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?

All the ‘snotty nose means not Covid’ posters. Have a look at this list of symptoms from CDC in America.

I had the same, cold and cough. 111 said that I needed to be persistently coughing for an hour before they consider testing

@Morgysmum

Hi, according to a doctor on Jeremy Vine. Today, 21st of September. If you have a snotty nose, then it's probably just a cold. She said if you get a cough, without a runny nose and the cough is persistent, then it's probably covid. But with your runny nose, she said its a cold. If you have a loss of smell and taste, then it's covid.

But “a doctor on Jeremy Vine” isn’t in charge of England’s approach to tackling Covid-19. The government is, and they have set three quite simple criteria for when people should isolate and test.

You can disagree with it all you like but, until it changes, that’s what you should do.

The 111 helpline told me that a coughing episode is coughing so much that you can’t catch your breath.

I agree with everyone who has said that the term “continuous cough” is open to interpretation. The guidance needs to be clearer and backed up with a functioning testing regime.

I don't think it can be clearer as there is such a wide range of coughs experienced by people with covid - wet and dry, really constant and much more intermittent. If they start describing one particular kind of cough they will miss lots of positive cases.

Yep common cold, well done for not being dramatic...

I too have a cough, sneezing lots... Ditto cold!

I think half of the country have become hypochondriacs!

Our school has said if the cold symptoms came first, then cough they want the kids back in, no need to keep everyone off...

A very small minority of covid sufferers get runny nose type symptoms as well as fever continuous cough loss of taste etc but not many. sniffles don't usually equal covid. it if you worried by all means self isolate for 14 days.

I’m in same boat-I report on the Zoe Covid app and they asked me to get a test to see if I do have it or not, to gain more understanding of symptoms etc. I’m certain it’s a cold.

I posted early on in this thread, cold then a cough, was asked for a test by ZOE App, dithered a bit but had a test yesterday, result back this morning - negative.

Well I got my son tested as school won’t have him in with a cough but it’ll linger for weeks so I had no choice. I’m not a hypochondriac. A lot of people are in the same position they don’t have a choice.

I can't get a test but am off work with what I believe is just a cold but my goodness, it has really floored me. I feel so unwell! Nose is streaming, eyes are streaming, no temperature, a bit of throat clearing now and again, lost voice, sense of smell and taste very much intact. I am as sure as I can be it would be a waste of a test but I really want one to be sure.

*A continuous cough is meant to mean almost everyone who has a cough. The phrasing is just trying to exclude people who have coughed because of something environmental e.g. dust and then not coughed again. People with established cough for other medical reason like asthma are excluded too.

I am absolutely despairing at all the posters of this thread who consider that they know better than medical professionals and so are going to continue potentially spreading Covid when they are symptomatic.

There are plenty of cases of Covid where people originally thought they had a cold.*

All of this. If you cough continuously throughout the day ie not just a sporadic cough from dust or a toast crumb. You have a continuous new cough related to illness symptoms. That is the criteria for being tested!

What if you have the odd 5mns coughing fit?
Say every 7/8 hours or so?
Does that count as the 'episode' they describe?
Because an hour coughing is a different ballgame isn't it?

I'm sorry but the whole thing is still too vague.
If coughing is one of the main symptoms they should either blanket test, or really explain what they mean.

It's almost like they are setting people up for failure.
Vague symptoms/hard to get a test in the first place/unpractical to wait days for result= people making a judgement call.
Then they can blame the public for being careless and selfish and not protecting others.

A continuous cough is meant to mean almost everyone who has a cough. The phrasing is just trying to exclude people who have coughed because of something environmental e.g. dust and then not coughed again. People with established cough for other medical reason like asthma are excluded too.

Why not say so then? Because as a casual reader of symptoms that is NOT how I would interpret it.
If I wanted clarification I would actually find lots of confusing info online as well- some from medical sources.

People have colds- they often have a coughing episode in the morning.
Nothing else in the day- what do they do?
According to the literal guidelines it is not continuous (only 5/10mns from waking up).It doesn't fit the 3+ 'episodes' per 24 hours either.
But it is clearly caused by their cold. Which could actually be a symptom of Covid anyway.

Literal headache all round.

You need a test.

"continuous cough" is so vague that, as @midnightstar66 star said, the wording is (probably) specifically meant to infer that the vast majority of coughs should be checked out.

But that is a huge ask of everyone doing the cold and flu season.

And more to the point the government should have got its act together quicker on the testing if that's what they really meant. Hundreds of thousands of people a day will need a test if they really do think any cough requires one. And will need a result back asap too.

@SkaraBrae
Agree 100%. Is a nightmare. Especially for people like me with two young kids who get colds and coughs all the time and I'm self employed so taking time off to look after them directly affects household income.

ditto the mum I know who is a teacher as is her husband and have four children who again are very prone to coughs and colds. The entire household (four children plus two teacher) have had to isolate for 3 days twice in two weeks. Just isn't sustainable.

This is the information Devon County Council are giving out on symptoms of Covid vs Cold or Flu.

What if you have the odd 5mns coughing fit?
Say every 7/8 hours or so?*
Does that count as the 'episode' they describe?
Because an hour coughing is a different ballgame isn't it?

That would be 3 episodes in 24 hours, so would require a test.

People have colds- they often have a coughing episode in the morning.
Nothing else in the day- what do they do?

One episode in 24 hours would not meet criteria so doesn't require a test unless there are other symptoms.

I strongly suggest anyone who is struggling has a look at the NHS guidance.

Yep definitely a cold OP. The same thing happens every year when schools and universities go back. We call it the September lurg. It has been through my household and it was sore throat, snotty nose, sneezing and mild cough. Gone in a week. I didn’t get a test but my friends husband did when he had the same cold as he has a heart condition...test was negative for Covid. Also...I caught Covid in March and symptoms were different and dragged on for months!

Why are you blaming schools for insisting you/your children get tested when they are following government advice? If there was an outbreak at your school then they’d be blamed for not keeping children off. Blame the impossible situation we have all been placed in by the DfE, not school staff who are having to make difficult decisions to protect the health of their community.

Those of you not getting tested for a continuous cough are choosing your own convenience over others’ health and safety and the risk of spreading the pandemic faster for all of us.

The guidance is clear that you need to get tested and self-isolate if you have one of the three symptoms.

There is no guidance saying don’t bother if you are sure it’s a cold.

Effectively define continuous cough and we've got more chance.

A few individual coughs (not episodes) in the first half hour after getting up doesn't seem like a continuous cough.

In my non expert opinion an episode of coughing needs to be more than 10s of coughing joined together rather than isolated clearing of snot/food.

100% agree an effective and clear definition is needed.