Are you getting your kids Covid tested for a runny nose?

[Anonymous]

No, I have not tested for runny nose. My dc has been in person full time all year (not local).

I did test when dc came home from school warm and proceeded to get warmer. Negative, ear infection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
if you know your child has allergies, it’s allergy season, and their symptoms are exactly the same as previous years - ok. But if your kid suddenly wakes up with a runny nose and congestion- you need to suspect covid.

+1,000. If you and your husband telework, and your kids are home and none of you are engaging anyone outside of your household, fine don't get tested. Otherwise please for the sake of public health test. You shouldn't test for another five days so in the meantime if your family is out and about waiting to see if they had covid and gave it to you you're potentially spreading to others.

I work in Covid contact tracing and have lost count of the number of people who said "I figured it was just allergies" and tested positive.

This was my husband. He thought it was allergies until a contact tracer called and told us our child had been exposed at daycare (our child never had any symptoms).

*THANK YOU PP for doing your job, you've saved lives, that's amazing!

[Anonymous]

For a runny nose? No.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely (if they’re doing any in-person). And for all of the allergy folks out there, I agree that it could be allergies, but if it isn’t responding to allergy medicine/if it’s new for your kid to have allergies, you should test.

Saying this as a bad allergy sufferer who has a 4YO with allergies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do people understand how almost impossible it is for a child to get Covid and for the adults in their household not to get it? This is how Covid spreads. If you're kid has it, you either have it or just had it. Just get yourself tested. We go to the testing place a couple blocks away whenever we are in doubt. I'm not going to subject my kid to that for every random runny nose or sneeze because even though the test itself is no big deal, getting one is a whole production and it's genuinely hard to do with a small child. I can easily wait 15 minutes and then get tested by someone in full PPE -- my 3 yr old would throw a fit at that entire outing and everyone would be miserable.

We do not need to be testing small children constantly.

My 14 month old had it and nobody else got it...

Yeah, I know several kids who have had it without positive tests from parents. Not common, but not even remotely almost impossible. Also, try a different testing site if yours is hard with kids. Mine (2 and 4) actually look forward to getting tested at our pediatricians. They say it tickles, and they get lollipops. We're and out in 5 mins. It's so not a big deal for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do people understand how almost impossible it is for a child to get Covid and for the adults in their household not to get it? This is how Covid spreads. If you're kid has it, you either have it or just had it. Just get yourself tested. We go to the testing place a couple blocks away whenever we are in doubt. I'm not going to subject my kid to that for every random runny nose or sneeze because even though the test itself is no big deal, getting one is a whole production and it's genuinely hard to do with a small child. I can easily wait 15 minutes and then get tested by someone in full PPE -- my 3 yr old would throw a fit at that entire outing and everyone would be miserable.

We do not need to be testing small children constantly.

My 14 month old had it and nobody else got it...

Yeah, I know several kids who have had it without positive tests from parents. Not common, but not even remotely almost impossible. Also, try a different testing site if yours is hard with kids. Mine (2 and 4) actually look forward to getting tested at our pediatricians. They say it tickles, and they get lollipops. We're and out in 5 mins. It's so not a big deal for them.

Actually incredibly unlikely. The parents probably had it but didn’t test at a time when they the virus was active. The best way is to figure out when the child was exposed and then test multiple times. And it can vary by person. I know a family where they all got tested the day the learned if the exposure, and mom tested positive but dad was negative. Dad tested again three days later and was positive. They are all in the same house. Just random that the virus took longer to infect him.

My philosophy is test everyone for a known exposure regardless of symptoms. But for something mild like a runny nose that could be a symptom or could be something else? DH and I test and we keep an eye on it. DH and I have been tested over a dozen times (all negative). Kid has never been tested. She also is the least likely source of infection though because DH and I have to be indoors with other people much more frequently than she does.

[Anonymous]

Ds, 5, developed terrible hacking cough out of nowhere. No other symptoms, no one else in house sick. We didnt suspect covid but didnt want to send him to PreK like that without knowing for sure -- so he got tested, was negative, and that cough is still not entirely gone 2 weeks later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ds, 5, developed terrible hacking cough out of nowhere. No other symptoms, no one else in house sick. We didnt suspect covid but didnt want to send him to PreK like that without knowing for sure -- so he got tested, was negative, and that cough is still not entirely gone 2 weeks later.

why would you not suspect covid???

[Anonymous]

Nope. I gave him a Claritin and he was better in 20 minutes. So allergies. He had never had them before.

Also, we can’t get tested. We would lose our childcare and thus our jobs. Not an exaggeration. DH is a teacher and has been told if he misses one more day he will get fired. I am a litigator and clients have told me the same thing.

That’s the American way! Spreading a deadly virus because even white collar professionals use their sick leave, and plus we can’t master testing!

