So many people out and about with colds and negative LFTs

[sicko]

So many people I know who are fully vaccinated have colds at the moment and insist they don't have covid, based on negative LFT. Yet whenever I come to this board, it seems that everyone follows the official advice and gets a PCR when they have colds and coughs.

Even at nursery, the kids can go in, if they have just coughs and colds and only need a PCR if they have a temperature too.

Is this anyone else's experience too in real life ?

Surely the LFT detects most cases if you actually test while you're symptomatic ?

I saw an article yesterday saying that they're better than first thought.

While writing I just received a text from my mum saying she doesn't have covid, even though she has a bad cough and cold, because she's just had a negative LFT..

Colds exist...not every sniffle is going to be covid..

I did several lateral flow tests before and after my pcr. The lateral flow tests were all negative. PCR was positive.

So forgive me for not trusting the LTFs.

@AlexaShutUp

I did several lateral flow tests before and after my pcr. The lateral flow tests were all negative. PCR was positive.

So forgive me for not trusting the LTFs.

Yeah I'm not surprised. I'm a bit uncomfortable to be honest to be around people who say they have colds and definitely not covid, based on a negative LFT.

But it seems that no one I know feels like me !

I have a bad cold and took two negative LFTs. I didn't trust them so also had a PCR, also negative. I have a bad cold with many of the Covid symptoms but it isn't Covid. Not every sniffle, cough or temperature is Covid.

My son was quite poorly with a cold, had a bad chesty cough. -ve lfts. He got a PCR after a few days still quite poorly. Also -ve.

There's a stinker of a chesty cold doing the rounds. It isn't Covid.

I don't know what we should be doing now. NHS advice is to only test for the original symptoms, so we don't waste PCRs on colds.

I have a bad cold. Took 2 LFT’s… negative. Felt like I was maybe being irresponsible by not having a PCR, so booked one. Negative.
I’ve had it for 2 weeks now. Had to go out this morning and got so many nasty looks for blowing my nose in Asda, but I can’t stay at home forever with a cold!

I've just had a cold, caught from DD. Both of us PCR tested, me multiple times. All negative.

DD bless her freaked out because she 'lost her sense of smell'. I told her to blow her nose, resolved immediately

Some colds are just colds.

I have a bad cold. Negative LF last week, negative PCR yesterday.

Colds are still a thing.

I've had the cold from hell, a negative LFT and PCR test too. I WFH mostly but what would you prefer me to do otherwise? Stay home 24/7?

Also had multiple bad colds in my household. We did do PCR’s on each when the coughing started. But didn’t for the snotty sniffles - still doing our 2 LTFs a week.

I have to ask where it ends though, when doing an ltf isn’t enough and now doing a bloody PCR isn’t enough for most - we’ve had many comments about results being false negatives, wrong timing etc. What will make folk happy? Genuinely…what will give comfort that’s it not covid if all testing options have been exhausted?

So in your own words the people have cold like symptoms. Which is not surprising since it is cold and flu season
But let's say it is covid, are you double vaccinated? Is cold like symptoms really something to worry about?
Is it likely that even though 90% of people who have covid are asymptotic you think everyone with cold symptoms has covid?
No.

Awful cold/virus here. Me and the kids (but I can’t shake mine off). Done LFT’s and PCR’s. All negative. Same as everyone else around here at the mo.

Yet whenever I come to this board, it seems that everyone follows the official advice and gets a PCR when they have colds and coughs

This is not quite right. The current published NHS advice is that you get a PCR when you have any one of:

• a high temperature
• a new, continuous cough
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste

That is not the same as many cold symptoms. Now we all know that covid can present outside those symptoms, but it does not mean that you should be getting PCR tests for different symptoms. The correct test to use when you do not have those symptoms is LFT.

NHS has in the past changed the symptoms list, and presumably will do so again if there is clinical need

I'm not sure when it ends for me. I am double vaccinated and expect my booster in November due to underlying condition. I'm also pregnant.

I also have Hyperemesis and just want to avoid anything else making me sick. But it's unavoidable.

I guess when I come on here, it's just super different to what I see in real life. Aside from responses to this thread, which seem more measured. Thank you

I feel like I've seen so many threads where the OP is saying they have cold symptoms and people are urging them to get a PCR !

Other viruses are available

DH has a very heavy cold at the moment with a cough caused by the mucus - negative LFT, not yet had a PCR as he doesn't have any Covid symptoms. Double vaccinated and flu vaccinated too.

Not unusual for heavy colds to do the rounds at this time of year.

@sicko

I feel like I've seen so many threads where the OP is saying they have cold symptoms and people are urging them to get a PCR !

