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..

We were extremely unwell and did a week of negative lateral flows then added in pcrs which were positive

But yes the council test and trace man did explain it probably meant we weren't that infectious which was great but also quite weird as we were so unwell!

I do twice weekly PCR for work along with 20 colleagues and have been doing so since March.

Not one of us has had a positive result despite the usual bugs and sniffles being rife a few times. There is a virus doing the rounds which seems to mimic a chest infection - quite a few of us off with it but still no positive PCR!

3 of the 4 of us have colds and all have taken multiple negative LFT's.

Other viruses still exist you know - not everything is covid. People are right to be getting on with their lives. You don't need to lock yourself away with a cold.

I don't know what threads you're reading because I see tonnes of people on here who seem to use LFTs in place of PCRs with no apparent awareness of the difference in reliability. But in fairness, the government has never updated its main three symptoms so if you have indicative symptoms and want a test but don't have the classic three you basically have to lie to get one!

@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 !

I started with a snotty nose and sneezing on Monday. Took a LFT routinely for work and it was positive. I would never have done one based on my symptoms. Did a PCR which was also positive. The next day I felt rough and I’ve spent 2 days in bed but my only symptoms are a cold really.

So yes, I think if you have a cold taking at least a LfT would be responsible.

Meanwhile my DH had had an awful cough since the weekend. 3 LFT and a PCR all negative.

I have a stinking cold and tested negative on a LFT. My GP told me that they are only effective when you are symptom free. Apparently only 50% accurate when there are symptoms. My PCR has also come back negative thankfully.

With cold symptoms (I’m not talking about fever, cough, loss of taste etc) then it might be covid but equally it might not. Most of my family are teachers or HCPs and we have small children. We often get back-to-back colds at this time of year, so far all negative LFTs. Do you want us to isolate pending a PCR test every 1-2 weeks for snotty noses? Taking us out of the workforce?

A colleague has had a cold and cough all week. Tested negative on LFT so assumed just a cold- should have done a PCR though, not LFT, because she had symptoms! She's since tested positive on LFT and is now waiting for PCR results. If she had done a PCR to start with like you're meant to, she wouldn't have been at work all week potentially passing it on!

It's not just her fault- we're all expected to carry on when poorly, moaned about for taking time off, and the boss will just take your word for it that it's not covid rather than insist on a PCR.

This board drives me insane. I cannot believe people are so concerned this far into the pandemic. I’ve got covid now, it’s unpleasant but it’s fine. I’m not remotely anxious or worried, it’s a bit like flu really. Feel grim for a week, then it gets better. I’m on day 9 now & raring to get out the house & back into routine!

Get vaccinated. Get on with life. I’ve followed all the rules & I fully appreciate we needed to protect the vulnerable, my mum is the oober vulnerable category. But we have vaccines, we have better treatment. We can’t lock ourselves up in terror anymore.

Thankfully, I don’t know anyone in real life that expresses any of the opinions I see on here! 🙈

Think it’s probably time to say goodbye to this board. It’s like a parallel universe.

Also - I agree re-lateral flows. I tested positive on day 3 of cold like symptoms. In that time, I’d been in work in an unventilated room, squashed together. I’d also shared a bed with my kids etc & had sex with my husband etc (not at the same time 🙈😂).. no-one caught it off me. Not one person. After I tested positive, I tested daily & the results got darker & darker until yesterday when the line was faded & today it’s negative. I think the lateral flow did a very good job actually!

So are you saying since COVID, every single sniffle/cough is COVID? Really?

This is madness. It's never ever going anywhere. Vulnerable are nearly TRIPPLE vaccinated. Is that not enough? Shall we just cancel life and coop up indoors? The world has gone truely mad.

Covid has the same symptoms as cold. It’s winter, colds are flying around. Those with children in particular get colds ALL winter long. As do the kids! It’s just not practical to get PCR tested every bloody week 🤦🏼‍♀️

it seems that everyone follows the official advice and gets a PCR when they have colds and coughs

What advice is that then? The advice I have seen does not say that at all.

@Bobholll

Covid has the same symptoms as cold. It’s winter, colds are flying around. Those with children in particular get colds ALL winter long. As do the kids! It’s just not practical to get PCR tested every bloody week 🤦🏼‍♀️

I never really understand these comments. Some people must get sick very frequently. Are they really always constantly getting colds every week?

Presumably as you are told not to use LFTs with COVID symptoms, you CAN use them with COLD symptoms...

anyway if I tested for covid every time I had a sniffle, a sore throat or a headache I'd be testing every few weeks. Sometimes I think wearing a mask gives me a sore throat.

Anyway not all LFTs are the same. We have some that specifically say that you can use them if you have symptoms. But they are not the NHS ones.

