Ten-year-old squashes COVID-19 testing fears

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Wash your hands often, physically distance when possible and get tested if you feel unwell. These are the important COVID-safe messages to remember, and ones that year 4 student Lachie Frost has followed closely.

Lachie woke up with a cough and sore throat one morning and immediately went and got tested for COVID-19.

This was Lachie’s first COVID-19 test, and to help his friends and family better understand what it’s like to get tested, he wrote a letter about his testing experience.

“When we got there they stuck a thing down my throat and up my nose.” Lachie explained in his letter.

“It tickles and brings tears to the eyes. It also leaves a tingling feeling in your nose but it didn’t really hurt. It was so quick!

“If I had to have another test I couldn’t care less because I now know it doesn’t hurt.”

Lachie’s mother Renee is the one who encouraged him to get tested, reassuring him that the test would be over before he knew it.

“Lachie was concerned that he may return a positive result, but I had to remember to stay calm for him.” Renee said.

“It’s never nice to watch your child go through a procedure but I knew it was the right thing to do in order to keep both our family, and the community safe from the virus.”

While over 300,000 people in Western Sydney have had a COVID-19 test this year, many of them, especially young children, are unsure about what the test entails.

“Don’t talk about it all day. If a test is required, go early. My kids found the anxiety of the unknown worse than the actual procedure.” Renee said.

“If there is a long queue at a clinic, you can sometimes drive a short distance to another clinic which will have a shorter wait time.

“And if all else fails, think of an incentive! Think of something that they can look forward to after the test is complete.”

If your child is experiencing symptoms such as: fever, runny nose, cough, loss of smell or taste, they should get a COVID-19 test immediately and stay at home until they receive their results.

For more information and resources on COVID-19 testing visit Western Sydney’s COVID-19 Community Resource page here.

Before going to a COVID-19 clinic to have your child tested, check NSW Health COVID-19 Clinics to see whether the clinic tests all ages.

Western Sydney COVID-19 testing clinic options for children include:

Clinic	Opening Times
The Children’s Hospital at Westmead	8:30am – 4pm, 7 days.
Kellyville Drive-through Pop-up Clinic	8am – 5pm, 7 days.
Merrylands Park Drive-through Clinic	8am – 5pm, Monday – Friday.
Blacktown Hospital	8am – 8pm, 7 days. Babies under the age of 1 years will not be tested at this facility and will be referred to Blacktown Hospital Emergency Department