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?

[quote Rhayader]@DeliasDinner

It is true: journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0194599820922992

The loss of smell in covid is caused by nerve damage, not a physical blockage like with a cold. Meaning that it takes more than a day to come back.[/quote]
No it really isn't. You said it takes at least a week to come back. That article doesn't say anywhere that if you have covid and lose your sense of smell, it will take at least a week to come back. It says the mean time in this study was 7.2 days. That's different. My DD lost her sense of smell. It returned in less than 7 days. She currently has covid.

I thought a runny nose was an almost definite sign it’s not Covid, so not sure the cough is even relevant in that case frankly. I wouldn’t get a test considering that they are in such high demand. Nor would I isolate if I knew it was a cold. There’s been a lot more symptoms comparisons information in the news the last week or so for exactly this reason - lots of people are rushing to get tests when it’s pretty obviously a back to school sniffle causing all the shortages.

I thought a runny nose was an almost definite sign it’s not Covid, so not sure the cough is even relevant in that case frankly.

So why isn’t the advice “Get a test unless you’ve got a runny nose”?

A runny nose absolutely doesn’t mean it’s not covid.

Just to be clear, you don’t need a test with just a runny nose.

If you have any of the three main symptoms (fever, continuous cough, loss of taste/smell) you need a test, regardless of what other symptoms you’ve got.

My best friend had a positive test for Covid and she would describe it as a really bad cold with a bit of a phlegmy cough and then after about 5 days she lost her sense of taste and smell. She tested positive before the loss of taste since she had been in contact with someone at work who had it.

I think it’s pretty irresponsible to go to work/school just now with cold symptoms and a cough of any kind since you don’t know if that’s a cold or Covid.

@notalwaysalondoner the guidance is to get a test if you have one of the symptoms. Whether you have a runny nose or not is irrelevant.

There is no way that you can automatically tell if someone has got Covid or not, based on their symptoms. They need to be tested. Some people are completely asymptomatic. There have been many reports of people presenting with a myriad of symptoms and not always the atypical Covid ones.

If someone has a persistent cough they need to be tested, whether they believe it is a cold or not.

The idea that people, who are following the guidelines and who are testing and isolating when presenting with one of the key symptoms, are causing the shortages is a harmful and misguided narrative.

[quote Oohmegooliebird]@ithinkiveseenthisfilmbefore no one is being told to isolate because of a cold. Cold with a cough or cold with a fever - yep you do need to isolate. Whether it is a dry, raspy, wet, sloppy, tickly, or barking cough.[/quote]
That is not true.

And my DCs have now had their colds, with accompanying coughs, and finished with it. As expected.

don't be daft

@notalwaysalondoner

I thought a runny nose was an almost definite sign it’s not Covid, so not sure the cough is even relevant in that case frankly. I wouldn’t get a test considering that they are in such high demand. Nor would I isolate if I knew it was a cold. There’s been a lot more symptoms comparisons information in the news the last week or so for exactly this reason - lots of people are rushing to get tests when it’s pretty obviously a back to school sniffle causing all the shortages.

My dd had a very runny nose and a cough and tested positive - lots of countries do list a runny nose as a common symptom in children, I think the European CDC say 60% of positive children also have a runny nose. The NHS guidelines don’t comment on runny noses (or headaches and sore throats - also very common symptoms) at all.

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

^^
This, combined with healthy people getting tests to go on holiday.

My friend was ill a couple of weeks ago and assumed she couldn’t have it because she had runny nose, cold symptoms (sniffles? 😄) too. We persuaded her to get a test, and she and her asymptotic husband and son also tested positive. Luckily they were isolating anyway as just come back from hols z

And the requirement for the cough to be a dry cough has gone.

Me and my child have a cough. I'm pretty sure it's just a standard cold he's picked up from nursery. Luckily we've managed to get a test so hopefully get the all clear soon.

@AldiAisleofCrap

ornyoundevelop a new continuous cough without other symptoms...' *@CrunchyNutNC Er the guidance does say a new continuous cough with or without* other symptoms!

No, but given the confusion around what a continuous cough is, they could have made it clearer by saying continuous cough or you have any sort of cough with an illness as people clearly (this thread is evidence) not thinking that a mild cough accompanying cold symptoms is what they mean.

@ithinkiveseenthisfilmbefore Did you send them to school with the slight cough ? Were they reasonable about it?

Yes.

And I have been equally reasonable about the children in my class who had colds last week.

The dictionary definition of continuous is 'without interruption or pause'.

So a continuous cough sounds to me like a very bad cough that prevents you from speaking normally, etc.

If they intended that you get tested for any sort of cough accompanying a cold why not say that? If they specified that you needed to be "...tested with any sort of cough unless linked to a preexisting condition" it would be clearer.

I think berating anyone for not testing with a cough is a bit unfair given the guidance is unclear and subjective, and there is a known shortage of test, and a PM saying that the problem is exacerbated by people testing unnecessarily.

The dictionary definition of continuous is 'without interruption or pause'.

The NHS site has more information than that...
this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

@PurpleDaisies

The dictionary definition of continuous is 'without interruption or pause'.

The NHS site has more information than that...
this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

"Coughing a lot " or "coughing episode" is still pretty subjective IMO.

How much is alot? What I think is a mild cough someone else might think is quite alot.

What is an episode?

If they wanted to be clear they have demonstrably failed.

There are no tests because far too many people aren't being sensible with their diagnosis like yourself..
You know, I know, they know it's a common cold when you have snot, wet cough, phlegm blah blah blah.... why does everyone assume its flipping covid!...
Rant over but applause you for not jumping in your car to find nearest testing station only 100 miles away!!
Hope you feel better soon!

If they wanted to be clear they have demonstrably failed.

That pretty much sums up the entire government approach.

@aquashiv

Same here streaming cold sore throat sore chest and head ache. Cough is intermittent. My bf said I should get a test. Luckily I know its a cold she said yes but you could be a carrier and the sneezing might mean you pass it on.

My DH had those symptoms with aches and pains and one spiked temperature the following day. I was utterly convinced He had the flu but we got him tested. It came back positive. Now he has the other symptoms - loss of taste, and can barely eat due to his throat. I’m glad we didn’t assume even though I’d have bet money it was the flu. Simple if you have any symptoms get tested or isolate. You do not know it’s a cold.

Maybe there isn’t a specific “Covid cough” - some people cough occasionally, some constantly, some have little dry coughs, some have big barky coughs, some have phlegmy chesty coughs etc etc.

This thread is so depressing. We're fucked if people are too selfish to follow the guidance. Why do people assume that they know better than the NHS?

I just got tested today. I'm pretty sure I just have a cold but I'm 7 months pregnant and have so many hospital appointments etc coming up I don't want to risk passing on to anyone else if it is corona. I personally think even if I wasn't pregnant and I developed the cough that I have now, I would still try to get tested. I do think it's better to be safe than sorry

OP as long as you are keeping to yourself you are fine. If you are going to work, sending kids to school wait for some days to get well.

@AlexaShutUp you’ve summed up my thoughts perfectly.

I’m appalled by some of the attitudes towards illness and testing.