Number of kids being tested at Health Sciences North's COVID-19 site is growing

Last Monday, Melissa Hollinger received a phone call from Walden Public School in Lively about the oldest of her three young boys. 

William, the school said, had a runny nose. 

While a case of the sniffles wouldn't have concerned her in the past, the call meant her four-year-old son was being taken to the school's COVID-19 isolation area.

It was a health and safety precaution, the school said. Hollinger would have to pick him up and take him home. They told her William was allowed to return once he was symptom free for 48 hours.

Once she arrived home, Hollinger spoke with her family doctor who recommended that her son get tested for COVID-19. 

He wanted me to tell him that he would never have to have it done again.— Melissa Hollinger

Hollinger said it took three days to connect with the Walford Road testing site in Sudbury, to arrange for a test.

As a mother of three, Hollinger said she understands the need for health and safety protocols, but she wonders how sustainable the new directives will be as the school year progresses.

"If it were to become a regular occurrence with him being sent home a lot for runny noses, we will probably reconsider sending him to school," Hollinger said.

'He did not want to have that done'

According to Health Sciences North (HSN), Hollinger is far from the only caregiver taking their child to get tested for COVID-19 in recent weeks. 

In the first week of September HSN says it tested 87 people under the age of 19. That number grew to 188 people in that same age group from Monday to Wednesday of last week.

Hollinger said not only was the test time consuming, it was deeply unpleasant for both her and her son, who was resistant to having the cotton swab inserted into his nose.  

"He did not want to have that done," she said, "It was upsetting to have to hold him down and then he was really upset after."

She said her son pleaded with her not to ever have the procedure done again, a promise she couldn't make so early in the school year. 

But, she says, the ordeal does have her reconsidering if in-person learning was the right choice for her family. 

"If it comes down to him having to do more of these tests to go to school, then I think we will be keeping him at home."