I did numerous lateral flow tests before and after my pcr, all of them were negative but the pcr was positive!

@SpringheelJack

I don't know what threads you're reading because I see tonnes of people on here who seem to use LFTs in place of PCRs with no apparent awareness of the difference in reliability. But in fairness, the government has never updated its main three symptoms so if you have indicative symptoms and want a test but don't have the classic three you basically have to lie to get one!

Exactly!

There is no govt advice to get a PCR if you have normal cold symptoms.

I mean, yes, you can lie of course. But you can't blame people for not doing it if they've not been told to. I had a cold, no fever, bit of a cough but not persistent, no loss of taste etc, did four LFTs, all negative, didn't go for PCR.

@VanGoghsDog

it seems that everyone follows the official advice and gets a PCR when they have colds and coughs

What advice is that then? The advice I have seen does not say that at all.

One word in my sentence was incorrect- colds.

I know the official advice very well, thanks.

You test with LFT if you don't have symptoms

You get a PCR if you have any of these symptoms :

Cough

Fever

Loss of sense and smell

Before you pull me up on this:

A new continuous cough..

@Bobholll

This board drives me insane. I cannot believe people are so concerned this far into the pandemic. I’ve got covid now, it’s unpleasant but it’s fine. I’m not remotely anxious or worried, it’s a bit like flu really. Feel grim for a week, then it gets better. I’m on day 9 now & raring to get out the house & back into routine!

Get vaccinated. Get on with life. I’ve followed all the rules & I fully appreciate we needed to protect the vulnerable, my mum is the oober vulnerable category. But we have vaccines, we have better treatment. We can’t lock ourselves up in terror anymore.

Thankfully, I don’t know anyone in real life that expresses any of the opinions I see on here! 🙈

Think it’s probably time to say goodbye to this board. It’s like a parallel universe.

Also - I agree re-lateral flows. I tested positive on day 3 of cold like symptoms. In that time, I’d been in work in an unventilated room, squashed together. I’d also shared a bed with my kids etc & had sex with my husband etc (not at the same time 🙈😂).. no-one caught it off me. Not one person. After I tested positive, I tested daily & the results got darker & darker until yesterday when the line was faded & today it’s negative. I think the lateral flow did a very good job actually!

I agree this board is like a parallel universe.

I didn't mean to start anything or make it worse. Actually the thread has made me feel loads better and I'm not going to worry about it anymore. A LFT is probably enough in most cases and that's that.

Yes @AlexaShutUp - my 18 month old has had the following illnesses since starting nursery in March:

Norovirus x 2
Hand Foot & Mouth x 2
Chicken Pox
Tonsillitis x 5
Hospital admissions x 2
Colds x 1000

All the above caused sky high fevers & commonly coughs. All warranting PCR tests in theory.

She has been constantly ill. She’s not done more than 2 weeks at nursery without needing some time off. The doctors in hospital said lockdown babies are really suffering as their immune systems haven’t had the exposure it should have & we are seeing a real bounce back in nasty viruses going around.

My elder child was pretty similar going through her first year of nursery. They catch everything under the sun & I challenge you to look at any toddler this winter & find one that doesn’t have a runny nose. It’s just permanent.

I catch a good 80% of these colds, probably because I co-sleep when they are poorly & get sneezed on directly into my eyeballs & mouth 😷😂🙈

@Bobholll

Yes *@AlexaShutUp* - my 18 month old has had the following illnesses since starting nursery in March:

Norovirus x 2
Hand Foot & Mouth x 2
Chicken Pox
Tonsillitis x 5
Hospital admissions x 2
Colds x 1000

All the above caused sky high fevers & commonly coughs. All warranting PCR tests in theory.

She has been constantly ill. She’s not done more than 2 weeks at nursery without needing some time off. The doctors in hospital said lockdown babies are really suffering as their immune systems haven’t had the exposure it should have & we are seeing a real bounce back in nasty viruses going around.

My elder child was pretty similar going through her first year of nursery. They catch everything under the sun & I challenge you to look at any toddler this winter & find one that doesn’t have a runny nose. It’s just permanent.

I catch a good 80% of these colds, probably because I co-sleep when they are poorly & get sneezed on directly into my eyeballs & mouth 😷😂🙈

Wow that's so many illnesses !!! Mine has started this week had runny nose on day one

@sicko

Before you pull me up on this:

A new continuous cough..

Yes, so people with cold symptoms are not doing anything wrong (according to the govt) by not going for a PCR.

So, what is your point?

@VanGoghsDog my point was that on this board, people are always telling posters they need to test for cold symptoms. Whereas in real life, I haven't seen people do that...