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Original poster

So many seem to be ill?

190 replies

Thewiseoneincognito · 08/10/2021 20:41

I’ve lost count of the number of people I know who have this ‘mystery flu’ with coughing and classic Covid symptoms and yet seem to be testing negative on LFTs and PCRs, surely it’s not just me noticing this?

DP is now ill awaiting PCR results, I have several colleagues at work ill but all have negative PCRs and LFTs. Friends of friends all in the same situation, FB has plenty of anecdotes with the same scenario too.

Every shop or business I’ve been in today had numerous people with hacking coughs and sneezes. I appreciate there will be a surge of colds and flus as we head to autumn and winter but the cold weather hasn’t really hit yet and the people I know who have been ill the last two weeks or so are all healthy young people.

I’m wondering has Covid changed and is now undectable by the tests? It’s even more maddening that no one has a mask on hardly either but let’s leave that one for another thread.

I just find it hard to believe this sudden surge of sickness is a result of lower immunity to everyday normal illnesses and that it’s a resurgence of the common cold. I don’t remember pre-covid hearing so many hacking coughs, does anyone else?

OP posts:
pickingdaisies · 08/10/2021 20:43

Heck, I hope you're wrongSad

Londonloubelia · 08/10/2021 20:52

I think, inevitably, as we all haven’t been mixing the bugs we’re now sharing around will knock people back more readily. The cough/flu/cold thing going around is a killer! The following article is interesting and is something I know people who are having this occur.

inews.co.uk/news/scores-more-report-positive-rapid-covid-tests-followed-by-negative-pcrs-as-mystery-deepens-over-discrepancies-1238649

Elzbells · 08/10/2021 20:52

Yes, we all had a bad cold, sore throats, coughing etc last week. Both my kids had sat next to children who then tested positive. I've done numerous tests lft and then a pcr just in case and all negative.

But kids at school have exactly the same symptoms and are testing positive. Maybe some people just never test positive for whatever reason.

MarshaBradyo · 08/10/2021 20:54

I have it now and feel rotten as does dd. Both negative PCR. I rarely get ill (touch wood).

The number to watch is hospitalisation though

balzamico · 08/10/2021 20:55

PHE are looking into the tests in the South west as this has happened a lot there but generally I think there are plenty of coughs and colds, my ds had a sore throat this week and is now snotty but it is behaving exactly like a cold (& he's been having negative lateral flows). Plenty of his friend are the same

Jourdain11 · 08/10/2021 20:55

To be absolutely honest, I think it's just October. The thing is, in "normal" times we don't really pay attention, but now everyone is on hyper alert for coughs and sniffs.

Smartiepants79 · 08/10/2021 20:56

But all the bugs that we had before covid still exist.
Why on earth wouldn’t it just be one of multiple other random viruses?

MarshaBradyo · 08/10/2021 20:57

@Jourdain11

To be absolutely honest, I think it's just October. The thing is, in "normal" times we don't really pay attention, but now everyone is on hyper alert for coughs and sniffs.
I think it’s this too

If so many had some new undetectable variant we’d know from hospitalisation

HairyFloppins · 08/10/2021 20:58

We have just had this nasty cold bug but I think it's just a really nasty cold after not having one for two years.

Don't think it's some mutated Covid, Covid was just weird, a different random symptom every day.

Mantlemoose · 08/10/2021 20:58

I just find it hard to believe this sudden surge of sickness is a result of lower immunity to everyday normal illnesses
Why? We build up immunity by our system learning the virus. Having been locked up for so long with no exposure seems obvious to me.

AnyFucker · 08/10/2021 20:59

Everyone has forgotten all the normal bugs that circulate during the season changes

There isn’t a conspiracy. Stop trying to find a new variant of COVID, ffs. There has been enough hysteria about that fucking virus. Pipe down.

Northernlurker · 08/10/2021 21:03

This may help @Thewiseoneincognito

Every year we organise a carol service at church. It's recorded.
Last year we had the service but couldn't sing so played recordings from our own services previously.

Every single one had a little chorus of coughs and clearings of throats before the music started. We listened to it in a silent church. Nobody had a cough.

Normal is everybody full of cold. What's happened for the last 18 months is not normal.

JackieChiles · 08/10/2021 21:03

@AnyFucker

Everyone has forgotten all the normal bugs that circulate during the season changes

There isn’t a conspiracy. Stop trying to find a new variant of COVID, ffs. There has been enough hysteria about that fucking virus. Pipe down.

