Cough doing the rounds

[Funco]

I got an email from work to say COVID in on the increase in the community again and can we all keep our contacts low.

There was a girl in work with a cough all week. She generally kept to herself and I am not coughing. I feel well.

However I have been around more people just coughing. Cough, cough, cough, cough.

I went out today and I was in a car and a few moments into our journey - cough, cough, cough, cough, cough

I'm not overly concerned about COVID however I had COVID last year and it's still not nice and I don't welcome it. I also have an underlying condition and I don't need a heavy cough in case in sets me into a flare. That I don't have time to be sick.

Is COVID doing the rounds and is it presenting as a cough?

Yes, despite monitoring being really ropey now, all the signs are that another wave is inbound.

Best thing you can do is wear a well fitting N95/FFP3 mask, and lobby for better ventilation.

Sorry to be the voice of doom, but the risk of long covid is 10% with each infection, and I really don't fancy risking that (can occur even after a mild acute illness)

Is that long covid risk cumulative @UnmentionedElephantDildo ?

Not exactly.

It's a 10% risk per infection. It doesn't go up (or down) depending on the number of infections you have.

But obviously if you keep running that 10% risk, there's far more opportunity for that risk to come real.

And even without the risk of long covid per se, there are other undesirable long term effects, such as the doubling of the risk of diabetes (both T1 and T2) which might mean for the individual only a tiny increase, but at a population level it's not good news. Nor is the increase in strokes and other cardiovascular events, the dysregulation of the immune system, or the effect on bringing forward dementia nor the negative effect on cognitive function. Might be worth bearing in mind when you see the government talking about the higher levels of sick absences from the workforce and its economic impact, or when thinking about level of demand on NHS.

But, also bear in mind that evidence is still emerging (especially on duration, and also to some extent on incidence). The picture could change either way.

Whole family currently have the most awful cough with virtually no other symptoms (DC are snotty but they’re always snotty). Literally the worst cough we have ever had - it’s not chesty, more tickly but it just won’t stop. Kids were coughing themselves awake all last night.

DH and I have done multiple covid tests but they are all negative. I’m really hoping it’s a horrible cough virus but not covid and that we never ever get it again!

I had it a couple of months ago. And a cough was my only symptom.

We’ve all had maximum number of vaccinations btw (which for the baby is 0). DH take meds which means he gets extra vaccinations and I care for my elderly parents. Hopefully makes it less likely it is covid.

Several members of my family (from 2 households) have had a particularly nasty cold that’s main symptom seems to be a really horrible cough. A couple of them are still coughing and feeling shit 2 weeks on. No one has tested positive for covid (we have a couple of family members who are CEV, so we still test when unwell).