People referring to covid as a cold

[ellie09]

On Monday I tested positive for covid. Felt horrible and took a test (even though you dont need to anymore), as I work in an office.

I have had covid a few times, as I have a really crap immune system. Ive also had several colds over the years which I tested negative for covid.

My DS came down with the sniffles last night and a cough. I rang his dad as he was meant to be staying at his dads, and he lives with his elderly mum. I told him the situation and that DS would be better staying home for a few days isolating with me (we dont know if its covid as he wont let me test him, but we can assume)

Ive felt utterly awful and like each time i've had it, my chest is in pain and it feels like someone's standing on my chest 24/7. There is a big difference between the times I had a cold, and covid (but I cant speak for others)

DS's dad brushes it off, tells me covids made up and its "just a cold" and that DS should still go round. I rang DS grandmother seeing as its her house and explained, she basically said to me, "yeah, you just have a cold, thats not real".

Is this a normal reaction now? People have covid and its just brushed off as a cold, therefore people are out spreading knowingly?

Most people realise that ,it's not about saying I'm OK so everyone else is ,but lots of people have to go to work ,they have to go shopping ,they can't just isolate themselves for five days even if they want too, not everyone Can workk from home.

*According to the UKHSA statistics collected for public health surveillance, as many as 200 people per week in the UK are still dying with covid as the cause for death on their death certificate.

I don't think that many people are dying from colds.*

Bear in mind - covid is overrepresented vs other rhinovoruses,,adenoviruses, coronaviruses, simply because testing for it is widely available. Patients in hospital aren't routinely tested for other things in the same way.

A high proportion of deaths with covid are very elderly & other people in poor health. Covid is a factor but tbh in many cases, if it hadn't been covid, they would have been at risk if dying from something else.

I think staying away from people as much as you can when you are ill has always been the recommendation hasn’t it?

and some people have family who they know will become incredibly ill with Covid in a way that they wouldn’t with a “normal cold” or have seen young healthy people in ICU with blood clots due to Covid and so they know that it’s a luxury to be able to just go around as usual and not have the fear that you are causing people long term damage.
Yes some people need to go to work. But lots have sick leave or could work from home or could wear a mask or could go to work but not go to their parents house at the weekend. Yes you can’t make it no risk but you can minimise it to a huge extent

The NHS advice is to try to stay home and avoid being with other people if you have a temperature or don’t feel well enough. That’s for flu and covid.

Personally it annoys me when people are unwell but don’t tell you. I think it’s just common courtesy to avoid spreading illnesses knowingly.

In this case though, you’ve told them and they don’t care so that’s their choice. At least you were good enough to let them know. Lots wouldn’t!

And it's only on MN that I see people rolling their eyes and saying 'it's just a cold'. That said, I'm late 50s and most of my contacts are similar aged. I also know people who are still asked to test for work . I suspect for younger people there is a lot less concern . As has always been . Although, friends' adult children seem to still be testing...

Most people don't test any more so it is like a cold, in that there are a number of respiratory viruses with similar symptoms, and you treat them symptomatically. If you feel just a bit sick, you probably don't stay home, if you feel really sick, you probably do.

I completely agree with this. I would like to be able to make as much of a choice as possible when it comes to being around people who are unwell. Then I could choose to take some affirmative action - work in a different part of the building or wear a mask. I know it's not always possible or appropriate to know when people are sick. I wouldn't ask someone who is unwell to do things differently for my sake.

It's the attitude that gets me with some people though, like your individual circumstances don't bear thinking about.

The risk assessment people seem to be suggesting is you are only vulnerable if you are old, suddenly.

I'm currently 34 weeks pregnant and unwell with covid, most likely caught from someone who said they just had a little cold and hadn't mentioned it before I saw them.

I've had covid three times since May likely because of reduced immunity due to the pregnancy. I have felt really, really unwell and have had the added stress of wondering if the baby is okay.

Not just a cold.

Hope you feel better soon. Much harder to be blasé when you are pregnant.

Mono is another one where people are often very affected for a long time, whereas others seem to recover much better.

Plus, it's now implicated in MS. But it's by no means inevitable - most people get mono at some point whether they know it or not, but only a few get MS.

The first time I had it, I was in and out of bed for a month. Subsequently it has been like a cold and at times less than that - a headache or just feeling really thirsty for a day. I can understand if people haven't had that first experience they might think it's nothing to worry about.

I find the reactions to covid so varied. Some people are like 'I have covid. I can't go to work. I must isolate.' And others are like 'I probably have covid' and carry on with normal life.

