To think I’ve had COVID 19, and it’s been here a while?

[VivienScott]

After Xmas I came down with what I thought was a terrible cold. Dry persistent cough, terrible fever, worse than I’ve ever had to the point I was delirious, difficulty breathing, though not pneumonia. Saw out of hours and they check oxygen levels, chest etc, said I was ok to be home, but I was not first case they’d seen like this and there was “something really awful going round this year”. Consequently had to see GP who said he’d had to hospitalise a lot more people than normal for breathing difficulties.
It all sounds exactly like coronavirus, it really felt like something dreadful to the extent I deliberately kept myself from others more than I would with a cold. I honestly believe it was, but it’s way before it was supposed to be in Europe let alone here in UK. What do you think, AIBU to think it’s been here longer than we’re aware?

I am looking forward to the antibody test becoming available. It will help when people don't have so much of this dreadful uncertainty hanging over them.

Chic, they're coming soon.

There are different types of flu, you know. Why do you think that vulnerable groups are encouraged to have the flu vaccine every year? Oh yes, because there is at least one new strain of flu per year.

However I see that nothing - not logic, not science, not copping on to themselves - is going to shake the conviction of posters on this thread that they had Coronavirus three years ago, or last November before it got going in China, or over Christmas.

Never mind that there were no signs of pandemic when you say you definitely had it. No, you definitely had it, you are special and nobody knows how you suffered. Were you kissing pangolins in Huanan in November? Drinking the blood of bats three years ago?

I genuinely pity GPs at times like this.

My DH was sent to hospital with a serious respiratory virus in Nov, then became infection. He needed strong course of steroids, antibiotics & inhaler. I had the same in December without needing to go to hospital - cough was dry, persistent & painful and not like anything I have had before. Will be interesting to get the antibody tests and see if we are right!

I didn't say I definitely had it. If I had experienced now, what I experienced in late Jan, I probably would have been told to assume I had it (because this is what they are telling people who turn up to A&E with similar symptoms) and been sent home if I was well enough. No testing. And then I would never know and I would never be added to the statistics.

My logical brain wonders why we aren't testing more? It's a lot cheaper to test carriers and completely isolate them and people they came into contact with than let it spread through the population as it is, close many businesses down, and ravage our NHS. If I was tested and I had had it, I could probably return to work. That seems logical to me?

No one on this thread thinks they are special chosen ones. Sneering at people doesn't help get your point across.

Humans have no immunity to Covid19. None of you had it or you’d have started outbreaks where you live and work. You’d have infected everyone and we’d have been locked down WAY before now if you’d had it in December. And those of you claiming you’ve had it on flights and not spread it like wildfire need to have a read about Coronavirus types and how contagious they are. None of you have had it and mysteriously not infected anybody else. Or just one person. Calm down. Stay safe, it may be tempting to convince yourself and others you’ve had it so you can go out/work etc but it’s not a good idea.

None of you had it or you’d have started outbreaks where you live and work

It was Christmas. No one in our family unit was working and we passed the virus to everyone else in the family.

I don’t think anyone ventured out of the house for about 10 days anyway.

Stay safe, it may be tempting to convince yourself and others you’ve had it so you can go out/work etc but it’s not a good idea.

I don't think anyone is suggesting they ignore the rules on the supposition they may have had it already.

We don't know if any outbreaks have occurred, because there is no testing. I know of at least 5 people who have had Covid symptoms in the last couple of weeks and who are now assuming they have had it. They are no better off than me, who had similar symptoms end of Jan which could not have been Covid because the dates don't stack up.

The government strategy of little or no testing is negligent.

People are just harmlessly speculating. Honestly, what is the problem with that. Have you seen a single person on this thread say "I think I've had the virus and am therefore immune so it's business as usual afaic and the social isolation rules don't apply to me" ? No, I don't think so. So why get so worked up over something which is nothing more than a discussion?

I basically self isolated in the house as well (even though it wasn't a thing then), spent most of my days in one room and slept alone at night in a separate room as I was coughing so much. My immediate colleague at work also got ill around the same time and ended up with a deep seated chest infection.

No one on this thread thinks they are special chosen ones.

