Colleague has come into work sick…

[theycallmeuser]

My colleague came in to work yesterday absolutely full of cold, coughing and sneezing.

She’s again come in today. She says she’s done lateral flows and they are negative!!

Would I be unreasonable to go home?!

@itsgettingwierd

Every single person I've known who has had covid symptoms and a positive PCR has tested positive on a LFT with symptoms prior to this.

Likewise the negatives.

I've not known anyone who's has conflicting results. (I know it happens but I don't think it's that common?)

I have Covid and so do 2 of my work colleagues, we were all doing negative LFTs all week and had positive PCRs over the weekend. It definitely is common, LFTs aren't that reliable.

I caught Covid at work from a colleague in exactly this situation. She should get a PCR.

@theycallmeuser

Her cough is one an hour or so. Isn’t that continuous?!

A continuous cough is continuous not once an hour or so

Continuous is badly named. And easily confused with constant.

As mentioned above, it means “more than a toast crumb or clearing your throat”. It means “a bit of a cough”.

If you are not sure, you can google it - the nhs defines it as

“coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours”

It really doesn’t need to be a constant cough to require testing.

Don’t think the screen shot worked.

Argh it did. Sorry!

If one day you weren't coughing at all and then the next day you cough (more than once or twice and not got something stuck in your throat) that's a continuous cough tbh. Lots of people try to suppress coughs too so underestimate the frequency.

I coughed briefly maybe 5 times one day and thought 'oh hello'. LFT said no. DSs both got positive tests with cold like symptoms (only DS2 had a temperature) and what posters here would call 'not' a continuous cough. Both positive. I then did a PCR. Positive. I only developed the continuous cough after I did the PCR.

I don't understand this mentality that it is somehow 'wasteful' to have a PCR.

If you're coughing enough to say you've "got a cough" and it's not a pre-existing thing then it almost certainly qualifies as "new continuous cough".

But you know you have hay fever. If you don't normally cough, it's a cough.

Seriously, what's your issue with someone testing to rule it out?

The definition of an episode is pretty clear to me tbh.

It's so hard because I have a continuous cough at the moment, have taken a covid test practically every day. No other symptoms and my cough has been on going for months. GP prescribed me nasal drops and that didn't help, and I'm back to square one. I luckily have my own office isolated from everyone else in a building I work in. I can't afford to just not come in nor would my manager allow me to stay home if all COVID test's are coming back negative as they are low on staff at the moment.

My cough isn't necessarily new but doesn't stop me worrying about what other's are thinking. So I would say YANBU to want to go home. I wish I could in my job!

@NotPersephone

I’m currently in work with a cold - I think you’re being a tad UR.

Colds and coughs go together - neither have gone away. If she (like me) is repeatedly testing negative using LFT, and doesn’t have any of the symptoms required for a PCR test (temp, continuous cough, lost sense of taste/smell) then it’s quite likely she just has a common or garden upper respiratory tract infection!

Unless there’s a massive backstory and you are immunocompromised, CEV, pregnant etc then - in the kindest possible way - I think you need to woman up a bit. There is no need to take time off sick with a cold!

The woman has a cough That requires a PCR test not the crappy LFTs that give lots of false negatives

@NotPersephone

I’m currently in work with a cold - I think you’re being a tad UR.

Colds and coughs go together - neither have gone away. If she (like me) is repeatedly testing negative using LFT, and doesn’t have any of the symptoms required for a PCR test (temp, continuous cough, lost sense of taste/smell) then it’s quite likely she just has a common or garden upper respiratory tract infection!

Unless there’s a massive backstory and you are immunocompromised, CEV, pregnant etc then - in the kindest possible way - I think you need to woman up a bit. There is no need to take time off sick with a cold!

Do you know the medical history of all your colleagues? I doubt that people realise how many people are vulnerable.

Are you double vaccinated? Even if she did turn out to have covid, you wouldn’t have to isolate if so.

Howany times did this need to be said, if you have symptoms you need a pcr, not a lft. It's not rocket science.

Is this future now? Arrange a PCR test every time you get a sniffle?

People who do this are utter dickheads, even before covid. I've always found it utterly selfish when people do and subject others to it in small offices. Mostly it seems to be people being martyrs, when them staying off would mean less wasted time when others invariably get it and end up being off.

@NotPersephone

It’s not even particularly surprising that colds are spreading - rather unseasonably - at the moment. We’ve just come out of lockdown so it’s inevitable that our immune systems are getting a bit of a workout as we all get back into normal levels of exposure.

It’s really not a reason to shit the bed.

We'll all be needing a PCR test every week once we get into autumn.

@vixeyann

People who do this are utter dickheads, even before covid. I've always found it utterly selfish when people do and subject others to it in small offices. Mostly it seems to be people being martyrs, when them staying off would mean less wasted time when others invariably get it and end up being off.

If I phoned in sick whenever I had a cold i'd have been sacked years ago.

It's not something you phone in sick for, when you get an allowance of 6 days off sick - maximum of 3 absences - in a 12 month period.

I phone in sick if I have the flu or a viral infection or stomach bug or something. People who come in with these kind of illnesses are selfish dickheads.

@User135644

Is this future now? Arrange a PCR test every time you get a sniffle?

No. A PCR every time you get a cough which is not caused by a pre-existing medical condition or choking on something. That includes a cough caused by a cold. That way we can keep most things open,most people in work and the economy functioning without causing too many hospitalisations or deaths. The tests are free and the results are normally back quickly.

There's a difference between coming in with a sniffle compared to the full blown viral illness with cough this person obviously has. That is selfish.

If they're not going to get full pay and have to try and get SSP; and/or it'll go on their sickness record then people are still going to come in with colds. People can't afford a week off sick now on their record, when they'll get more illnesses in the winter.

They should do a PCR test though. If that comes back negative then they aren't going to stay off sick. That's how our culture is.

@vixeyann

People who do this are utter dickheads, even before covid. I've always found it utterly selfish when people do and subject others to it in small offices. Mostly it seems to be people being martyrs, when them staying off would mean less wasted time when others invariably get it and end up being off.

It's not always that simple. Some people cannot afford to take time off, it's not about being a martyr.

flu or a viral infection

How do you know?