For the last two weeks (and longer) we haven’t been anywhere except very deserted walks, but now my child has a cough...

[Fluffydogdog]

We haven’t come into contact with anyone - except food delivery drivers - for the last two weeks at least (well longer, but I know the incubation period is two weeks which is why I’m mentioning that time period).

Now my kid has a cough. It could be CV or just a cough. But how the heck did he get the cough either way?! Are people really catching stuff from deliveries? But he isn’t even touching the deliveries, we are, he’s not interested in them, so I’m stumped there, too...

Touching fences and gates could do it. The council parks near us have signs on the entrance warning about cv remaining on metal gates and to have be wary of touching/ using alcohol gel/wash hands. I'd def be wary of this.

Also another family member could have it (from touching food delieveries etc) and themselves be asymptomatic.

My daughter is asthmatic and gets "a cough" when pollen is high ir as an allergic response.

"when we go for walks (there is no one there) he is the type to touch every single thing - railings, gate posts"

Virus can live for days in surfaces - he might just have got unlucky

However, more likely to be something like hayfever

We are all indoors (more than usual for most) I have been dusting every day, I didn't notice so much dust before! As others have said - pollen but also possibly dust?

You and/or another family member could have had it asymptomatically. And incubation has been longer than two weeks in some cases.

Hayfever and dust allergies are likely culprits though.

My DS has cold symptoms and we haven’t been near anyone for 3 weeks! I don’t know how he would have caught something.

Could well be hay fever - my red rimmed eyes can tell you the pollen count is high at the moment. Daren't go to the supermarket in case I sneeze, even if I muffled up with a mask..

I had a cough on Thursday which was almost certainly pollen related. It was better on Friday. I am not a huge hay fever sufferer but when it's bad I do get some symptoms. I checked with my dad who gets it badly and he was really noticing it.

Pidgythe2nd - ooh, you're right, it could be animals! We have cats who roam and she is always cuddling them.

I’m always sniffly and have a cough at this time of the year. I think it might be tree pollen.

To be honest, if you cannot stop him from touching everything when out, I wouldn't be taking him out. It is well known that that this thing can live on surfaces for potentially up to a few days.

I have a mild sore throat and a slight cough. None of these symptoms are progressing. It appears to be hayfever.

We have been disinfecting our weekly food delivery, only go out at dawn and dusk to walk the dog (one person, no children), don’t touch anything while out, and I wash my clothes/shower when I get in (plus hand washing). All post is quarantined for 72 hours. I don’t touch the dog without washing my hands and, although the inside of the house should be relatively clean, I’m disinfecting frequently-used surfaces like the kettle and door knobs...

... So, although I’m probably just insane, we are pretty-well quarantined. However, I do often pass within four metres of people, even at dawn and dusk, so anything more contagious than Coronavirus, we probably can catch.

We are the same. We have been isolated for nearly a month now yet youngest dc has a snotty cold, Other child has a dry cough. We don’t sanitise shopping or post, but the chances if catching it from that seem so minimal.

We thought ds who is 4 had it turns out he had severe tonsillitis, hes not on antibiotics, he has a cough struggling to breathe and temp and was very sleepy poor lads tonsillitis were really inflamed.

It could just be down to hayfever.

I've just had what I think was tonsillitis and I hadn't left the house in more than 2 weeks.
I had a fever, throat and glands swollen and a cough.

My one DS had a fever 3 weeks previously though, so incubation of bugs could be more than 3 weeks. He had been to North Italy too but even then I wouldn't assume it was CV.

So with a cough after walks you would be wise not to assume the worst.

Sounds like allergies. The risks of getting it from a lamppost or food packaging are absolutely tiny, despite what Mumsnet says.

Honestly if you are the type to avoid lamp posts then you should never drive your DC on a motorway after this, the risks are much higher!

Hope your DC is on the mend quickly. 99.99 percent of kids are absolutely fine even if they do get covid 19.

I never used to get hay fever. About 4 years ago I started getting it this time of year for a few weeks, quite badly. I seem fine in the summer.

We've been at home for 3-4 weeks. We live rurally and have been on walks most days, but not touching anything. Have only walked past 2 people who were within 2 metres of us the entire time. Been disinfecting/quarantining post and food deliveries. No other contact with anyone. We've both now come down with cough and fever and sore chest when breathing. We don't know how we could have picked it up either!

Just wanted to update in case it was helpful to anyone - he has a sneeze as well, no fever has developed and no one else in the house is sick.

So we’re pretty sure it’s seasonal allergies!

Thank you for all your replies - I thought COVID-19 was pretty unlikely, but couldn’t work out where he could have got a cough from. Hadn’t occurred to me that he might have hay fever!

Scarednow I really hope you’re doing ok

Was about to agree with others that it was probably hayfever, but think your update confirms it!

DD randomly had a cough one year which we (and our GP) think must have been hay fever (did get slightly better when she had strong antihistamines). She's never had it before or since so your DC may be the same!

Gosh scared I dont know how that could happen. Unless the advice is wrong..... which is scary in itself. I read somewhere ti can be more than 2m if its a runner and you stand in their slipstream but then I got confusee by the answer.

We're shileding and there is something nagging me about why we cant go out if the advice to stay 2m away is fine. Maybe its just to protect from others that accide tly come near you.

Really hope it doesnt last long scarednow and that you're all okay. Remember most people recover fine.

Fluffy - glad it was the allergies! Unless the cold virus travels in ways we didnt know?! It did sound allergy-like.

My hayfever has started too. And the dust in our house because we are all in constant is awful

I would say allergies too. I never had them until the last couple of years but I've really noticed how much pollen is in the air when I've ventured outside for a walk lately! TBH I'm trying to avoid it now as it just alarms everyone when I start coughing and croaking. I made the mistake of sleeping with my window open the other night and woke up panicking, convinced I had coronavirus, until some antihistamines cleared it up within an hour!

I made the mistake of sleeping with my window open the other night and woke up panicking, convinced I had coronavirus, until some antihistamines cleared it up within an hour!

Same! My partner was totally freaked out as I woke up in the middle of the night coughing and spluttering. Good old hay fever.