When to book a coronavirus test for your child: Updated guidance

Last week, NHS Test and Trace published an update to parents about when to seek coronavirus testing for children. In particular, it lists some symptoms that do not indicate that a child has Covid-19. The letter explains that you should only book a test if your child has any of these 3 coronavirus symptoms:

• a high temperature: any new high temperature where your child feels hot to touch on their chest or back (you do not need to measure the temperature)
• a new continuous cough: coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
• a loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste: a noticeable loss of smell or taste or things smell and taste different to normal

Your child does not need a test if they have a runny nose, are sneezing or feeling unwell but do not have a temperature, cough or loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste. This is because these are not normally symptoms of coronavirus.

The full letter is available here, but shown below for your convenience:

It complements some guidance provided a few months ago by Boots to facilitate a rudimentary differential diagnosis between Covid-19, a cold, flu, hayfever and asthma. This was provided in the form of a table, reproduced below.

This should prove useful as the northern hemisphere moves towards winder, with increased coughs and colds.