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..

My dc had a horrendous cold and cough with negative lft and PCR tests. Two weeks later they had a runny nose and tested positive on lft and subsequent PCR.

The last time I ordered one of them (couple of weeks ago), it took 1 whole day to arrive and then 5 days to get the results, even though I posted it back immediately. And I know from reading on here and following the news that such a long turnaround time is not unusual.

So both are going round and it’s hard to tell without testing.

Parainfluenza is going round. My 11 month old was hospitalised with it. Gave older DD a horrific asthma flare. We've all had it, all had PCRs. All negative.

I agree @RichTeaRichTea . Unfortunately there is a risk that people will still become unwell with Covid as cases rise but then we knew that anyway. Risks are now reduced because of the vaccine but they cannot be eliminated.

Some organisations (eg areas of the healthcare workforce) are continuing to have a very cautious policy with restrictions still in place for their staff. That’s clearly designed to protect staff and patients as far as possible. There are less cautious policies in education it seems.

Our local NHS trust is now advising NOT to get tested for ‘wider’ covid symptoms - ie common cold symptoms. They state this is because it’s now cold and flu season.

I've got a stinker of a cold right now. It was originally a head cold with lots of mucus and sneezing (no covid symptoms) but today its morphed into a chesty productive cough.

I struggle to understand what taking either a LFT or PCR will accomplish.

If I did such a test and it was negative, then in theory I should go forth and spread the germs because hey it isn't covid and no one has ever had a cold virus which progressed to deadly pneumonia before.

If I did a positive test, then in theory I should isolate, even though most adults have been vaccinated, an even higher number of people have antibodies, and those who haven't been offered a vaccine will not generally go on to develop serious illness and die. And with the distinct lack of unbiased stats around long covid then it can't be a factor in any decision making process.

So I've taken a common sense approach. I pushed back a dental appointment by two weeks, I'm not going in the gym and I'm wearing a mask in shops - after all they are supposedly ultra effective in stopping the spread of viral droplets indoors.

I started with cold symptoms and had several negative lateral flows. However, because my husband was positive I went for a pcr anyway and that was positive! So glad I didn’t just trust the pcrs. I have now got more classic Covid symptoms but the first couple of days it was just like having a cold.

You had had close contact with someone who you knew was definitely positive. That’s not the same as testing for every cold symptom because otherwise it’s irresponsible (as some MNers would have it)

Yep. Like every year when people get a normal cold...

@Bugbeau

I started with cold symptoms and had several negative lateral flows. However, because my husband was positive I went for a pcr anyway and that was positive! So glad I didn’t just trust the pcrs. I have now got more classic Covid symptoms but the first couple of days it was just like having a cold.

That’s entirely different. You were in close contact with a positive case so a PCR is recommended.

@RichTeaRichTea Definitely wouldn’t test ‘for every cold symptom’ but I work in an environment where if I pass Covid on it would have a significant impact. I do LFTs regularly. This was my first PCR in response to a persistent cough and the knowledge that people are testing positive without having all three main symptoms.

Our local council and NHS trust are being very cautious in terms of staff policies. Much more cautious than government guidance dictates. Can’t afford to spread Covid inadvertently to vulnerable service users and critical workers. Some might think that the level of caution is unnecessary but we are protecting our staff and service users and if that means we keep testing, keep wearing masks and keep social distancing at work then that’s fine with me (may reduce the spread of colds and flu too).

Last week my kids had coughs, temps, two of them were sick, joint pain etc. Negative pcr and lft

This week all are well, but one had a positive lft on Weds and now pcr confirmed. 😂

Yes I am an HCP. I do regular LFTs. I do PCRs for the main symptoms. My organisation could not manage if I and my colleagues did PCRs (with associated period of isolation) for every runny nose that we or our small children have, as some suggest (I am not saying you did suggest that). My husband is a teacher and the same for his school.

@scottish83

I've got a stinker of a cold right now. It was originally a head cold with lots of mucus and sneezing (no covid symptoms) but today its morphed into a chesty productive cough.

I struggle to understand what taking either a LFT or PCR will accomplish.

If I did such a test and it was negative, then in theory I should go forth and spread the germs because hey it isn't covid and no one has ever had a cold virus which progressed to deadly pneumonia before.

If I did a positive test, then in theory I should isolate, even though most adults have been vaccinated, an even higher number of people have antibodies, and those who haven't been offered a vaccine will not generally go on to develop serious illness and die. And with the distinct lack of unbiased stats around long covid then it can't be a factor in any decision making process.

So I've taken a common sense approach. I pushed back a dental appointment by two weeks, I'm not going in the gym and I'm wearing a mask in shops - after all they are supposedly ultra effective in stopping the spread of viral droplets indoors.

You have a cough, which is a clear covid symptom. You should isolate and get a pcr, not go to the shops! And as an aside, your progression of symptoms is exactly what I experienced, plus on day 9 smell and taste went. It felt like a bog standard nasty cold until day 9. It was covid. I had suspected it from the start but my first 2 pcrs were false negatives from the dodgy lab fiasco.

