Colds, coughs and sneezes

As is normal, since returning we have seen a surge in the prevalence of the common cold. For clarity, if a child develops a high temperature or a continuous cough it must be treated as a possible COVID-19 symptom, the child must isolate and get tested.  

The NHS definition for each of the three COVID-19 symptoms are: 

• a high temperature – measured as 37.8°C or above. If you don’t have a thermometer, feeling hot to the touch on your chest or back is a good indicator of a high temperature

• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal.

Only people with symptoms should get tested. If the child is symptomatic and the parents are not, only the child should be tested.

If the child tests negative then self-isolation can end.

If the child tests positive then self-isolation continues for the child and their household. Members of the household should still only get tested if they develop symptoms.