Are lots of non-covid bugs going around where you live?

[StitchInLime]

So many people I know have a nasty bug at the mo: coughing, fever, laid up in bed. All tested negative for covid (including PCR tests). One friend is convinced it’s covid despite this, the delta version evading tests. I think it’s just down to more people mingling and the usual bugs and viruses having a field day after being victimless for months.

Still, interested to know if others are finding this too?

Yep, my pre school age has brought home a cold every 2 weeks for 6 weeks now... Tested every time but negative for covid so think it's suddenly all the mixing maybe... Is odd though as presumed alot of people were already mixing but we didn't get I'll until recently

Yep. DS has a non covid chest infection and a couple of colleagues are themselves / have family members experiencing the same (all tested multiple times).

Yes, our family all have a heavy cold my toddler brought home from nursery. We've all tested negative, but are all sneezing, bunged up and coughing lots.

Yep. I've had two recently. One was a typical cold with no cough and the other was similar to what you've described.

Your friend is 100% wrong about the tests. They absolutely do pick up the Delta variant. We know this because if they didn’t, we wouldn’t know there was a Delta variant! A random proportion of positive samples is sequenced to identify variants and look for new mutations. Variants are identified by the pattern of mutations they have - each variant has a specific set of mutations.

Over 90% of infections in the UK are now Delta. We wouldn’t know this if we weren’t detecting it!

Definitely the case here - DH and DD both had a long lasting cold, cough and sore throat but negative tests. We’ve all had sniffles of some sort for a couple of months.

Yep there's a lot round here, the nursery has been emailing us about children taking tests pretty much every day for the past couple of weeks, but they have all been negative. I've got a chest infection which I suspect came from nursery, but am getting a covid test tomorrow just to make sure...

Yes.

A cold with headache and raging throat and nausea. All reported symptoms with delta variant but all negative pcr.

So either people have asymptomatic covid and this cold and tested positive indicating the symptoms or as I've said all along "other virus' are available"

Yes toddler brought home a really nasty chest infection from nursery which has spread round our family, really bad cough and high temp. All of her nursery bubble have had it too. Tested multiple times for covid and all negative.

Yea a bunch of our friends and family have a cold, temperature, sore throat, achey type of virus at the moment and all have tested negative for covid.

Yes here too. Worst cold I’ve had, with a sore throat that was like knives! Didn’t sleep properly for three nights but feeling much better today. Poor DH has long Covid and was so worried about getting it but I think he’s escaped.

I’m sure we’ve reduced our immunity so much that it’s hit harder than usual.

We’ve all had a nasty cold, cough, sore throat and all tested negative. DS has had a hoarse voice on and off for a few weeks and toddler DD can’t shift the cold and has been on antibiotics for an ear infection.

Yeah we all had it last week. Coughs, temperatures, sore throats, headaches etc. We all tested negative.

Negative tests all round...

@jobsagudden

Yes toddler brought home a really nasty chest infection from nursery which has spread round our family, really bad cough and high temp. All of her nursery bubble have had it too. Tested multiple times for covid and all negative.

Exactly the same here. They had 4 children (out of 8) sent home with temperatures one day last week. DH and I have had it too. Everyone has tested negative on PCR tests. Unsurprisingly, DS is now right as rain and DH and I still sound like we're on 40 a day.

Yes, sore throats, temps, coughs, runny noses. Sent home tests off today so we shall see!

Yep, 3 of us on and off unwell over the last 5 weeks. Nothing really bad, PCR’s all negative. It’s definitely due to more mingling.

Yes loads going round here atm

Lots of hayfever round here which although not unusual in itself, there seems to be more than I ever remember who have never suffered before and for those that have their usual meds aren't helping.

Yip, horrendous cold/hay fever/laryngitis concoction here. Laid up for 3 days, no voice. Negative covid test.

Getting some weird looks as I’m sneezing and coughing with the dry air.

I think it’s probably a combination of more mixing, people’s immune systems not being great after a year of staying home, distancing, masks, extra cleaning/sanitising etc, but also we’re all hyper aware of any tiny sign of illness at the moment. My little boy had a cold a couple of weeks ago. Previously I wouldn’t have thought much about it, this time I cancelled plans to see my brother in his 20s, just in case. Prior to covid, if I’d told him not to come cos dc had a little cough, he’d have thought I’d gone mad. But because of what’s currently happening he agreed it was better safe than sorry.

Should say - the toddler tested negative which is why we are assuming it’s not covid but I’ve just started with the same symptoms so have done tests on the rest of us as well

Yeah our whole family has had a big recently of diarrhoea vom, swollen glands colds fever etc over the past few weeks. Doc said it's doing the rounds right now

even though it was sore throat and fever included in our symptoms the doctor didn't even mention Covid or testing to us. He said it's just a common virus doing the rounds

Around 30% of PCR tests give false negatives (and actually only a small percentage of false positives, before anyone jumps in).

It's very likely a lot of these non Covid bugs are in fact Covid.