Hahahahaha

It depends though are local (small ish hospital) has had 11 deaths so far. It’s in the community as people have been getting positives. DD has the oddest virus in mind Feb that the Dr at the time couldn’t figure out which fits with some accounts and we all felt variously ill after. That’s not to say we started an outbreak but that certainly one is here within the timeframe of us feeling ill

Those people that think they may have had it did your family / friends/ colleagues get it too ?
My mil had a cough from December till late February, antibiotics didn't work .
I had a bad cold/ cough for weeks from early Jan to early March , antibiotics didn't work .
My ds did have a virus and a cough end of feb which now you'd say were symptoms. The thing is none of my colleagues or my my dh had it so it couldn't possibly be COVID-19 could it ?

I've had an fever and body aches that come and go since mid January.

What concerns me is this could be a virus that develops into full blown immuno deficiency like HIV/AIDS.

Well apart from you @Iamthewombat

The only people worked up are the people who think they’ve had it. I’m going by what the scientific community are saying, that’s all. I was ill myself in February and had my steroids increased there was a nasty cold circulating but it wasn’t Covid19. It was hideous but it didn’t exactly fit the contagious nature of Covid19 or fill the hospitals like Covid19. Look at Italy, if it’d been doing the rounds as early as last year here I’m sure we’d be in a worse state here.

I got it from friends on Xmas day they had been on holiday to S Africa in game parks with Chinese people. Nearly everyone at our livery yard got it to some degree. Two of us with underlying issues had it for 7 weeks. Other more mildly. Even the super fit 22 year old got it quite badly. That is why they say so many people have had it. I will get a test as soon as I can.

www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/health/signs-symptoms-coronavirus-before-outbreak-3994463

I had all these symptoms. Dry cough, tight chest, felt like I couldn’t catch my breath. Sore throat. Conjunctivitis. My mum had it first, then my daughters, then me.

So why get so worked up over something which is nothing more than a discussion?

This is funny. Now that you’ve been exposed for talking bollocks, it’s ‘just a discussion’. Reminds me of people IRL who attempt to argue a position, fail miserably then bleat, “I’m just playing devil’s advocate”.

I’m not ‘worked up’ or ‘upset’, by the way. You’ll note that I and other posters capable of interpreting evidence reasonably have found this thread amusing. Ask yourself why you’d like me to be ‘worked up’ and ‘upset’. It couldn’t be so that you could tell yourself that you were the sensible logical person in this debate, could it?

Why is it amusing to you that people have experienced an awful bout of illness and are now anxious to know whether they have had Covid or not? Does it not occur to you that having been so ill, it would be comforting to know one way or the other because the threat of coming down with Covid and possibly feeling worse and getting more seriously ill, is actually quite frightening?

It comes back to testing. Using your logical brain, why do you think the UK has adopted a strategy of little testing? This makes no sense to me from an economic, political or medical standpoint.

Country should be testing more definitely.

The first confirmed cases outside mainland china were on January 20th in Japan, South Korea and Thailand. If they weren't testing in other countries before then, it is possible there were unconfirmed cases occurring before the first confirmed cases, particularly if symptoms in the majority of people are mild and readily discounted as "just flu"

The first cluster of confirmed cases in China were December 21st. It is not impossible that unconfirmed cases or asymptomatic people started distributing the virus to other locations before then surely? How are you so sure its not possible to have had it in December-Feb?

You are posting very aggressively wombat. I haven't speculated about whether anyone in the UK had the illness before mid January. I've only made 2 brief comments on the thread. So I haven't been exposed as anything thank you. Your determination to stop people talking to each other by making them out to be stupid is bizarre.

Why is it amusing to you that people have experienced an awful bout of illness

Yes, that is the exact thing I am amused by. Not the “I definitely had it I was patient zero NO I was patient zero the scientists are all wrong” nonsense.

You are posting very aggressively wombat.

Here we go again. Anyone who disagrees with you is ‘aggressive’, ‘upset’ or ‘worked up’. Be reassured. I am none of those things.

Your determination to stop people talking to each other by making them out to be stupid is bizarre.

There’s an open goal here and the goalie is on the sidelines complaining about how she had Coronavirus in August 1996 but nobody believes her. Will I kick the ball? No. It’s unfair.

I think I may have got it (as posted upthread) having contact with my friends who, had a milder version. Her husband didn’t have it at all. He travels a lot. His business is based in China.

When you factor in the “6 degrees of separation” Factor, it may be that people HAVE had it. May have caught it and mixed with those lucky enough to carry it yet remain asymptotic.

Who knows. We don’t. Not yet. And thanks to our Govt. there’s no way of testing.