Are people just going out with symptoms now…?

[Dandy008]

Went out with DC and a friend this morning.
We started off in local soft play and went to a family pub for lunch.

The soft play was literally full of kids who more than half of them were coughing.
Adults were coughing too.

At first I thought I was just being a bit hyper vigilant, until my friend mentioned it to me and said she felt uncomfortable.

We headed to the pub for lunch and to our surprise, it was the same there only this time it was more adults coughing.

It wasn’t even the same people,

I know it’s that time of year and we have to expect colds etc, but surely if you’re coughing, with a continuous cough, during a pandemic, then you would stay at home… 🤷🏻‍♀️

@GobletofFiyah

Yes I think so. I've had to deal with it this week it's been really difficult an agency nurse turned up on shift with a cough to a ward of children having bone marrow transplants and chemotherapy treatments. The sickest children you can imagine then 6 hours into the shift they had a text that the pcr on Monday was positive.

They had been in contact with at least 8 patients, most of the parents on the ward, the staff room, we've had to keep the 8 patients in hospital because they're now isolating, the parents they came into contact with have had to go home to isolate because we can't take the risk so some parents have had to swap. All staff are being tested via pcr every 2 days for 14 days.

Bloody nightmare

Their response well I only had a pcr to rule it out as it's just a little cough, I couldn't afford to not work

It's beyond selfish but it's also incredibly dangerous

That's appalling, and criminally negligent of that nurse. I would have thought that would be enough to get him-her struck off!

@GobletofFiyah

Yes I think so. I've had to deal with it this week it's been really difficult an agency nurse turned up on shift with a cough to a ward of children having bone marrow transplants and chemotherapy treatments. The sickest children you can imagine then 6 hours into the shift they had a text that the pcr on Monday was positive.

They had been in contact with at least 8 patients, most of the parents on the ward, the staff room, we've had to keep the 8 patients in hospital because they're now isolating, the parents they came into contact with have had to go home to isolate because we can't take the risk so some parents have had to swap. All staff are being tested via pcr every 2 days for 14 days.

Bloody nightmare

Their response well I only had a pcr to rule it out as it's just a little cough, I couldn't afford to not work

It's beyond selfish but it's also incredibly dangerous

This is very sad 😞 I hope all Involved are okay!

@NeedAHoliday2021

We have covid in the house and are isolating abut no one is coughing. I wouldn’t go to soft play at the moment though as it’s a germ fest and dc haven’t got much immunity to anything after the last year.

Isn't that a bit of a catch-22? On your logic your children would never be able to go to soft play and other places that potentially have more germs again....

* I wouldn’t go to soft play at the moment though as it’s a germ fest and dc haven’t got much immunity to anything after the last year.*

@NeedAHoliday2021

Yeah they aren’t the best places are they, but my DS loves going. Do your DC go to nursery?

DS is in nursery and has been since last year, he seems to pick up a lot of the bugs there too.

I've had that cold that's doing the rounds. Did a pcr test which was negative. I have asthma and any cold I get ends up in my chest with an awful cough and this is no different. Now in week 4 of the cough. Can't stay away from work etc for weeks, especially as feel absolutely fine other than the cough. Am wheezy though due to the cough and it can be a persistent cough. Made worse in cold weather.

Masks are still mandatory here, so wear one if I'm out and about.

I think we need to remember that coughs etc existed pre covid and no everything is covid.

My son coughs all throughout winter. We get him tested regularly but am I arse keeping him inside because of asthma that he can't bloody help.

DS is in nursery and has been since last year, he seems to pick up a lot of the bugs there too.

Do you honestly keep your son at home for the entire time he is coughing rather than test him and send him back?

I genuinely can't imagine many jobs being happy to have staff at home trying to work (presuming you can wfh) whilst also looking after a toddler who could be in nursery.