@scottish83

I've got a stinker of a cold right now. It was originally a head cold with lots of mucus and sneezing (no covid symptoms) but today its morphed into a chesty productive cough.

I struggle to understand what taking either a LFT or PCR will accomplish.

If I did such a test and it was negative, then in theory I should go forth and spread the germs because hey it isn't covid and no one has ever had a cold virus which progressed to deadly pneumonia before.

If I did a positive test, then in theory I should isolate, even though most adults have been vaccinated, an even higher number of people have antibodies, and those who haven't been offered a vaccine will not generally go on to develop serious illness and die. And with the distinct lack of unbiased stats around long covid then it can't be a factor in any decision making process.

So I've taken a common sense approach. I pushed back a dental appointment by two weeks, I'm not going in the gym and I'm wearing a mask in shops - after all they are supposedly ultra effective in stopping the spread of viral droplets indoors.

Common sense would be self isolating. It would also be getting it confirmed incase you need medical attention soon or for long covid 🙄

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

There's some info here. [/quote]
I'm not nit picking - you started a conversation, I'm asking questions to understand what you're getting at because it's not obvious to me.

You seem to be unclear on what you're saying. Yes, I know we were encouraged to do twice weekly lfts, but very few people are doing. Even my mum has gone down to one a week.

Encouraged isn't the same as told, or even advised I don't think. Plus that was ages ago.

I wasn't aware that lft was only for if you don't have symptoms. I thought it was a Covid test. I obviously missed that bit.

But, when I had cold symptoms (no fever, no persistent cough (a normal bit of a cough) and no loss of taste or smell) I did 4x lft just in case.

If we are only supposed to use lft if we don't have Covid symptoms, then I did the right thing.

I looked on the govt website to see if I should get a PCR and it didn't seem to say I was eligible, so I didn't.

If your point is that people on MN tell everyone to get a PCR, then I would say from the threads I've read it seems to be split pretty evenly between those who say everyone should get I've if they so much as sneeze, to those who say don't bother unless you have all three very specific symptoms. Even this thread is split.

In my real life experience I'd agree that most people are not getting pcr tests. And despite that we have 1m with covid, highest since Jan and I know of tens of people personally who have it right now. So they must have done them and, really, it does make you wonder if we should be doing them more widely to contain it or at least have more reliable stats.

I think with children they are often sniffly, coughing, snotty from October to March. As they roll from one cold to the next. You can't keep them off school so it's best just to gert on with things.

For us, the LFTs have always matched the PCRs (negative or positive) so I think are a good indicator! And much easier than missing 1/2 days of school, work etc waiting for results (or in my daughter’s case 3 days whilst the rest of them came back 16 hours later).

@Campervan69

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.

Not wasteful at all, the cost of the test will be negligible compared to spreading covid and people needing care, employers needing cover, CEV people getting ill etc.

I had a virus at the start of Sept. started with dodgy tummy then morphed into muscle aches/high temp/awful non shifting headache and sinus pain. Sense of taste dulled and appetite went but smell didn't. Mild sore throat and very mild cough. Hideously tired and exhausted. I have a number of friends who had COVID who said this matched their symptoms and I'd just come back from a very very busy holiday resort. My lfts were negative and therefore I didn't get a pcr. But I did keep myself out of everyone's way (I wfh but tbh was too poorly to work much beyond a couple of hours a day). Made kids lft every day just in case. Oh, I got one positive on lft but it was well after time and I had read that could be ignored. I thought that was COVID and was surprised it wasn't.

2 weeks after I got better, dd bought a stinker of a cold home. 50% of her class had it. Some had been pcr'd and all negative. We lft'd and all negative. I got it and had another week of sore throat/cough/a bit tired etc. My mum also had it and got pcr'd as she got a chest infection and the gp wanted her to rule it out before he gave her antibiotics. We never thought that was anything but a cold.

We've actually only ever had one pcr in our house - Dd1 got unwell right before a residential trip at the end of the summer term and school asked if we could. We lft a few times a week.

I did have a point when I wrote that but I seem to have forgotten what it was!

My DD has just had her usual asthma bad chest with a negative PCR.

‘If you have any of these 3 coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms, even if mild, use this service to get a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test as soon as possible:
a high temperature
a new, continuous cough
you’ve lost your sense of smell or taste or it’s changed.’

Snot, headache, sore throat etc not on the list. There are many other viruses!

My DS has just tested positive and his only symptoms were a snotty nose and loss of appetite. He's started coughing a bit now but he's a week in. I 100% thought it was just a mild cold and only did a LFT on him because I was doing mine and DH anyway

It came back positive and his PCR was also positive. Mine was negative but I also have a cold now. I've done another PCR but am wondering if he has a cold as well as COVID, it's pretty much impossible to tell apart