I'm somewhere in the middle. I wouldn't test - I'd have to buy a test which I wouldn't want to pay for! But I wouldn't visit an elderly relative if I felt unwell in anyway - covid or otherwise.

I'd let your child go though. You've given all the information and they've made a decision.

I’ve just had it for the fourth time. The first time was a runny nose and a sore throat. The second time was the same plus I slept on and off for nearly a week. The third time I had the full on shakes and fevers. This time I have had the incessant coughing, the aches and pains, the fevers and the vomiting. COVID can fuck off.

I had glandular fever when I was at uni. I was ill for a week, and not incapable-of-doing-stuff ill. 2 friends who had it at the same time had it much worse and for much longer. We really do react to the same illnesses differently.

You’re right to do so. Too many people minimise Covid. It certainly isn’t “just a cold”. It is dangerous for vulnerable people (those with compromised immune systems, serious health conditions and the elderly). In addition to that, people of all ages and fitness levels can easily develop long covid (including the super fit). It can develop even after a mild dose of Covid and there is an estimated 2 million people in the UK currently disabled by long covid. You are being considerate, but we can’t force others to be sensible!

I've currently got covid.. I've been ill since Saturday with cold like symptoms, a raised temperature on & off, & dizziness.

I felt so unwell I spent Saturday Sunday & Monday in bed.
I knew it was Covid when I lost my sense of taste and smell on Tuesday so I've stayed off my shift yesterday & tbh I feel guilty for going in to work on Tuesday. I made stupid mistakes as I felt so ill & probably spread it to others.
I work in a hospital & we get scored on our sickness.
Hopefully I'll be ok by weekend as I'm due back on shift.

By the way the infection control nurse told me that as I'm positive to Covid with dizziness & a temperature I should stay off work. But I know I will probably get a warning annoyingly.

Really depends, the problem is it’s ‘unfairly’ diminished everything else now though. The influenza AB doing the rounds a few years ago hit myself and everyone I know harder than when any of us had Covid. But it didn’t have the dramatic factor of ‘Covid’ so people think you can’t be that ill🤔. I’ve had colds that were worse than Covid, and at other times Covid that was worse than colds I’ve had. Yet, the only thing people think makes you sick these days is Covid🤷‍♀️. Disputing that doesn’t make you a Covid deniar or anti-vax loon.

Edited to add, I was frontline in health for decades and there were some years we had far more deaths from severe influenza strains than we did during Covid. Thats not to say Covid was not a problem, or people didn’t die, it was and they did, but it’s not the only thing that goes around killing people each year, and people just don’t seem to understand that.

I'm so sorry 💐

Its great you are considerate.
No one wants to catch covid or bugs surely for ignorance sake.
A family member rung me completely shattered with the covid they sounded terrible, 3wks.. yes older people really do not want that surely.

I'm so sorry 💐

I have Covid. I've been ill for 9 days. Initially thought it was a cold and kept going. Last three days haven't been able to get out of bed, plus horrendous headache that nothing touches. I'm self-employed so not earning. But I also know if I rush back to my physically demanding job I risk long covid. GP advised me rest as much as poss and listen to my body.

I'm fed up with "just a cold" stuff. Great if that's you, but you're fortunate. Covid is a multi-system illness - eg you're much more likely to have a heart attack in the 6 months after having covid.

I think sometimes people forget that everyone dies of something.

It's mostly the very elderly or the infirm who die of COVID, but it's because they are very frail and at end of life. Unless they are kept in a bubble, they will eventually catch something and it will probably stress them enough they will die.

But who wants to live in a bubble when you are 80 and will likely die in the next few years no matter what you do? Even if you might live another 20 years, would you want to live like that? It would just mean death by heart failure or cancer instead.

Nothing wrong with avoiding ill people if you'd like to, but it's a limited measure, there will always be these viruses around in the population, some of them in people with no symptoms at all.

That's what covid has been for me (had it knowingly twice). Never vaccinated and first time i was pregnant. In fact, no, it was milder than my colds. But I appreciate I am lucky and aware it is not just this for everyone.

@TempestTost It's mostly the very elderly or the infirm who die of COVID, but it's because they are very frail and at end of life. Unless they are kept in a bubble, they will eventually catch something and it will probably stress them enough they will die

Thanks, I know quite well who likely dies of what. But you have also described seasonal influenza that has been around for eons. It mainly picks off the elderly and infirm, throw in some seemingly healthy kids and adults though, it always has done, check the stats pre-Covid for seasonal influenza deaths, oodles every year. Yet, there was never any hysteria or isolating or whatnot over that, so the question becomes, how is this/Covid/now any different?