Do you think there’s a risk of people assuming every illness they have is coronavirus?

[Purpleclownsuit]

I keep seeing a lot of people saying things like “I’ve had a mild case of coronavirus” “I only had a headache and sore throat with my coronavirus” etc. Is there a risk that people will assume they’ve already had it when they actually just had a cold? And then they’ll slack off on their isolation assuming they’re immune?

I know some people who’ve been tested have it very mild but it’s making me nervous to see people who aren’t tested assuming they’ve had it based on whatever they’ve read online about other peoples experiences.

I am worried that maybe I haven’t had it! I’ve been told I almost certainly do have it, but ‘almost’ isn’t reassuring.

I have some form of viral pneumonia (confirmed at hospital by X-ray, but wasn’t ill enough to be kept in overnight so not tested for covid, just told to assume it). I have been horribly ill for around a month now, (high fever, chest pain, difficulty breathing, cough, severe headache, muscle pains and can hardly get out of bed).

My big fear is that I have some other kind of viral pneumonia not covid, which would be such bad luck and make me even more vulnerable to severe problems if I then get actual covid.

I hate not knowing and hope we can get accurate antibody tests soon.

Well only about a quarter of people tested have come positive so that shows there is a lot of other stuff around with v similar symptoms doesn't it ?

It does to an extent @flapjackfairy but given that most tests have been hospital admissions where they mostly test anyone with breathing problems or unexplained pyrexia they are casting the net wider to be on the safe side so you would expect there to be negatives. If there weren’t we would be in deep shit.

I agree with PP who said that as you get older you know your “normal”. I get terrible hay fever at this time of year, which presents as a really snotty nose. I then get post-nasal drip, which makes me cough. If this was the first time I’d ever had it, I would be worried.