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?!

You can only control yourself, you can't control her, so it's worth doing as much as you can. Hopefully if you've been vaccinated then you'll not get it.

She’s got a cold stop going over the top. This was me last week. It’s a summer cold that’s going around. She’s tested negative so leave her alone. Wear a mask and don’t turn your face to her.

@CharlotteRose90

She’s got a cold stop going over the top. This was me last week. It’s a summer cold that’s going around. She’s tested negative so leave her alone. Wear a mask and don’t turn your face to her.

@CharlotteRose90

She’s tested negative on a LFT… not a PcR!

You're pissing info the wind here OP. I'm sorry your colleague is being so selfish. Clearly a mumsnetter judging by some of the comments.

@Northernsoullover

😩

Guess I just have to go into work then and accept she could have Covid and pass it to me.

Fingers crossed it will all be OK.

@CharlotteRose90

She’s got a cold stop going over the top. This was me last week. It’s a summer cold that’s going around. She’s tested negative so leave her alone. Wear a mask and don’t turn your face to her.

It could be a cold, it could be Covid. I currently have Covid and my symptoms are cold like - blocked nose, sneezing, phlegm. Caught it from a work colleague. My LFTs were negative but PCR was positive. She should get a PCR just to be sure.

I get at least 4 colds per year. I can't just not work. Winters going to be fun with this attitude and normal bugs back in circulation!

The idea you can just phone in sick whenever you get a cold is completely impractical.

You'd like to see more home working encouraged but that's not always practical either, depending on the 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!

I too was really hoping that COVID would stop those going into work with a cough/cold and spreading it around. It really is antisocial

@Waxonwaxoff0 granted she could get a pcr but she doesn’t have too. It sounds like a typical cold and even if it was positive Op doesn’t need to isolate if she’s double vaccinated. It’s all being taken out of control . At some point we are all going to get it . It’s what we’ve been brought too worrying about being next to someone that has a little cold. You can’t hide forever .

[quote CharlotteRose90]@Waxonwaxoff0 granted she could get a pcr but she doesn’t have too. It sounds like a typical cold and even if it was positive Op doesn’t need to isolate if she’s double vaccinated. It’s all being taken out of control . At some point we are all going to get it . It’s what we’ve been brought too worrying about being next to someone that has a little cold. You can’t hide forever .[/quote]
I think OP is concerned about catching it!

I agree we have to get on with it but OP said her colleague is coughing so it would be courteous for her to get a PCR. I had this exact situation with my colleague and she has given me and other staff members Covid.

Sympathies OP. I wouldn't feel comfortable sharing an office space with her either. Is working from home an option for her (or you)?
Fwiw, I had a cough and mild cold symptoms last week. Did LFTs 3 times from Monday to Thursday. I didn't get a positive result until Thursday. She probably won't listen but she needs to keep testing and preferably get a PCR.

[quote CharlotteRose90]@Waxonwaxoff0 granted she could get a pcr but she doesn’t have too. It sounds like a typical cold and even if it was positive Op doesn’t need to isolate if she’s double vaccinated. It’s all being taken out of control . At some point we are all going to get it . It’s what we’ve been brought too worrying about being next to someone that has a little cold. You can’t hide forever .[/quote]
Omg this is completely false.
CLOSE CONTACTS of positive cases who are fully vaccinated do not need to isolate.

Anyone who tests positive regardless of age or vaccination status MUST isolate!

I too was really hoping that COVID would stop those going into work with a cough/cold and spreading it around. It really is antisocial

Antisocial doesn't come into it when you have bills to pay and probably work for a company that enforces a strict sickness monitoring policy. Its a nice idea to stay off sick with every sniffle, I get that, but totally impractical in the real world. We live in a world where If your well enough to do the job your paid for you come in, and until government tackles SSP and employmers change in relation to what is considered acceptable sickness levels this will be the case for the foreseeable.

Surprised at how many people are unaware that LFTs should not be used when symptomatic because accuracy falls to 50-60%. (But up to 99% accurate if NO symptoms + positive result)

The open window shod be a help.

Should!

@Pipsquiggle

So I had covid 3 weeks ago. I had cold symptoms. I also had 2 negative lateral flow tests. Went for a PCR test - on the same day as 1 of my negative lat flow tests - it came back positive.

I did NOT have a cough
I did NOT have a fever
I did lose my sense of taste and smell but that was about 4 days after my positive test

I had bad cold symptoms, fatigue and headaches.

They should go for a PCR

Yes this. Sneezing was one of the main symptoms for me. I tested negative on a LFT (none of the 3 main symptoms). 12 hours later when I started to feel much worse, a positive LFT followed by a positive PCR. She needs to do a test

Spoke to my manager this morning to say I felt uncomfortable coming in. She told me I’m being “silly”. They’re following the rules and if I don’t come in to work it will be recorded as unauthorised absence 😩

You know what you could do, OP, is raise this as a concern higher up.

If your workplace are not enforcing covid-19 guidelines, is this not failure to provide a safe workplace, ie a union matter?

People get colds though if taking lft and negative then I’d have no issue coming into work . People can’t keep getting pcr for every sniffle and staying at home .

Thing is, if it's not just a cold then would it affect the business if loads of people catch it and need to isolate?

When my colleague came in with just a cold that turned out to be Covid, 3 of us have tested positive in our team of 5 so now there are just 2 people at work struggling to do the jobs of 5 people. WFH not possible in our industry.

every sniffle

I don't know why people keep minimising by saying this, The co worker in this thread has a cough and was drinking Lemsip all day. The PCRs come back really quickly now so , if it isn't Covid she can come back fairly quickly. If it is Covid , as wax says , this will affect productivity (and other people's earnings) more if she has spread it to colleagues.

She’s coughing so much more today. I don’t know what to do. No one else in the office seems bothered at all. All happy she’s had a negative LFT everyday.