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Original poster

.. to ask you what you think? Likelihood of it being covid??

27 replies

pistedap · 30/09/2021 21:19

Hi everyone!

I'm currently abroad with my DP and his parents in Spain.
We have been as careful as possible, wearing masks, hand washing and sanitising and keeping distance where possible but have also enjoyed eating out in the evenings a couple of times over the course of the week.

Anyway - fast forward to now, and DP's dad is showing some strange symptoms and not feeling well at all;

  • hot and cold chills
  • shivery
  • achey
  • headache
  • muscle pains
  • lethargic
  • says it's effort to walk / move at all
  • seems to be getting a slight cough

At first we wondered if it could be heat stroke, since we have been blessed with some glorious weather this past week.. but now we are worried it could be covid.
We have our PCR tests booked tomorrow afternoon as we need to prove a negative test to get back home.

Has anybody had covid and recognise the above symptoms as covid symptoms..? We are really unsure as to what it could be, sadly don't have a thermometer here to check his temperature but he does feel hot to the touch.

Just feeling a bit worried! 😟

OP posts:
Original poster
pistedap · 30/09/2021 21:20

Sorry - I pressed send too soon!
Thanks in advance for any help with this ☺️

OP posts:
Kittii · 30/09/2021 21:21

Sorry but those are all known covid symptoms. Do you have any lateral flow tests with you while you wait for the PCR?

DementedPanda · 30/09/2021 21:21

Sounds like he needs a test. Only way of knowing I'm afraid.

TheOpenRoad · 30/09/2021 21:22

I've just had a positive lateral flow and have those exact symptoms. However, it could be a regular cold or flu too, they still exist

User9911 · 30/09/2021 21:24

Don’t go for the PCR. Take the lateral flow first and if it’s positive wait to go for the PCR otherwise you will pay twice I think.

Original poster
pistedap · 30/09/2021 21:24

Thanks everyone. Will have to wait for the PCR test tomorrow and then the results on Saturday. They take a day to come through, I know we will all be super on edge!

Very true r.e cold / flu, as well. Could well be this.

OP posts:
LaikO · 30/09/2021 21:27

I had all of those apart from shivers when I had covid a while back. There seem to be a lot of colds going around though, and it could be flu at this time of year. Hopefully it isn't covid and he's feeling better soon!

lljkk · 30/09/2021 21:31

Aren't something like 95% of all covid tests NOT covid?
So I will say >> 50% chance it's not covid.

HollowTalk · 30/09/2021 21:31

Has he been double vaccinated?

Shirleyphallus · 30/09/2021 21:32

It could be covid…. Or it could just be a bug, of which there are hundreds going around

BluebellsGreenbells · 30/09/2021 21:35

Why are you ‘confused’ about covid symptoms?

It’s been nearly 2 years

Original poster
pistedap · 30/09/2021 21:38

I haven't said that I'm confused about covid symptoms, I have asked if anybody recognises these as covid symptoms after having had covid themselves - I know of many people that have had / got covid and they have all had varying symptoms, some not having had any at all.

OP posts:
westcountryboy · 30/09/2021 21:43

@pistedap

I haven't said that I'm confused about covid symptoms, I have asked if anybody recognises these as covid symptoms after having had covid themselves - I know of many people that have had / got covid and they have all had varying symptoms, some not having had any at all.
But you're asking if a fever (shivering and chills is a fever) is a recognised Covid symptom when of course it is!
CovoidOfAllHumanity · 30/09/2021 21:45

Those were pretty much all the symptoms I had with COVID (pre vaccine era) I'm afraid

Banging headache, extreme tiredness, and temperature first and terrible muscle aches for first few days
Not much cough at any point
Ongoing tiredness and muscle aches plus a whole slew of symptoms after that; short of breath, diarrhoea, nausea, loss of/ weird taste

HundredMilesAnHour · 30/09/2021 21:46

I had all those symptoms last week apart from not wanting to walk/move. I subsequently tested positive for Covid. I was told that flu like symptoms are very common for the Delta variant in people who have been vaccinated.