This is my exact point - everyone’s risk acceptance is different. All you can reasonably do is follow the guidance as a minimum, there’s always people that will expect more.

I have a friend who tested her Dd as she was ‘tired’ and slept in one day. I thought it was madness but she actually did test positive. I must’ve had covid for the last 8 years as I’m ALWAYS tired 🤣

I'm at the point now where I'm refusing to stick yet another swab up my three year olds nose unless she has covid symptoms. She has had a cold for about 3 weeks now. Extremely snotty and does cough at night when she lies down. Her nose is sore from wiping it so much. I refuse to go down the path where everything is covid. She has a stinking cold. That's it

@Jmaho

I'm at the point now where I'm refusing to stick yet another swab up my three year olds nose unless she has covid symptoms. She has had a cold for about 3 weeks now. Extremely snotty and does cough at night when she lies down. Her nose is sore from wiping it so much. I refuse to go down the path where everything is covid. She has a stinking cold. That's it

Agree 100%. Im actually sick of it! I'm the same with my 4 year old. Trying to get an app with the GP today because he was crying with an ear-ache. Has had a little bit of a head cold. Because of that they want him to either 1.) have a covid test and wait a day or two for results to come back... or 2.) they'll write up a prescription for an antibiotic and we can collect it.

And how do they know if he actually NEEDS an antibiotic without even assessing him? Not every F'ing thing is covid for gods sake. He's never had an antibiotic in his life so I want to make sure it's needed.

Lateral flow tests are actually very good at detecting when your viral load is sufficiently high for you to be in danger of infecting others. That’s why they are widely used world wide for travel, getting into events/ venues etc.

Despite gov guidance they are particularly effective (accurate) if you have symptoms.

A PCR test will detect much lower viral loads - quite possibly too low to be dangerous - hence why you can continue to test positive on PCR up to 3 months after infection, when you are not likely to be contagious.

The reason the gov wants you to do a PCR if you have symptoms is because that is the only way to detect and monitor variants. Now that it is clear that almost all cases are Delta they are backing away from requiring PCR (nb new travel rules).

If you have symptoms, and your LF test is negative, the chances are good that it is a cold and not Covid - despite current gov guidance. They actually work BETTER on symptomatic people than on asymptomatic.

The only proviso is that lateral flow tests are always self administered and could be faked. But anyone with a genuine negative LF test is unlikely to be a significant danger to anyone. (That could change, of course, in only a day or two - you could have Covid, but not have enough viral load to trigger a positive LF, but still be infected and “coming down” with it.). That’s my layman’s summary, but I am pretty sure it is more or less correct.

www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n823

Yep, here in London there is a cold doing rounds. A few people I know have been quite sick 2+ weeks and still going. Apparently not covid. Some had negative PCR tests and some negative LFT. Plus people coughing and sniffling everywhere you go. Part of me is thinking stay away from me you nasty superspreaders of whatever it is that you have- Covid or flu or cold. But I also know we need to get our lives back so... it’s a tough one.

[quote SultanOfSwing]Lateral flow tests are actually very good at detecting when your viral load is sufficiently high for you to be in danger of infecting others. That’s why they are widely used world wide for travel, getting into events/ venues etc.

Despite gov guidance they are particularly effective (accurate) if you have symptoms.

A PCR test will detect much lower viral loads - quite possibly too low to be dangerous - hence why you can continue to test positive on PCR up to 3 months after infection, when you are not likely to be contagious.

The reason the gov wants you to do a PCR if you have symptoms is because that is the only way to detect and monitor variants. Now that it is clear that almost all cases are Delta they are backing away from requiring PCR (nb new travel rules).

If you have symptoms, and your LF test is negative, the chances are good that it is a cold and not Covid - despite current gov guidance. They actually work BETTER on symptomatic people than on asymptomatic.

The only proviso is that lateral flow tests are always self administered and could be faked. But anyone with a genuine negative LF test is unlikely to be a significant danger to anyone. (That could change, of course, in only a day or two - you could have Covid, but not have enough viral load to trigger a positive LF, but still be infected and “coming down” with it.). That’s my layman’s summary, but I am pretty sure it is more or less correct.

www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n823[/quote]
This is what I thought ! I thought they're actually quite good at detecting covid if you're actually unwell with it. They've had such negative press though and especially on here, to most people, they mean nothing and are hated.

Thanks for providing that link too ! This makes me feel a lot better.

Of course I know of some cases where they haven't been accurate. But I think on the whole, they're OK. Some news came out yesterday saying they're much better than first thought.

Also 2 positive pcrs here and no positive lateral flows. Pointless

If I got a PCR whenever I caught a sniffle i'd never be in work.