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?

Iamthewombat

I do know the difference between flu and a cold.
I have had a really nasty type of flu before and whilst this illness started off like a type of flu this was definitely not like any flu I have ever had

If you are firmly convinced that you have had Covid 19, against all evidence to the contrary, then you should get yourself tested at the earliest opportunity then enlighten the chief medical officer. He hasn’t got much on at the moment.

No, I definitely I had flu twice before the last virus. Both times I was bedridden for 3 - 4 weeks, aches all over, fever, infections, doctors confirmed flu.

Last time was something completely different, it seemed nothing like the previous 2 flu episodes. I went to the doctor because I thought I'd been poisoned or something very, very serious. They did all kinds of tests on me.

Sorry, l know the difference between a cold and the flu and it's a big difference. I also know that last time I was ill, it was something even more serious than flu.

Let me spell it out for you, before we have to read about any more of your symptoms.

You did not have Coronavirus, or ‘an earlier version’ of it, three years ago. You had a cold, or flu. You are not helping anybody with your attempts to jump on a drama bandwagon.

I’m convinced DH had it mid feb. Wracking cough and fever. I’ve never known him ill for so long. I had the same but was over it in a week.

I'm not jumping on a drama wagon. I'm just telling you what happened. Why are you getting upset about it? I don't know what I had 3 years ago, all I know is the symptoms were very similar to this.

If you are firmly convinced that you have had Covid 19, against all evidence to the contrary, then you should get yourself tested at the earliest opportunity then enlighten the chief medical officer. He hasn’t got much on at the moment

Atm there isn’t a test out to tell if you have had the virus or not. When it does come out and is made available to the general public then I would be very interested to see whether we have all had it.

I don’t think that anyone can be sure when exactly this virus started to flourish in the world or even in the UK

A week or so ago it was being reported that it started at the end of January.

Now it has been pushed back to mid January with the person catching it in early January in Europe

All we are saying is that it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that it could have started here in December.

I went down with it between Christmas and New Year’s Eve

In late January in India, I had a low fever and a cough. It was treated with antibiotics though.

If the virus is man-made (which it could have been) they could have tested it on people at any time in the past. None of us know half of what really goes on.

It's really not feasible that Covid19 was in the UK with community spread in December.
The first case in Wuhan can be traced back to mid November.
If there had been community spread in December we would have seen many deaths and hospitals overwhelmed by the end of January.

I thought this was supposed to be a coronavirus free zone. There is a CV forum

My best friend is a speculator respiratory nurse in a hospital In the midlands and said she had not seen a rise in cases or anything unusual this year until very recently.

I had it too. Over new years for about 2 years and the cough dragged on for ages. It was unusual as I had no nasal congestion, didn't blow my nose once throughout it, and had terrible headaches from the fever. It went around my office over that month. The kids had a milder version but didn't miss school. Haven't felt so rough for years.

2 weeks not 2 years haha.
I am looking forward to doing an antibody test.

I am looking forward to doing an antibody test.

Me too. Unfortunately I've seen some possibly confused reporting that slips back and forth between corona testing and antibody testing so I'm not sure when either are becoming widely available, although I gather its in the coming days.

Mind you, I do not think I've had corona so my mind would be blown if the antibody test were positive.

I understand people will be cleared to return to work if positive.

There was something similar going around, OP. Someone I know had very same symptoms and his daughter had access to a test at work apparently- she shouldn’t have but she did sneak him to the hospital to be tested and it was negative. I heard this third hand though so might be bullshit.

I myself was ill a few weeks ago with fever, persistent cough, aches pains which then led in to shortness of breath after week one (apparently, COVID-19 is a slow burner and many people feel better after week one and then feel ill again)

Although it sounds like CV, I’m not 100% convinced as the numbers of cases in the UK three weeks ago weren’t high enough for me to believe I had it.
Also, I saw my 92 year old man with COPD two days before I got symptoms (obviously wouldn’t have gone if I had known) and she came down with the same thing - she was in isolation but she fully recovered. I’d wager she wouldn’t have gotten better if it was CV.

The thing is, none of us know for definite and I think we just have to assume we didn’t have it so we can take necessary precautions.

*nan not man!

If every here who says they've had it had (I had similar in January but I'm not convinced) then why the hell are we on lock down, with an incredible government bail out and near every shop including gym and leisure centres are closed?

Doesn't seem likely, when I had it my dad got it but no one else, work colleagues, husband my mum or friends got it.

This worries me as my dad thinks he is immune now as he has had it in his mind.

It was evidently present in China well before it was admitted, and given that a lot of Chinese were evidently working in N Italy, and presumably some were going back and forth - and that some UK residents were presumably visiting N Italy - ski holidays in December? - IMO it’s not unfeasible at all that you could have picked it up somewhere.

My son was hanging out with some friends who had been skiing in Italy over New Year. Had a sleepover at their house. He got ill the week before I did but much milder. So if it was circulating in Italy earlier than they have said it’s not impossible that there was a route to us. Given the officially reported relatively small number of cases in the UK I find it a bit odd that apparently these are concentrated amongst footballers and politicians 😬. No need for the sneering on this thread. Without testing you’re wallowing in as much tin foil as the rest of us. Lack of testing is the big issue. If there was more extensive testing we would all know and they could fight this virus with the blindfold off.

92 year old man 😂

I had a horrific bout of flu in October which led to pneumonia. I had a really horrid cough and couldn't speak more than 2 words without coughing for weeks. If I came down with it now I'd be convinced it was corona virus. But it wasn't, it was flu.

I am convinced I had it in early Dec. I flew to Germany for the Christmas Markets, and on the plane back started to feel unwell - hot, shivery, lethargic. I was in bed for the best part of a week, and had a dry, tickly cough for weeks - up to Christmas at least.
That was the 3rd Dec.

No one else in gthe family got it, tho.

I also tutor Chinese kids (by phone) - they were in China until Sept when the schools in Germany reopened and they flew to Germany. I reckon Europe had it, mildly, for a few months, before it exploded exponentially.

The sheer number of planes and passengers out of China per day was enormous - I cannot believe that the virus took weeks to arrive from China into Europe. Hours, maybe .

And I've had 'flu.

It wasn't the same.