I am a PA for a disabled man.
I see him for a few hours on a Tuesday and Thursday.
On Tuesday I noticed he was coughing a lot and sounded snotted up. He had an empty packet of strepsils and Vicks chest rub beside his bed and lots of tissues in his bin.
He’s always been a bit of a Covid denier and will often not tell you if he’s unwell etc. He would never test and refused even in the height of the pandemic.
I asked him if he had a cold and he just mumbled that he had a ‘slight’ cold although coughed and splattered (he never covers his mouth when he coughs and sneezes), the whole time I was there (4 hours). I did try to keep out of his way and busy myself cleaning and tidying etc.
I am due to go in again later today.
I know Covid is rife at the moment and if I’m going to get it then there isn’t too much I can do other than wrap myself up in an isolated bubble but it’s just that it’s my DD’s 18th this weekend and we have lots planned and all paid for. Of all the weekends to come down with something, this is not the weekend we’d want. My parents will also be there and mum has a weakened immune system.
So what I am asking I suppose is could this possibly just be the common cold? Everyone (including me!) automatically jumps to a Covid conclusion if someone has a respiratory virus. He didn’t appear to have a temperature and ate all the lunch I prepared him so obviously still had an appetite.
I’m just hesitant to go today if it could possibly be Covid as when I had it (last summer), I felt so rough with it and it would be awful to spoil DD’s special day.