Well put.
Wellbythebloodyhell · 08/10/2021 21:08

I’m wondering has Covid changed and is now undectable by the tests?

No it's the realisation that viruses existed pre covid and are still prevalent and some have been affected by them far worse than covid did.
Several of my close circle family and friends have been affected by this "bad cold" lately many of which have previously had covid and this "bad cold " has been much worse than covid was.
The madness of it all is, that these have been free to mix with society, attend work and school, if they've felt well enough to do so most have needed at least a few days off unwell yet with covid, that's been much milder it's been 10 days isolating 🤷‍♀️

GorgeousGoldies · 08/10/2021 21:08

It is odd though, when someone you live with has identical symptoms and one tests positive, while one tests negative.

I had covid recently - the first PCR didn’t pick it up but I went for a second a day later as my sense of smell and taste went overnight, plus my son had it. I knew it had to be covid and the second test was positive.

Jourdain11 · 08/10/2021 21:10

@Northernlurker

This may help *@Thewiseoneincognito*

Every year we organise a carol service at church. It's recorded.
Last year we had the service but couldn't sing so played recordings from our own services previously.

Every single one had a little chorus of coughs and clearings of throats before the music started. We listened to it in a silent church. Nobody had a cough.

Normal is everybody full of cold. What's happened for the last 18 months is not normal.

Yep! I worked in a theatre as an usher when I was a student. Before the curtain went up (and often during the performance) there would be a positive chorus of coughing and spluttering. We had free glycerine sweets available for this very purpose - they were yummy Wink
Alpacinoshoohaa · 08/10/2021 21:10

I'm also wondering this, yes coughs and sneezes existed before covid but people seem it have specific coughs and sore throats.

OliveTree75 · 08/10/2021 21:16

I work in a primary school and pretty much the whole staff have had this awful cold/flu going round. Two have been off for a while with it. All but one of us have tested negative

OliveTree75 · 08/10/2021 21:19

@Jourdain11

To be absolutely honest, I think it's just October. The thing is, in "normal" times we don't really pay attention, but now everyone is on hyper alert for coughs and sniffs.
Agree with this.
Xiaoxiong · 08/10/2021 21:20

DH just sent me an old advert for Lemsip to remind me how many colds we used to have! We went through boxes and boxes of lemsip/Beechams every autumn and winter and I used to post sachets to my auntie in America because they didn't have them there.

Toottooot · 08/10/2021 21:21

The local NHS trust to me is now asking that people only test using the original symptoms as criteria. They pretty much said they are aware it’s cold and flu season so people with ‘wider symptoms’ sore throat, headache etc no longer need a PCR.

tigger1001 · 08/10/2021 21:27

@Smartiepants79

But all the bugs that we had before covid still exist. Why on earth wouldn’t it just be one of multiple other random viruses?
Agreed! People have forgotten that other bugs do exist!

I have the cold that's doing the rounds. Negative lft and pcr. It's developed into a cough. I have asthma and a cold has done this to me for years.

Original poster
Thewiseoneincognito · 08/10/2021 21:29

@MarshaBradyo

I have it now and feel rotten as does dd. Both negative PCR. I rarely get ill (touch wood).

The number to watch is hospitalisation though

Hope you both feel better soon, I had Covid a month ago and even though it was ‘mild’ it was still bloody vile, there’s nothing worse when you rarely get ill anyway.

I agree about watching the numbers, as you probably can guess I’m already keeping an eye on them 🧐

It just seems strange how hard it’s hitting those who catch it, whatever it is. It’s not like we’ve been in total isolation the last 18 months people have been travelling albeit intermittently, schools have been open, bars open so any bugs would have no doubt already been circulating.

Hmmmm

OP posts:
ssd · 08/10/2021 21:32

I posted exactly the same thing the other week op.

Original poster
Thewiseoneincognito · 08/10/2021 21:34

@Alpacinoshoohaa

I'm also wondering this, yes coughs and sneezes existed before covid but people seem it have specific coughs and sore throats.
Exactly this, the same type of cough.

Maybe it’s actual Covid and they just didn’t get a test for the strangers you just hear when out and about but those I know who have had it are all ill in the same way it appears, also all double vaccinated.

Could vaccination be having an effect on testing accuracy?

OP posts: