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’m wondering if all the people saying “it’s not covid” are just doing 1 lateral flow and that’s it. In my and dd’s case this week, our lateral flows only turned positive on day 3 of our “cold”.

I really think there needs to be more messaging around the testing. There’s definitely no point keeping doing PCRs if you have cold symptoms and haven’t been in contact with any cases. But although the lateral flows seem to be really good at picking up cases, they may not turn positive until too late.

@BigSquareRoom

I’m wondering if all the people saying “it’s not covid” are just doing 1 lateral flow and that’s it. In my and dd’s case this week, our lateral flows only turned positive on day 3 of our “cold”.

I really think there needs to be more messaging around the testing. There’s definitely no point keeping doing PCRs if you have cold symptoms and haven’t been in contact with any cases. But although the lateral flows seem to be really good at picking up cases, they may not turn positive until too late.

I’ve done 3 lateral flows and a PCR with my heavy cold!

@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.

Wasteful and bordering on cruel. When a you g child has a cold it is horrible to have to stick a swab up their noses while they are upset and feeling poorly when you know its a cold. I'm not doing it from now on

Schools that ‘insist’ on PCR for symptoms other than the three on the list aren’t applying government guidance.

A cold alone isn't reason to take a PCR. The guidance is still an new persistent cough, high temperature and/or loss of taste or smell.

@liveforsummer

A cold alone isn't reason to take a PCR. The guidance is still an new persistent cough, high temperature and/or loss of taste or smell.

The guidance is outdated. Delta typically starts with cold symptoms. I didn't have any of the "official" covid symptoms until several days in. Would have been a bit late if I had been going round spreading it before that.

I am an HCP and my husband is a teacher. I repeat my previous question to you, AlexaShutUp:

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 new snotty noses who would be off work for a day or so every 1-2 weeks? Will you cover the shifts? Pay the mortgage?

@RichTeaRichTea

I am an HCP and my husband is a teacher. I repeat my previous question to you, AlexaShutUp:

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 new snotty noses who would be off work for a day or so every 1-2 weeks? Will you cover the shifts? Pay the mortgage?

I dunno, it seems to me that a day here and there is better than people having to isolate for 10 days at a time (or longer, in some cases) because some idiot has spread covid around the place.

Frankly, people can still get a pcr test even if they don't isolate while waiting for the result. Why wouldn't you just get tested?

Not sure if I've done this correctly, but read this just now on the BBC News app

Super cold: Is 'the worst cold ever' going around? www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-58624295

Yay I did it....

The respiratory surveillance report shows a significantly higher number of children in hospital with RSV than the much smaller number with Covid present..(RSV is often referred to as a rotten cold). There's also early signs of flu.

It's ridiculous that we've ended up - after all this - in a place where people can't afford to or aren't allowed to take time off (parental or sick) for any of the seasonal viruses 😏

“ I dunno, it seems to me that a day here and there is better than people having to isolate for 10 days at a time (or longer, in some cases) because some idiot has spread covid around the place.

Frankly, people can still get a pcr test even if they don't isolate while waiting for the result. Why wouldn't you just get tested?”

No, you really dunno, do you. No solution at all, just double down on a simplistic answer with no consideration of the complexities.

@RichTeaRichTea

“ I dunno, it seems to me that a day here and there is better than people having to isolate for 10 days at a time (or longer, in some cases) because some idiot has spread covid around the place.

Frankly, people can still get a pcr test even if they don't isolate while waiting for the result. Why wouldn't you just get tested?”

No, you really dunno, do you. No solution at all, just double down on a simplistic answer with no consideration of the complexities.

So tell me, what are the complexities that prevent you from getting a pcr so that you don't spread covid around unwittingly? What is it that would stop you from getting a postal pcr test?

You talk about people not being able to take time off work because they have mortgages to pay, but that's exactly what people are having to do when others are too selfish to get tested. What about their jobs and mortgages?

I’m not going to lie, I care more about my job and mortgage than other peoples. I imagine most people do.

@ThePoisonousMushroom

I’m not going to lie, I care more about my job and mortgage than other peoples. I imagine most people do.

Well, at least you're honest.

“ You talk about people not being able to take time off work because they have mortgages to pay, but that's exactly what people are having to do when others are too selfish to get tested. What about their jobs and mortgages?”

I take one with a temperature, cough, loss of taste etc, positive LFT. I’m not taking one for a new snotty nose which occurs in our household every 1-2 weeks. A postal PCR would mean at least one of us isolating for a few days every 1-2 weeks (my children are too small to leave at home alone). It would take an HCP and a teacher out of the workforce. Are you ok with this?

I think rather than blaming each other for what we are doing, the buck stops with the government.

They've decided not to update the symptoms.

We can't blame people for following advice and not testing, if they don't have the symptoms we are told to test for.

I can only presume that they've not updated the symptoms for a reason. They're just letting it rip, basically.

@RichTeaRichTea

“ You talk about people not being able to take time off work because they have mortgages to pay, but that's exactly what people are having to do when others are too selfish to get tested. What about their jobs and mortgages?”

I take one with a temperature, cough, loss of taste etc, positive LFT. I’m not taking one for a new snotty nose which occurs in our household every 1-2 weeks. A postal PCR would mean at least one of us isolating for a few days every 1-2 weeks (my children are too small to leave at home alone). It would take an HCP and a teacher out of the workforce. Are you ok with this?

As I said above, it would be better to take a pcr without isolating rather than not taking one at all.

And yes, I would expect HCPs to be particularly careful about not infecting vulnerable patients. And as it was a teacher who initially infected many of my dd's year group by coming into work with symptoms, thereby causing each of them and many of their parents to have to isolate for 10 days, then yes of course, I'd have preferred her to take one day off to get a test.

Our DS1 has a cough, fever, runny nose, etc. DP and I both have it to but without the fever. We've both taken LTFs which have been negative, but had to take DS1 to hospital yesterday and the doctor told us to get a PCR because the LTFs are often wrong

There’s actually a large number of people testing negative on PCR’s at the moment who probably have covid. Especially in the south west. Am sure someone on the news said the advice was to trust a positive lft at the moment if you have symptoms.

Positive result on both lateral flow and pcr this week for me which was much clearer cut!

I have just tested positive (PCR) following a sore throat and lots of negative lateral flow tests, including 3 this morning. There are more symptoms than the government published ones and it appears that lateral flow don't pick up everything.

You took 3 lateral flows in one morning? That’s commitment!

Also, the people spreading covid aren't idiots. They are people who have negative lateral flow tests and minor symptoms.

@lazysummer

Also, the people spreading covid aren't idiots. They are people who have negative lateral flow tests and minor symptoms.

They're idiots if they are refusing to get tested.

I had that horrid cold. Thought my head was going to explode and was really weak because I’m asthmatic it went onto my chest.
Did LFT every day, did a PCR, all negative.
It’s probably as we’re all mixing again.