Get a lateral flow done asap. Then at least you'll know quickly if he's positive. I assume you're all behaving as if he's positive anyway so you're not putting anyone else at risk by spreading it. And start planning what you'll do if you can't get back home due to a positive test.

Phoebesgift · 30/09/2021 21:55

Has he been double vaccinated?

MissCreeAnt · 30/09/2021 21:55

Loads of bugs around at the moment so still a good chance that it's not covid. Anecdotally our secondary school has a good few covid cases but vmany more colds/fevers/bugs.

Of course isolate until PCR though and check if you are allowed into the PCR test site with symptoms. (I know you are normally, but don't know if you're going to a special holidaymaker site or something.)

ApolloandDaphne · 30/09/2021 22:04

Sounds like Covid but you won't actually know until he tests. I would start making contingency plans.

idontlikealdi · 30/09/2021 22:04

Could be, test is the only way of knowing

Lovinghannah · 01/10/2021 08:05

Lateral flow tests don't work if the person has symptoms

Ekofisk · 01/10/2021 08:29

@Lovinghannah

Lateral flow tests don't work if the person has symptoms
Yes they do.

Lateral flow tests are 95% effective at detecting Covid-19 when used at the onset of symptoms

www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-07-14-lateral-flow-tests-are-95-effective-detecting-covid-19-when-used-onset-symptoms

MissCreeAnt · 01/10/2021 09:40

Text from article you linked @ekofisk

"It is important, however, that the tests are carried out correctly by qualified personnel, as was the case in our study.'," So not patients doing DIY tests. I've had a couple of nurse-administered PCR tests and they are... thorough. They felt like an anatomy lesson.

"In our study, both shorter duration of symptoms and higher viral load were significantly associated with a positive lateral flow tests. This highlights the necessity of testing at early infection with lateral flow tests, and shows that in patients who are newly symptomatic, the two testing methods have similar levels of accuracy." So most accurate right at the start of symptoms, then wanes, which frankly is weird but also means LFT someone who has had symptoms a couple of days may not be so accurate.

"Our study is the first study to demonstrate that point-of-care antigen testing using lateral flow tests combined with clinical assessment of symptomatic patients can rapidly and accurately detect SARS-CoV-2 infection in primary care.'" So again, not DIY tests at all.

This study is interesting but it doesn't say anything about DIY LFTs. In particular it does NOT say that a negative DIY LFT in a symptomatic patient can be relied on.

OP I hope you are all ok and that the PCRs come back negative.

Ekofisk · 01/10/2021 10:00

@MissCreeAnt

The point is that you can use LFTs if you have symptoms - and it has been found that LFTs work better in symptomatic people than asymptomatic.

Covid-19: Lateral flow tests are better at identifying people with symptoms, finds Cochrane review

www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n823

MissCreeAnt · 01/10/2021 12:14

@Ekofisk "The Cochrane analysis found that test sensitivity in symptomatic people ranged from 34% to 88%, with an average of 72%. The figure for the Innova test used in the UK was 58%. The tests worked best in the first week after symptom onset."

So if I'm reading that right, if you're symptomatic and you actually do have covid, you will get a negative LFT result between 64% and 12% of the time, averaging 28%. That's not good enough to be useful, so what's the point in taking one?

I think it would be very easy for someone to take the headlines you've quoted out of context, and conclude that a negative LFT, with symptoms, is "good enough" to conclude you don't need to isolate. But it's not. The line "don't use LFTs if you have symptoms" is just a much simpler way of expressing that.

Ekofisk · 01/10/2021 14:16

What’s the point in taking LFTs if you’re symptomatic?

Because the symptoms listed by the Government for legitimately getting a PCR test are hopelessly out of date for the Delta variant.

And it was in response to the PP stating that LFTs are only for asymptomatic testing. They clearly work for symptomatic people.

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