Symptoms but testing negative

[ExPatHereForAChat]

I spent time in London and developed a sore throat/cough on Sunday.
Negative lateral flow that morning, negative PCR Tuesday, negative lateral flow Thursday.
When can I accept this is a cold or would it be wise to keep testing?
I'm seeing my vulnerable grandmother on Xmas morning and don't want to risk her health.
Anyone in the London area have a cold/flu at the moment? The media would have you believe no-one does and any cold symptoms = corona.

Other virus’ exist. It doesn’t have to be ‘rona.

Look at Tim Spector’s analysis. Covid is in about 20 % of those with cold symptoms but that does mean 80% without

Sounds like a common cold to me. Just keep testing daily.

It's a cold then.

Well, this is what I keep telling myself but then I saw the news today and read a Guardian article that was just printed and both said 'it is much more likely to be COVID than anything else if you've been in London and have cold-like symptoms'.
I'm considering another PCR tomorrow to be 100% sure.

I'm very much hoping the press are wrong and I'd love to hear of anyone else out there who has a bog standard cold!

Hi ExPat, if your “symptoms” started on Sunday (12th?) then by Xmas day you’d be out of isolation even if you’d tested positive for covid. If you don’t have any symptoms on Xmas day I’d think you can see Granny with a clear conscience. Maybe do a final LFT on Xmas eve but otherwise I don’t see the point in continuing to test, though given how crazy everything is right now I’m sure someone will come along and howl me out of town.

@treetops09 is that data from London this week?

ExPatHereForAChat Last week I believe m.youtube.com/watch?v=kF79-XprdfU

Plenty of colds going about where i live. My youngest had covid. He had no symptoms at all. Then on his first day out of isolation my older son got a really bad cold. He was in bed for 3 days, tested negative. My youngest then caught the cold from his brother and was way worse with the cold than he had been with covid a couple of weeks earlier.

Do daily lateral flows, and one just before you see your grandmother (like minutes before). They'll indicate if you're infectious. There's absolutely no way of telling if it's a cold or Covid just going on symptoms.

My DS's girlfriend had Covid and when my DS got ill too, he did 2 LFTs and they were both negative.

His PCR was positive 🤷

You don’t have Covid you have a common cold.

I’m near London, have had the most hideous cold this week - bedridden for a couple of days- was convinced it was covid but 2x PCR and daily LFT all clear. I think we’ve got little resistance to “normal” cold viruses because of more limited social contacts over the past year or so

Do another PCR and keep LFTing, including as a pp said, minutes before seeing DGM.

I've had an ongoing cough runny nose etc for a month. 2x PCR and regular life tests all negative. I've accepted its a cold.

Thanks all. Appreciate hearing different stories.
Negative PCR today so I'm almost 100% sure this is a cold.
Phew!