I think we're all a lot more conscious about coughing now and if someone is coughing it could be a number of things. However, I agree you can't relax if it's near you. Obviously you need to remove your mask to eat, but at other times (say you know you've got a cold), I think it's courtesy to wear a mask at the moment (I know it's not pleasant, I have to wear one at work). Picking up any kind of cold symptom at the moment is going to cause problems, ie employers may want you to work at home so workload has to be shifted, people may not want to see friends just in case, others will have the inconvenience of having to get a PCR test either because they're worried or work want one (my work place with cold symptoms).

You can't stay in for a cold. Covid hasn't changed that.

I work in a preschool and literally every child has a cough/cold at the moment it's unavoidable. My daughter has had a cough for about a month now and so I couldn't keep her off for that long, she has had a test and I do lateral flows on her twice weekly so I know it's nothing sinister. I expect a lot of other people are the same.

Well considering a thread i read yesterday where a colleague started coughing continuously and spontaneously during the day and the OP was flamed for suggesting he should have gone home and got tested - I'm guessing there probably are!

Obviously there are colds and coughs about. I've had that horrid cold.

But if something this pandemic has taught me I didn't go to soft plays and pubs and spread it around (it wasn't even covid!).

I think some people have pandemic fatigue. They are at the point where if vaccinated and therefore not too unwell they just get on with their lives. People don't see the urgency or need to isolate anymore and have had their freedoms back properly for months now and therefore there's more to lose iyswim?

Very recently I was at a leisure centre. Sat in cafe which still has socially distanced seating with my friend. We'd been for a walk and were having a coffee whilst we waited for the kids to finish their training.

Another 2 people were there. Mum and son. About 10 minutes in the son started coughing continuously. And I mean continuously. Mum kept whispering to him to have a drink.

Me and friend moved away from them and sat by the swimming pool window. The window is about 5/6m long.

The kid came and leant on the ledge and watched right next door to us. We moved again. For a start he didn't need to be so close anyway but I wasn't being coughed on covid or not.

The mum actually asked me and friend if we had a problem. I did say "actually I do. I have a huge issue with being coughed on continuously and any normal person would feel the same way. Also any normal parent wouldn't allow their child to do it and would teach them some manners"

I do think it's selfish to be out and about with bugs but understand why people are doing it. Also we do need to build our immunity back up so I suppose it's a good thing? But I do think people's hygiene and standards need to improve from ore covid acceptable levels

But if something this pandemic has taught me I didn't go to soft plays and pubs and spread it around (it wasn't even covid!).

It depends what it is though. As I said upthread, my son was very poorly (in hospital) recently. He doesn't have Covid, he was tested multiple times including in the hospital. He has now been left with a horrible cough which the doctor says could last months even though he's no longer contagious. Is he just not supposed to leave the house?

Coughs can last ages after the initial illness is passed. It's usually one of the last things to go from a lot of things, likely when you're no longer contagious.

I'm not suggesting there won't be anyone out when they shouldn't be. People can be dicks I get that. But people also have a whole variety of reasons for coughing that aren't always "spreading bugs around".

I think some people have pandemic fatigue. They are at the point where if vaccinated and therefore not too unwell they just get on with their lives.

Surely that's the sensible route going forward? You can't keep children off school / nursery or stay home from work for every cough or runny nose.

My DP is not vaccinated through choice. He tests twice weekly and having had a bad cold recently tested daily. He lost his job during g covid and has found another daily paid one so cant afford not to work even with a cold. I am blind vaccinated and have a stuffy nose and a cough which happens every winter. I would need to stay hone toll March going by precious years but can't imagine my work will pay me!

@itsgettingwierd Well considering a thread i read yesterday where a colleague started coughing continuously and spontaneously during the day and the OP was flamed for suggesting he should have gone home and got tested - I'm guessing there probably are!
That poster was a just looking for an argument though. They thought they knew everything about their colleague but with their attitude they probably didn't know anything!

Having a cold or sneezing is one of the main symptoms of Delta variant

I started sneezing then lost sense of taste with a few things and tested positive , because I didnt recognise these symptoms and thought I am not coughing I thought I was fine until I took test

Incubation is around 5 days before symptoms present as well so lots of people out there with Covid unaware .Something we are going to have to learn to live with and make sure as many people as possible get jabbed

I am double jabbed

"Their response well I only had a pcr to rule it out as it's just a little cough, I couldn't afford to not work"

Plenty of people won't have access to sick pay and maybe can't afford to miss work for 2 weeks. Contrary to boris' promise plenty of people lose out by doing the right thing.

There's also plenty of people who will dismiss things as a cold. Use lft Instead, of say you should only stay off if you are actually Ill.

It is far more serious in this case but this attitude is very common now.

I cough all the time. I'm asthmatic.

According to the data from the ZOE app, the top five symptoms if you’ve had two vaccinations are:

headache
runny nose
sneezing
sore throat
loss of smell

If you’ve had one vaccine, they are:

headache
runny nose
sore throat
sneezing
persistent cough

If you’ve not had the vaccine, the top five symptoms are:

headache
sore throat
runny nose
fever
persistent cough

@Whinge

I think some people have pandemic fatigue. They are at the point where if vaccinated and therefore not too unwell they just get on with their lives.

Surely that's the sensible route going forward? You can't keep children off school / nursery or stay home from work for every cough or runny nose.

Yes this is what we’re going to have to move to. It’s not sustainable for people to test and take time off work/school/nursery waiting for test results every time they get a cough or temperature, let alone mild cold symptoms that some people seem to want everyone tested for. Hopefully in spring PCR tests will no longer be required.

I genuinely think this board is a parallel universe. I’ve been out everyday this half term & it’s been heaving with everyone having a great time. I don’t think the pandemic is over, I think we can all take sensible measures. Hand washing, regular testing, maybe masks indoors. But the idea we should all stay at home with a cold is both ridiculous & also very privileged. Lock yourself in your nice home, fully paid. Extremely unrealistic for millions of people. And even for those who can WFH, the idea that I should keep my young kids at home when they have a cold or after I’ve tested them should they have cough is mad. We’d be at home all winter. What about their well-being, happiness & development? Education? No school all winter? 🙄

I said the same this week - went to a theme park and loads of people mainly kids were coughing... but we don't know the scenario. They could have had a negative test, could be allergies etc!! This time of year people cough just because they cough sometimes!

Also, coughs can last for ages. Ds had a cough last week. Tested negative but it's still lingering, mainly at night and mornings but occasionally in the day when he exerts himself too much. Lingering coughs can last for a long time after a virus!

We need to remember that coughs have been around since the start of time! Most are not covid.

Also, I think you have to expect snotty kids at soft play. It's part of the deal 😅 and the reason why I try and avoid them - breeding ground for germs!

If we all shelter each other from colds, could we end up in the same position as the Incas in Peru, who were almost wiped out by bugs brought from Europe that they had no immunity to?
I fear suffering from coughs and colds is the price we have to pay - and presumably COVID will just become another eventually.
I'm not a scientist, this may be populist crap so please enlighten me if you know better!

If I didn’t go out when either myself, or my child, had cold symptoms we would not leave the house between October and May.

This. We have a 3 year old DD at nursery and I suffer from perennial rhinitis and chronic sinus problems. If we had to stay at home every time someone coughed, sneezed or had a runny nose our family literally couldn’t function. At least one member of our household has had a bug for pretty much the last six months.

The Covid experience has done something very strange to our psychology around very ordinary, run of the mill illnesses, and being infected with anything, no matter how minor, is now taken by some as a personal affront.

I’ve read a lot on here about parents not testing, kids who refuse tests, families who don’t isolate properly and still mix with others, ‘bit it’s OK nobody else caught it’ and still met grandma.

Then there’s the covid deniers - totally different but the exist.

So the only person you can trust and look out for is you and yours. Everyman for himself.