Not to see / contact the GP?

[CornishPorsche]

I DO NOT HAVE CORONAVIRUS!

No, not tested but I caught a cough off my 5yo nephew over 3wks ago. I'm coughing so badly I am struggling to sleep at night. If I take a deep breath, I cough. I think I sound a bit wheezy. Not producing much sputum, but what appears is dark.

Our GP surgery is closed to routine appointments, but have online consultations available - I assume they'll triage whether someone needs to be seen.

I've treated this with OTC meds since the beginning - I needed paracetamol to begin with, but only use cough mixture now (not that it does much).

I'm worried it's bronchitis or even walking pneumonia, but don't want to waste an appointment in the current climate. AIBU?

WWYD?

If your symptoms are not improving and are in fact worsening, the advice is to contact 111. They’re not closed to anything other than C-19. If you need advice and don’t want to go out, that’s what the service is there for.

If you haven't been tested for COVID then you do not know for sure you don't have it.

Call 111.

If you've had it three weeks and it's now in your chest then I think see the GP. Yes there is a crisis at the moment but part of the problem is that people will get very sick with other illnesses because they aren't taking the usual action. If you are able to get a GP appointment then take it. No point waiting til you are so sick you need hospitalising. Bronchitis and pneumonia are horrible so nip it in the bud asap.

Hope you feel better OP

You actually don’t know that. The virus may have been circulating long before it hit the news

You need to call your GP and describe your symptoms. Do not just go to an office on a generic appointment.

How do you know you dont have Covid19?
Your nephew would likely have had mild symptoms.
You need to ring 111 for advice.

Realistically, it's not likely a 5yo from Leeds has given me coronavirus - it's way more likely to be a general lurgy from his schoolmates. I picked it up at half term when he came to visit.

Calls to 111 are taking hours - the triage on the website says that because its not a new cough, and it's been more than a week then even if it had been CV, I'm not "shedding" the virus anymore anyway.

I'll send an online consult to my GP.