...to ask if anyone's just got a plain old cold at the moment - Hoping this isn't bloody Covid!

[Collection33]

Hi MN
Cold symptoms brewing since last night.
I'm with relatives a few hours Saar from home. Have been so careful, limiting contact with others, LFT every day inc today.
I have what could be described as a 'stinking cold' - have had multiple paracetamols, lemon/ginger teas/loads of water. No cough...
Elderly family members coming tomorrow & Boxing Day - terrified I'll test positive in the morn. Anyone else just suffering with a 'normal cold' - I'm hoping it's that!
Triple jabbed xx

I'm currently isolating with a positive PCR. Had hardly any symptoms just a slightly runny nose and a slight cough ( reason I tested). I've tested negative on LFT throughout!

I have a severe cold that has turned into pneumonia. Multiple PCR tests all negative.

I have a really nasty cold. Streaming nose, puffy eyes, cough. But I'm negative for Covid.

Double jabbed here. Bad cold symptoms, 3 x negative LFTs then a positive PCR!

Omicron seems to be spreading like wildfire, but on the upside symptoms don’t generally seem too serious

DH has a cold- definitely is a cold, multiple negative COVID tests. I’m fine but expect to get it in the next day or two!

At least one expert has suggested that if you have cold symptoms at the moment it's 50/50 whether it's Covid or a "normal" cold.

The sensible thing to do is to treat all colds as being Covid and self-isolate. Think about it, saying "I've got a cold but would rather infect you all than stay by myself" isn't much nicer than saying a similar thing if you have Covid.

If you have a cold, nobody else wants it.

Ds1 has had a cold for the last four or five days although starting to feel better now. He has done an lft every day which have been negative.

He's now starting to feel better xxx

I have a cold and cough. Taken a test, not covid, just run of the mill sore throat, blocked nose and endless supply of mucus. I sound dreadful though especially in the mornings, coughing my lungs up.

'Classic' cold symptoms and several neg LFTs for days...until 2 positive LFTs yesterday. There went Christmas. Poor MIL and DM got told to turn away/back. Sent off for PCR and finally got hold of some LFTs online for DH and kids, becauae it ia definitely too late for them not to have caught something from me.
Lost sense of smell today amd cpuld barely taste dinner ☹️

It would seem it affects my typing fingers too, sorry!

It's Covid.

Dd has had a nasty cold for a few days now, i think there are some nasty little bugs around

@Bouledeneige

It's Covid.

Thank you doctor. You do know that colds still exist, right? Not every cough and sniffle is covid.

My runny nose was covid, it took 2 days before I started to cough, and now on day 4 I've lost my sense of smell. Thankfully I was suspicious of the runny nose as i'd only had a normal cold the week before. LFT was an instant line, so I found out quickly. PCR has now confirmed it.

Just to say, if it is a cold, still tell your elderly and any sick relatives. Just as covid isn't the only respiratory illness going around, it's also not the only one which can seriously hurt vulnerable people. Also bear in mind it can take a couple of days with symptoms for it to show up on a lateral flow.
Hope all is well with you OP.
(from someone who's been bedbound with covid for a week from someone who thought it was "just a cold")

I've had ask mild sore throat and slightly runny nose since last Weds (I remember because I woke up sneezing). I've tested everyday since and still clear.

Get a PCR

50/50 that it's Covid still means there's a 50% chance that it's not. Coupled with regular testing must mean chances of passing Covid on are slim.

Triple jabbed and got cold symptoms on Wednesday, LTF was negative, had PCR on Thursday, LTF turned positive on Friday. Just got my PCR back after 60 hours confirming the positive result.

I honestly just have the same symptoms as a cold.

Not only is it 50/50 that you have a cold, but if you get a negative lft result with symptoms, it's 50/50 whether its accurate or a false negative.

Oops

Sorry I should have said get a PCR…dd did and it was negative

@Snow1n

Not only is it 50/50 that you have a cold, but if you get a negative lft result with symptoms, it's 50/50 whether its accurate or a false negative.

If you're resting regularly it's not 50/50 that they're all false negatives. The tests are far better than 50% accurate anyway.

10-year-old DS and I both had a stinking cold in early Dec. Negative LFT and PCR for him - I didn't bother to test myself as he'd tested negative and I caught what he had.

He finished school with another stinker of a cold and still has it. He's still full of snot and feeling awful and it's been over a week now. 2 negative LFTs (the most recent this morning) and a negative PCR on Tues.

So it looks like two horrible colds, back to back. I think his immune system is just poor after so much isolation away from school/his peers.

I had a cold recently which left me with a tickly cough. Every single test has been negative and cold and cough have now cleared up.

Whilst I respect the fact that Covid is the main source of concern at the moment it's equally important to remember that other viruses are still available.

Both gc's have had various illnesses, school and work related. The worst of which was sickness and diarrhoea which I also caught in addition to diverticular disease, so that was lovely. The cold symptoms were prevalent at the school and testing was negative.

We are all so focussed on covid that my DH was ill earlier in the year and it was pneumonia and he was hospitalised. My gd was also hospitalised with a bad case of bronchiolitis so stay safe and stay aware all.