To wonder why people are self isolating with a cough and not a continuous cough

[2020hello]

I thought the xough symptom had to be continuous like coughing for an hour, not just the average cough and cold?

Are people really self isolating and getting tested with just colds without fevers?

I get the fever thing but coughing a few times a day seems a tad extreme?

My friend had it, no cough or fever, just breathlessness. Tested positive. You just don’t know that's the issue, we only have three? Things on the list, the WHO have far more

@HotPenguin

Just seen "tiredness" is on the list for Blackpool, that'll be every parent of young children isolating then!

And every child who has just gone back to school/nursery after 6 months.

The symptoms vary hugely from person to person. My DP's health has been absolutely destroyed by "long covid" (6 months now and counting). Initial symptoms were like mild flu with no significant cough. Getting a test early is vital.

After a few days back at school my daughter started sneezing, couple of days later her brother and I, as well as DD had classic cold symptoms - sneezing, snotty nose and then coughing. DS, who's 2, also had a mild temperature, as he always does with every bug.

I sent her to school. I did feel a bit bad but it was obvious to me that it was just a cold. Due to DS's slight temperature (that lasted a few hours) we should apparently all be self isolating for 14 days, even though DD and DS are now both over the cold.

For me the cold has turned into a horrible cough, had it been the cough on its own without the cold symptoms I'd be self isolating.
No tests available.
I expect everyone to tell me how irresponsible I am, but really, we can't self isolate for 14 days and test every time we get a cold which inevitably turns into a cough.

Great, DD3 now has a fever of 38.3c. There are no tests.

@BrainAyche

After a few days back at school my daughter started sneezing, couple of days later her brother and I, as well as DD had classic cold symptoms - sneezing, snotty nose and then coughing. DS, who's 2, also had a mild temperature, as he always does with every bug.

I sent her to school. I did feel a bit bad but it was obvious to me that it was just a cold. Due to DS's slight temperature (that lasted a few hours) we should apparently all be self isolating for 14 days, even though DD and DS are now both over the cold.

For me the cold has turned into a horrible cough, had it been the cough on its own without the cold symptoms I'd be self isolating.
No tests available.
I expect everyone to tell me how irresponsible I am, but really, we can't self isolate for 14 days and test every time we get a cold which inevitably turns into a cough.

Why not, @BrainAyche? What makes you special? We're having to do it, because that's what the rules say. Why can't you follow the rules?

DS has what I'm guessing is a cold so now I'm driving myself crazy trying to guess whether it's Covid or not, especially as he's admitted he'd love to be off school .

Area is notorious for having no tests available so will just have to hope for the best really

I've managed to get DD3 a test at a centre 40 miles away. I've no idea why the massive centre 12 miles away or the walk-through centre 4 miles away aren't available, but I suppose anything is better than nothing.

Excellent, covid has given us another splendid opportunity to turn on each other.

Lougle 40 miles (and 80 in fact) is ridiculous unless you live in a really rural area.

A Covid test really shouldn't be a luxury for the financially comfortable, as in can afford a car, petrol. Not to mention that you might not feel well enough to be safe to drive...

It did feel a bit ridiculous, @CheshireChat. Having said that, the process was really smooth, with friendly staff. I was the only person there (with DD3, of course). They even fixed my number plate because a screw had come loose and rattled off, letting the plate rub along the floor.

School have confirmed that even if DD2's test (sent on Tuesday, arrived at test lab on Wednesday) comes back negative, they can't go to school until DD3's test result returns. They cheerily pointed out that if DD1 then comes down with symptoms, they'll all have to isolate again while we get her tested, even if they've gone back to school.

I had a cold before lockdown that turned into a nasty cough that wouldn't go away.

I spoke to my GP who prescribed antibiotics as I said I thought it might be an upper respiratory infection.

I'm not a doctor so have no idea if I was right, but my GP accepted my 'diagnosis' and didn't suggest I isolate, although tbh I pretty much hadn't left the house for 3 weeks.

It could well have been Covid I don't know.

Sometimes it's really hard to know what different symptoms mean.