To assume my cough is because I have a cold

[Redsquirrel34]

So since Thursday I've been absolutely full of cold. Streaming nose, felt a bit rough. No temp and no cough until today. I've woken and feel alot better in myself but can feel the phlegm at the back of my throat and it's making me cough! Not horrendously, just a short cough. I've been awake an hour and coughed 3 times. The cold was caught from my nieces, who passed it onto my daughter, then to me. And now my husband and son are all extremely snotty too.
Isn't this the reason why there's no tests? Because technically I have a cough I should get tested but common sense says it's a cold. I just feel it's stupid to attempt to test in these circumstances. If I had a cough out of nowhere or a temp it would be different. Aibu to put the cough down to a cold?

No I’m doing the same. No tests anyway.

Do you have a dry persistent cough? If it’s a wet cough due to mucus etc then it’s cause of the cold not due to Covid

I have the same symptoms and will not be testing. I only cough occasionally, a Covid cough is more persistent and involves ‘coughing episodes’. And if you are snotty then that is not going to be Covid. Really no
Need to get tested.

Same boat. Totally agree. Of course there will be exceptions where people are wrong and it is Covid but on the whole I think people should be allowed to apply common sense.

No, it's a cough caused by your cold. It's not dry and not continuous. Thank you for having some common sense.

I would tend to agree, cough is secondary to cold symptoms and you are coughing to clear phlegm. Hope you clear it soon

YANBU my DS caught a snotty cold at school and passed it on to me and DH. Now DS has a phlegmy tickly cough - lots of throat clearing. Not going to test. Some stuff you read says that covid cough is dry and sort of barking. I feel this should be spelt out more as yes, I think that's why there are no tests atm.

YANBU. Other viruses are still available!

Ps/ glad you are getting nice, measured responses here!

I’m in the same boat - snitty and sneezy after a sore throat then a cough that started last night. No temp, no loss of taste/smell and copious amounts of snot!!

I do the ZOE app and they’ve invited me to do a test (again!). There are none available anyway but I was torn as I appreciate that to get the full picture they need to eliminate symptoms...

If you have only coughed three times (as in, three coughs, rather than three episodes of coughing), then I don't think it counts as a persistent cough so you don't need to do anything.

If you continue to cough throughout the day, then you and your family need to isolate for 14 days, or you should get a test.

Yes, it's almost certainly just a cold, but people cannot be left to decide for themselves as to whether they have covid or not - they're have been enough examples of people testing positive when they were convinced that it was something else to demonstrate this.

The reason that we have no tests is that the government didn't Ian sufficiently to put the right infrastructure in place. It was entirely predictable that lots of people would need testing as we head into cough and cold season, and as everything has opened up again. There may be some people who are getting tested unnecessarily, but that was predictable too, and the system should be set up to cope with this.

The reason there's no tests is due to bad planning, not people getting tested for legitimate symptoms.

It's possible to have a cold and coronavirus at the same time and coronavirus doesn't always present in the typical way, so if your cough persists (not 3 coughs in an hour) then you still need to get tested - assuming you can access a test, of course!

You haven’t been having coughing episodes. You’ve just had the odd cough.

There are no tests because the government didn’t realise that when children went back to school the number of people with new continuous coughs would explode. That’s the problem, not people second guessing whether their cough is a cold or not.

I was in the same boat this week. Cough was mucusy and phlegmy, definitely down to the cold. Didn't bother with a test.

Actually, you would only need to isolate for 10 days. Your family would need to isolate for 14.

Some stuff you read says that covid cough is dry and sort of barking. I feel this should be spelt out more as yes, I think that's why there are no tests atm.

Only in most cases though. A third of covid coughs are productive, phlegmy coughs.

You can’t clinically tell one from the other. Don’t you think the government would have put that message out there if you could tell it wasn’t covid from the character of the cough?

I was expecting to get flamed! Not a dry cough no. It's tickly and I can definitely feel it's because of the mucus. I honestly feel scared to go out and cough in public as people will be horrified! I've done the symptom checker on 111 online and because I've put yes to a cough it says get a test!

DD is the same but with the exception of a bit of a dodgy rash too (she’s a very rashy child when she’s ill usually though).

Because she’s in three different childcare settings (school, breakfast club and childminder) I’ve just made the decision to order her a test. It’s much more likely it’s anything else but that’s too many settings where the risk is she’ll be sent home. At least this way it can be ruled out if it’s not.

I do feel a bit guilty but I also feel guilt over the thought of self diagnosing and merrily sending her off and getting it wrong. Damned if you do damned if you don’t.

I was in the same boat this week. Cough was mucusy and phlegmy, definitely down to the cold. Didn't bother with a test.

Are you self isolating for ten days?

You'd better be right because if put clinically vulnerable people at increased risk by not testing or isolating, it's on you.

I know tests are as rare as hen's teeth.

@Redsquirrel34 look at this NHS page about managing your covid cough.

It can be a productive cough.

You need to decide if your cough meets the “continuous” criteria, not whether it’s a cough due to covid.

Yes, the advice is to test if you have a persistent cough.

It doesn't matter if it's dry or productive. People need to follow the NHS advice, and not make their own assumptions.

I agree with you. Coughing a few times to clear mucus is not the same as a continuous dry cough no matter what some posters will tell you. I imagine your cough will be worse 1st thing in the morning after you have been lying down etc. The advice is to get tested for a continuous cough, and the who advice states a dry cough which if you have phlegm it isnt.

Our school has taken a very pragmatic approach to colds, thank goodness. Though plenty of poster on MN who would have you take a test and SI because you display one SINGLE symptom of covid (not taking into account the fact you are streaming with mucus and clearly have the common cold!).

cornettoninja, please don't feel guilty. You have done exactly the right thing.