My 4-year-old has been sick the last couple of weeks with cough and high temp. I’ve been in touch with the doctor twice. They didn’t test him as the criteria then was if you had been to Italy. Now my 2-year-old is coming down with similar symptoms so I called my GP today and the 2 of them have been referred for the Covid-19 test. How can I prepare them, they will be absolutely terrified so what can I do?
You needn’t assume that they will be terrified. It is a straightforward procedure and the staff will be kind and gentle with the children. In terms of the testing itself, the main thing, because of their age, is that you show a lot of confidence about the whole procedure and act as if it is exactly what you expect. You can show them what the swab might be like, using a cotton bud, on their tongue.
You can explain about how medical staff will be dressed, show them pictures of medics wearing the personal protective equipment. Then explain that the testing is simply to check what kind of sickness they have, but that the treatment will probably still be just staying at home, drinking lots of water, and any other advice that your GP gives you about managing their temperature and so on.
However, the latest test criteria means that you may have already gotten news of their tests being cancelled as they don’t fit a priority category and so, staying at home and isolating your family is the way to continue.