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..

I've seen people being told to test for a sore leg

Apparently that person was positive..

Alternatively I know quite a few people who have a heavy colds and had PCRs testing negative. Shock horror there's other viruses out there, who'da thought it 🤔

But also, where exactly is this advice;

You test with LFT if you don't have symptoms

Why do we test with no symptoms? In what circumstances?
Or is there advice to lft test with other (cold?) symptoms?

@VanGoghsDog

But also, where exactly is this advice;

You test with LFT if you don't have symptoms

Why do we test with no symptoms? In what circumstances?
Or is there advice to lft test with other (cold?) symptoms?

Everyone was encouraged to test twice weekly weren't they. By the government.

Are you having fun nit picking?

@VanGoghsDog www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing/get-tested-for-coronavirus/

There's some info here.

I will take a PCR if I have one of the symptoms listed on NHS website
*a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
*a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
*a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

I had a stinky cold, lots of sneezing, a very sore throat, a bit of a chesty cough. No PCR needed. Negative LFTs throughout.

For God’s sake. Cold viruses have existed since time began. People will get them the same way they always have. Not every sniffle (or cold from hell) is going to be Covid

@MiddlesexGirl

I will take a PCR if I have one of the symptoms listed on NHS website *a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature) *a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual) *a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

I had a stinky cold, lots of sneezing, a very sore throat, a bit of a chesty cough. No PCR needed. Negative LFTs throughout.

But you did have a cough?

My 4 year old has Covid at moment. Negative LFT. Positive PCR. Same day.

I’m on another thread on here about the ‘non Covid’ virus.
My DS has just come out of isolation after being a close contact and then testing positive. No symptoms, all negative LFTs, 1 negative PCR, then a positive one. I started to feel ill and went to get a test with him the second time since I was taking g him and I tested negative.
Then I started coughing 5 days later so went for another test. Negative.
So I’ve had this shitty cold for 2 weeks on and off, had to have time off work and everything, but it’s not Covid!

@MiddlesexGirl

I will take a PCR if I have one of the symptoms listed on NHS website *a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature) *a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual) *a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

I had a stinky cold, lots of sneezing, a very sore throat, a bit of a chesty cough. No PCR needed. Negative LFTs throughout.

Exactly - there is so much over-testing going on I don't understand why people cannot distinguish between a bad cold and covid and use some common sense.
The powers that be seem to be very vague in providing guidance for when to test

The key questions to ask when seeking guidance on this sort of matter is what would Boris do.

The answer to which is go on holiday at someone else's expense at the slightest hint of a cold.

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

Do you have children? Are they preschoolers? One of mine will have a new cold or bug of some sort every 1-2 weeks. HFM is going round, as is chicken pox. We didn’t get a cold-free year last year as everyone else seems to describe because they were at nursery and everything was going round as usual.

My boys had a heavy cold. I knew it was a cold. Negative lft every day. School insisted on pcr which of course was Negative at they had a cold. Seems wasteful to me tbh.

I had symptoms which included chills, a persistent cough and feeling generally (very) rotten including a change to sense of taste. It was similar to a previous experience of a chest infection. Negative LFTs but did a PCR due to the persistent cough and change to sense of taste. Did not want to expose others to Covid if I were positive. PCR negative.

Neighbour had exactly the same symptoms. Negative LFTs. Did a PCR and was positive.

For me it’s about being aware if it is Covid and not spreading it to someone who may be CEV or to colleagues. I don’t exactly want to spread a cold either so I did isolate (felt so rotten I could do little else). Meanwhile a colleague did go into work with cold symptoms (later tested positive for Covid) and spread it to someone who was getting married. Groom-to-be now very unwell with Covid and wedding being cancelled.

The thing here is that the current variant does present similarly to a cold. The Zoe study makes that clearer. While the government still highlight three main symptoms they are not the only symptoms that might alert you.

I don't understand why people cannot distinguish between a bad cold and covid and use some common sense.

@bunnybuggs the reason people are not able to distinguish between a bad cold and Covid at the moment are because for many people the symptoms are the same ! And sometimes people are having worse symptoms with a cold than they are with Covid .

My current cold is far far worse than Covid was for me!

Totally agree with you @RobinsReliant

@shinynewapple21 Exactly!

The government has not updated the list of common Covid symptoms. Several people I know thought they had a cold but tested positive for Covid when they had a PCR. That enabled them to isolate and stop the spread.

Covid might not affect some people in a significant way but for others it could be life changing.

We currently have the highest Covid rate in Europe. Not a good place to be if we don’t want any restrictions.

They aren’t going to add cold symptoms like runny noses etc to the PCR requirements. In my household it would take an HCP and a teacher out of the workforce for a day or so every 1-2 weeks. You can think it’s wrong or dangerous for people not to test for cold symptoms (note I am not talking about fevers, loss of taste, coughing etc), but it’s really a case of just picking different route to possible chaos and lack of services

Do you work , OP? Most people don't have time to go for PCR tests repeatedly if they don't even have one of the three main symptoms. My nearest test centre is a 70 minute roundtrip (south east). Plus LFTs are apparently more accurate than previously thought.

@ichundich

Do you work , OP? Most people don't have time to go for PCR tests repeatedly if they don't even have one of the three main symptoms. My nearest test centre is a 70 minute roundtrip (south east). Plus LFTs are apparently more accurate than previously thought.

You can get pcr tests to do at home and post back. They take, what, 5 minutes?

Lots of kids at DC have covid. Their main symptoms have been vomiting followed by loss of appetite and and a headache.
I suggested to the school that they sent an email around warning parents to look out for these signs but they said that they have to follow the government guidance.
Clearly the government is actively withholding this information in an attempt to build up heard immunity

Lateral flow worked for me - I had a positive the day before I developed symptoms in June. Meant I didn’t go into work or expose my elderly parents to it. PCR next day confirmed that I had COVID. My dd had cold symptoms with a mild cough earlier this week. LFT negative and PCR also negative so I am confident it’s just a cold - especially as a few of her classmates with the same bug have also all tested negative. Under previous circumstances she’d have been well enough to be at school but she didn’t go back today even after the negative test result as it doesn’t feel right to do that anymore.

“You can get pcr tests to do at home and post back. They take, what, 5 minutes?”

And while you’re waiting for results? We have had them take three days to come back. Some of us can’t Wfh, have children who are too young to occupy themselves safely. What is your plan for the many many HCPs, teachers etc with small children with regular snotty noses who would be off work for a day or so every 1-2 weeks? Will you cover the shifts? Pay the mortgage?