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?

Covid is a multi-system illness - eg you're much more likely to have a heart attack in the 6 months after having covid

Again, no difference at all to some influenza’s, this has always been the case (some, not all, seems dependant on strain). Same as long Covid, a cohort of people have had exactly the same post viral infection for ever, it’s not new, yet people are acting like it is? Before = post viral syndrome, now = long Covid. No arm flapping before, but now there’s a sexy name it’s flavour of the day. I’m not saying it doesn’t exist, or isn’t a problem, it is, but it always has been and no one had this level of hysteria and that perplexes me.

Myself and my colleagues take time off work if we test positive for covid or have the flu as we go into different care homes daily (not carers or nurses). None of us would want to go in and spread it around the staff team who would then spread it to the residents. It's being considerate to others. Covid was horrendous at its peak, when we were seeing the stats of losses services had week on week. Never want to go back there, it was heartbreaking. Remember taking to one young girl who'd lost both her grandparents to covid.

@Leniriefenstahl, that sounds very worrying and alse makes me think I should ask for a 4th vaccination if possible (I'm 55). I had covid some weeks ago and still experience a wheezy chest. I know it's situation dependent but when dod this clear off completely for you?

I'm not denying covid isn't serious and doesn't cause other things. But you know other viruses such as flu increases the chance of things like heart attack and stroke as well right? This isn't a thing that is unique to covid. People just didn't really know or care about what else viruses could do before covid hit.
I fully believe and am aware of all the awful things covid can do. But it just really bugs me that people seem to say covid is WORSE because it can do all these other things. But flu does them as well. The main difference is, which i fully appreciate, is that people don't tend to catch flu as often. So I'm not denying that can make catching covid more often riskier in the long run. But that's not what you and others keep saying. You're acting like it's just covid which can cause these extra things.

I think alot of your reaction to covid depends on your personal experience TBH.

Personally I got it at the start prevaccine and was very ill (only just under the criteria for hospital admission). I was genuinely terrified because I lived alone and was practically bedbound and I had never been ill before.

Also I worked on acute medical wards all throughout and it was absolutely soul destroying, almost like being in a warzone as you were losing so many people and having to make so many heart breaking decisions.

So even though I know the risks are greatly reduced now it will never be 'just a cold' to me.

I definitely will now pay to get the next Covid booster (as I don't qualify). I can't afford to be off work this ill again.

We get given the flu jab for free at work so to be honest I don't understand why we still don't get given the Covid boosters (I'm a healthcare worker) as we are all catching covid regularly; being asked to stay off or needing to stay off as quite poorly with it then getting into trouble in our sickness reviews because we've been off work!!!!

I've had it 5 times as well as having had all my vaccinations. I'm obviously very susceptible! Every time it was just mild cold symptoms. I spend quite a lot of time with vulnerable family members/friends so I test for any cough or sniffle that pre-Covid I would have just ignored. If it wasn't for those tests I wouldn't have known I had it.

Yes, there are quite a lot of cases of super fit athletes and triathletes getting long Covid. Most after pushing on with training after having Covid. That’s one thing to be very cautious with - not overdoing it with exercise if you are recovering from Covid . I think it’s because it’s a vascular disease as well as respiratory. It can really affect heart rate when returning to sport.

I can understand the comparison to post viral fatigue - up to a point. Gary Lineker said his the loss of pace and acceleration his game depended on was ultimately traced to a virus he'd had a year or so before. But do all forms of post viral fatigue include headache, temperature and heart racing for 2 hours after a gentle stroll? Perhaps they do and we've never made a fuss about it. I've never given it much thought myself so Mea Culpa. But this is scant reason to ignore the concerns of covid sufferers.

It took a good few weeks, probably months. I increased my steroid inhaler for a week or two. I’m going to get the vaccine next time ( I work on crit care so we still get the odd v ill Covid patient). Hope you’re feeling better soon.

I have a virus that isn't COVID (I've tested as we had tests left) but is making me desperately ill.
So "just a cold" can be just as savage as COVID

@Delatron yes we were told a few months into the pandemic that the virus was a multi organ disease rather than just respiratory. Some of our patients had strokes or cardiac events very soon after infection.

Surely the shame is people weren't given that level of understanding previously?
I left my job after being treated horrendously while I tried to recover from "post viral fatigue". It was seen as a nonsense by HR. So it feels good that long covid is being recognised and researched and talked about

You seem very opinionated about Covid. Sexy name. What a weird take.

Covid leaves many young people and fit, healthy young adults disabled by long covid and it kills a good number too. There are many more robust scientific papers and examples, but you are capable of finding them for yourself if you are interested.

Fitness fanatic GP struggling with long Covid www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-67546653

https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/deathsfromcovid19withnounderlyinghealthconditionsbyage

You've had 3 'vaccinations' already and want a 4th because you caught covid weeks ago... fascinating behaviour.

I agree with you that healthcare workers ought to be offered covid jabs if they want them (I know everyone doesn't). As far as I'm aware, those that work in elderly care still get them.

I'm also going to pay to have the Covid jab this Autumn, although I understand it's a lot more expensive than the flu jab which I get most years.

I've never been what I would call properly ill with Covid but I would rather not take my chances .

What do you consider "many" young, fit and healthy adults? Perhaps you could link some data, because I can't find any.

What a bizarre post @SoTired12

Yeah okay - you don’t want to know that. I get it!

I genuinely can't find the data that shows "many" (or what I would consider many on a population level). I'm not being obtuse. A link would be helpful.

Colds can be awful, they always could be, long before Covid.

It doesn't matter what you call it, it will be the same.

fwiw So called Colds have always hit me a lot worse than Covid has, which i ve had twice, confirmed with tests.

Testing positive for CV in almost all work situations, inc NHS is not a reason in itself, not to go to work.

But i was v annoyed recently when a friends came over to visit, i asked where her partner was and she replied "Oh he has Covid been very ill with it, hope we don't get it"

Yes, I think that is exactly the question.

We probably all know that if you have cold or flu it might not be the time to go visit someone in a nursing home. Most people would be quite careful about this.

But more generally it's a judgement call around how sick you are and how long you stay in and when you go back to work. It' never going to stop it circulating though.

Covids not kill many healthy young people. If you are healthy and young you are very very unlikely to die of COVID.

I'm not sure why you're being sarcastic? Would you explain?