[Anonymous]

I work at a peds urgent care in the area. Last shift I did about 15 covid tests as usual. The two that were positive- one kid with a runny nose and sneezing that I tested because he was in preschool but told parent likely allergies and advised OTC allergy meds, glad I tested him. The second was an elementary aged child who slept in late and was grumpy and had a headache in the morning but otherwise seemed fine, parent worked outside the home but child has been in virtual school and one outside the home extracurricular each week where there were no sick contacts.

So, yes, very mild nothingburger symptoms in kids can absolutely be covid. Don't be dumb, get tested.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope. I gave him a Claritin and he was better in 20 minutes. So allergies. He had never had them before.

Also, we can’t get tested. We would lose our childcare and thus our jobs. Not an exaggeration. DH is a teacher and has been told if he misses one more day he will get fired. I am a litigator and clients have told me the same thing.

That’s the American way! Spreading a deadly virus because even white collar professionals use their sick leave, and plus we can’t master testing!

Getting tested doesn't change whether or not you have covid. If you don't get tested- it was still covid. If you get tested- it was still covid. All it changes is your knowledge of the situation.

If you're going to go to work sick anyways, at least get the test and be aware of the fact that you're covid positive so you can let your clients or your students know. Since you say you'll be fired if you miss, I'm sure the higher ups will be fine with this plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you or your children are doing in-person activities, even if you are masked when doing them, I believe you have a moral obligation to get them tested.

If you are all basically quarantining already, then I don't think it is necessary.

This!

[Anonymous]

Yes, because child goes to school in person, and I knew I'd get side eyes for sending a kid to school with a constant runny nose if we didn't test. But he also had a cough, and he spread it to me, and I had a nasty headache, so we both got tested. (both were negative, symptoms cleared up in a few days, it was just a cold).

If it was JUST a runny nose, and no one else in the house had any other symptoms, and your kid isn't in in person school, then no I wouldn't. But if you're going to be around others, you should get tested. Its quick and free in most places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do people understand how almost impossible it is for a child to get Covid and for the adults in their household not to get it? This is how Covid spreads. If you're kid has it, you either have it or just had it. Just get yourself tested. We go to the testing place a couple blocks away whenever we are in doubt. I'm not going to subject my kid to that for every random runny nose or sneeze because even though the test itself is no big deal, getting one is a whole production and it's genuinely hard to do with a small child. I can easily wait 15 minutes and then get tested by someone in full PPE -- my 3 yr old would throw a fit at that entire outing and everyone would be miserable.

We do not need to be testing small children constantly.

My 14 month old had it and nobody else got it...

This is 100% false. Kids spread it LESS than adults (likely just because they are less symptomatic and the evidence is that symptomatic cases spread more). There are lots of cases where a kid got it from school and didn't spread it to their family. Now, if your kid is not going to school or daycare, then obviously the most likely scenario is that they got it from someone in the family (since adults typically have far more exposure), but if a kid is going to school or daycare, it is entirely possible that the kid gets it and their family members don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do people understand how almost impossible it is for a child to get Covid and for the adults in their household not to get it? This is how Covid spreads. If you're kid has it, you either have it or just had it. Just get yourself tested. We go to the testing place a couple blocks away whenever we are in doubt. I'm not going to subject my kid to that for every random runny nose or sneeze because even though the test itself is no big deal, getting one is a whole production and it's genuinely hard to do with a small child. I can easily wait 15 minutes and then get tested by someone in full PPE -- my 3 yr old would throw a fit at that entire outing and everyone would be miserable.

We do not need to be testing small children constantly.

My 14 month old had it and nobody else got it...

Yeah, I know several kids who have had it without positive tests from parents. Not common, but not even remotely almost impossible. Also, try a different testing site if yours is hard with kids. Mine (2 and 4) actually look forward to getting tested at our pediatricians. They say it tickles, and they get lollipops. We're and out in 5 mins. It's so not a big deal for them.

Actually incredibly unlikely. The parents probably had it but didn’t test at a time when they the virus was active. The best way is to figure out when the child was exposed and then test multiple times. And it can vary by person. I know a family where they all got tested the day the learned if the exposure, and mom tested positive but dad was negative. Dad tested again three days later and was positive. They are all in the same house. Just random that the virus took longer to infect him.

My philosophy is test everyone for a known exposure regardless of symptoms. But for something mild like a runny nose that could be a symptom or could be something else? DH and I test and we keep an eye on it. DH and I have been tested over a dozen times (all negative). Kid has never been tested. She also is the least likely source of infection though because DH and I have to be indoors with other people much more frequently than she does.

Why are people spreading this nonsense? Even in the same house, COVID transmission is only about 50% on average -- LESS when kids are the first infected. If your kid is going to school/has non-parental infection sources, there is no reason to think that a negative parent test necessarily means a negative kid test, especially if only the kid has symptoms.