How often is 'just a cold' actually covid?

[lookingformyleopard]

My mil is absolutely adamant that she only has a cold. She's snotty and has a headache, but she hasn't been out for a week. I've never heard of a cold with a 7 day incubation period.
I'm not imagining reading that loads of people have been snotty and turned out to be positive for covid?

Oh god I'm sat Reading this with a cold 🤦🏼‍♀️

It's so easy to test now, so why wouldn't you?

I had a cold and tested negative. She should probably test to be sure but it certainly can just be a cold. I read somewhere that there is a debate around whether the positive cases that present with mild cold symptoms are actually asymptomatic cases that happen to have a cold too. The new variant is supposed to present mainly with fever, aches and cough too.

I was doing the lateral flow test twice weekly for work. I had some extremely mild cold symptoms, but tested positive. Over the next few days, it developed into full on cold symptoms, plus fatigue. At no point had a continuous cough, loss of taste or smell, and only had a very mildly raised temperature. Same with DH, plus he's had a bad headache.

Including myself, I know about 14 positive cases all of which all thought was “just a cold”. None of us had the symptoms we are told to look out for.

I thought I had a cold and then the headache came and never left. Followed by cough. Sense of taste and smell were fine all the way through.

I tested negative on Thursday with exactly the same symptoms of my friend who tested positive on the Monday.
So is she false positive, me false negative or 🤷‍♀️

Cold symptoms just after Christmas for me and DS - both tested negative.

@FlamingGoat false negatives are ALWAYS more common than false positives no matter what you're testing for.

@lookingformyleopard
I heard Van Tam say on TV that any symptoms of cold like illness should be tested now.

Same here- partner just felt 'off' with a few aches and pains. I got a sore throat, streaming nose, tiredness and a mild cough (had brief headache the day before, not sure if linked or not). Both tested next day, positive.
Lost sense of taste and smell after a few days, thankfully returned. Main issue is the terrible fatigue.
I've commented a few times before, they need to widen the range of symptoms for testing, very badly, and should have done so a long time ago.

Well the honest answer is neither she nor doctors know until she’s been tested do they? That’s why we have tests.

Not meaning to have a go at you OP but this sort of attitude really pisses me off. Have a test FFS it’s hardly any inconvenience and its not like it’s a lung biopsy. Irresponsible.

Well I guess there’s always a good chance not to be covid- currently 86% of the tests in my city are negative- so assuming that the people attending all have symptoms, and even accounting for some false negatives, more people’s symptoms are caused by other viruses than covid. But without a test you just don’t know, so its stay in for 10 days or get tested... In fact I’ve been tested only once and was pretty sure I didn’t have it (and was right) I only tested because I didn’t want to stay home after my symptoms went if I didn’t have to!

Also have you seen the new list of symptoms for the new variants. They’re slightly different.

My nose has been blocked for a couple days and that's literally or. No headache, no cough. Taste and smell fine and I feel ok, maybe just a tad rough.
Am I supposed to get a test for this now 🤦🏼‍♀️

I know 3 people no symptoms but tested positive. One 2 year old with just a cough tested positive

I got tested after developing a cough with my snotty, blocked nose. I tested negative. Better to get checked just in case.

Dsis and her bf thought it was a cold. One test later they and his whole family tested positive for covid with a stay in hospital for one family member.

We got our positive results a couple of days ago. DD10 had a cold and sore throat for a couple of days but pretty much back to her normal boisterous self now. I started about a week ago with aches, headache, mild cough and fatigue. Loss of taste and smell has been the worst bit as it really wrecked my appetite.

I had just cold symptoms.....had a negative test, then three days later, a positive one. Which possibly explains why high infection rates at the moment!

@KeepWashingThoseHands

Well the honest answer is neither she nor doctors know until she’s been tested do they? That’s why we have tests.

Not meaning to have a go at you OP but this sort of attitude really pisses me off. Have a test FFS it’s hardly any inconvenience and its not like it’s a lung biopsy. Irresponsible.

Well why are you having a go at me then? I don't have any symptoms at all and have actually been shielding for ages, it's my mother in law with the cold and we've been trying to persuade her to get a test. She lives miles away, I haven't been near her for months. Maybe reserve your righteous anger for someone else...

[quote onlyreadingneverposting8]@FlamingGoat false negatives are ALWAYS more common than false positives no matter what you're testing for.

@lookingformyleopard
I heard Van Tam say on TV that any symptoms of cold like illness should be tested now. [/quote]
Thank you, I hadn't realised this was now policy. I think the problem is partly because the message at the beginning was that covid was always dry and partly just a refusal to accept she might possibly be wrong!

@lookingformyleopard as far as I know it's not policy - I think he was just saying that as we have capacity to test and because covid can present as a cold it was reasonable to test in case it is.

I personally think that the rigid symptom list that the government came up with because initially testing capacity was so low has been detrimental in the longer term. It has also given people a "get out of jail" card when they wanted one.

I've heard of about a dozen men in their 40s who have been "absolutely wiped out by this cold." "He's never ill usually but he's been laid up in bed for three days now"

Various symptom profiles, some more covid-like than others - nobody apparently even considers the possibility that it could be covid. Even with a cough or temperature present.

Everyone is totally astonished when I ask if he's had a covid test.

Oh it won't be THAT will it."

I've no idea about the thought processes that instantly dismiss the pandemic that has dominated our lives for almost a year as the possible cause of unprecedented illness.

But it doesn't bode well for our recovery as a country if this is a widespread mental block.

@FlamingGoat

I tested negative on Thursday with exactly the same symptoms of my friend who tested positive on the Monday. So is she false positive, me false negative or 🤷‍♀️

Can you book another test (you might have to go to a walk in centre) - I would bet you get a positive now.