's allowed to go to school?

OP posts:
yawnsvillex · 23/08/2020 07:32

What does the school say?

This will be interesting. Our colds have already started, so I wonder if we will be testing every day!?

Rankellior · 23/08/2020 07:33

With a cough and loss of smell I would do to be on the safe side - if they are coughing in class my understanding is they get quarantined and sent home anyway until they receive a negative test

GreyishDays · 23/08/2020 07:35

Cough requires a test.

DollyMixtureLulus · 23/08/2020 07:37

Yes. Last week we had children receive results the same day so she hopefully will be back by Tuesday at the latest.

Original poster
mylittleyumyum · 23/08/2020 07:47

I've had to order the test as the nearest test site is quite a distance away and she freaked at the thought of someone else swabbing her Hmm Wonder how many kits we'll get through before Christmas.

OP posts:
ALLIS0N · 23/08/2020 09:22

Our school say kids with symptoms need a test, then inform school of result.

Hope your DD is ok with the home test.

Ready4abreak · 23/08/2020 09:24

Yep, had to test my 3 year old last week. Went to drive through test centre and parents have to do child so I did DS. Went Sunday lunch time, had result by Sunday night.

SacreBleeurgh · 23/08/2020 10:30

Glad you’re ordering a test! Please keep her off until you have the result as she has not one but two possible symptoms - cough, anosmia - and I have anecdotally heard of plenty of people with other ‘normal’ cold symptoms ending up with positive swab.

Original poster
mylittleyumyum · 24/08/2020 17:15

Managed to book a test yesterday at 1pm. Still awaiting results. Was really hoping for a negative today to get everyone back to school/work.

OP posts:
RaspberryRuff · 24/08/2020 23:47

I would def get tested because of the cough BUT I heard last week that the CMOs were saying that the loss of smell and taste for Covid is not the same as for a cold as there’s no blocked nose with Covid. I suspect they don’t want to be swamped by people testing when they lose their sense of taste due to a blocked nose as testing capacity is already struggling

GreyishDays · 25/08/2020 09:12

I have heard that you administer the test yourself even at a test site? For children at least.

GreyishDays · 25/08/2020 09:13

Sorry, missed your last update!

WashingWoman · 25/08/2020 09:29

Hope you got your negative result back. Can I ask what the test is like? I’m a little worried about this and dreading needing to take my 3 and 5 year old for one as they don’t particularly do well with medical things and although I keep calm I have some medical issues myself (I would test if needed of course!)

Mine both had runny noses but no cough or temp or loss of taste/smell. I called the nursery before taking him in to check he was okay to attend thankfully they said it was fine. He caught it having been back at nursery two days. I know it was from there as he’s literally been no where else except home and garden and we’ve seen no other people until he started back nursery. Two days! My DP was fuming as he assumed cold bugs would have be much less given everyone was in lockdown etc. Then of course my eldest got in who just started P1. Again called school in morning and confirmed she was okay to attend. They said yes. A LOT of children have snotty noses right now. Surely they can’t all be sent home
and tested. The country surely can’t have capacity for testing every snotty nosed child and their family and multiple time’s a week/month?!! It’s crazy. Yes it temp persistent cough etc but not just a blocked or runny nose which isn’t even a Covid-19 symptom.

(as did many many of their friends - only back in nursery/school two days before youngest caught it.

Original poster
mylittleyumyum · 25/08/2020 09:44

The test is a little invasive for a young child. Mine is 9 so I was able to explain exactly what it entailed. I counted down while I swirled it at her tonsil, then the same with her nostril. She'd thought it was going to be worse than it was. Honestly, it's less than a minute.

OP posts:
IncludeWomenInTheSequel · 25/08/2020 09:53

"The country surely can’t have capacity for testing every snotty nosed child and their family and multiple time’s a week/month?!!"

Given that they've already run out of home tests I reckon winter is going to be an absolute shitshow.

Notjustamum10 · 25/08/2020 09:54

My DS is the same, had a snotty cold but now developed a cough with it. Am sure it is a cold and not covid, but guidance is to self isolate and test. The nearest drive-in test centre I've been offered is Carrickfergus (Northern Ireland)! Surely the Scotland testing capacity was increased to cope with additional demand once the kids went back to school . . . .but perhaps not.

WashingWoman · 25/08/2020 09:59

Thanks @mylittleyumyum I’ll try to mentally prepare myself as I hate that type of swabbing myself. Might start to casually mention to the children so they have a basic understanding well in advance as I’m sure well need testing at somepoint

@IncludeWomenInTheSequel I hadn’t realise home testing kits were low. How concerning Shock

I do think guidance need reiterated and it made much clearer that only Covid-19 symptoms need testing not for instance just a blocked nose. Obviously here has to be a massive push to get people testing or finally but now it seems to have swung the other way. My neighbour said she’s been going regularly every 2 weeks for a drive in test even with no symptoms at all right from when they opened to everyone not just key workers. She’s a beautician so I half understand her point now as seeing many clients but she was doing this right from the start of when isolating and seeing no one. She said anyone in her car gets tested so she took her DC and DH and they All get tested every two week. That’s a waste of resources surely. Not sure how nhs/govt can manage it though.

Original poster
mylittleyumyum · 25/08/2020 10:25

@Notjustamum10

My DS is the same, had a snotty cold but now developed a cough with it. Am sure it is a cold and not covid, but guidance is to self isolate and test. The nearest drive-in test centre I've been offered is Carrickfergus (Northern Ireland)! Surely the Scotland testing capacity was increased to cope with additional demand once the kids went back to school . . . .but perhaps not.
The system has a glitch - it wanted to send me to Stirling on Sunday, I went on again 10 mins later and my local site was there, with appointments available all day.
OP posts:
Isadora2007 · 25/08/2020 10:28

Lots of colds here too- unsurprising due to the kids having impaired immune systems as a result of lockdown. Hopefully the tests will all come back negative.

Callisto1 · 25/08/2020 10:30

Yeah impossible to get tests at the moment Sad. Last week was fine when we did it with eldest DC, but now toddler predictably has got ill and no test to be had. And there I was yesterday praising the system...

IwishIwasyoda · 25/08/2020 10:34

Yes because she has a cough and loss of smell. These are Covid symptoms. Lots of kids needed to be tested a DC school last week. It's not pleasant mind

Morfin · 25/08/2020 10:35

Are the school allowing children back in with a cough? I thought children had to be off until negative test And symptoms had gone. Schools are not allowed to ask for proof of negative test so keeping unwell children at home is the only chance to stop outbreaks.

Callisto1 · 25/08/2020 10:40

It's 48 hours after symptoms are gone. And I think they can ask for test results. There was a NHS letter about that sent round recently. Though in practice not sure they will enforce it.

Morfin · 25/08/2020 13:04

@Callisto1

It's 48 hours after symptoms are gone. And I think they can ask for test results. There was a NHS letter about that sent round recently. Though in practice not sure they will enforce it.
That's what I thought, so even if you get a quick covid test result children will still have to be off school for coughs etc.
Callisto1 · 25/08/2020 13:33

Yes if they have any of the 3 Covid symptoms. But from what I understand a runny nose or sore throat is ok. My DC had a temperature and the school checked that it had been more than 48 since and that the test was negative. We also got a letter from NHS Lothian to go through all the coronavirus procedures again and remind us to socially distance at the school gates.

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