How is covid presenting now?

[Amaya4]

Hi all,

Just wondering how covid is presenting now? Is there any respiratory symptoms / breathlessness with this strain?

I started with symptoms on 30th, tested positive on 2nd. Still testing positive now though very faint line. At the beginning felt like a mild cold, groggy, slight headaches. Sleeping A LOT (12 hours a night plus nap in the day) and still sleepy.

Worst symptom by far is loss of smell - like you @CestlaADHD it's at about 20% and no improvement since symptoms started a week ago. I'm so distressed by it and so worried it will never come back, hence posting about it all over MN! Also extremely anxious, tearful and miserable. My nose feels odd, kind of dry/sore, though it's not blocked. But smell by FAR the worst, it's making me crazy!!

I work in care and want to protect my residents, that's why I tested. I had to wear a mask all the time,when I had to work.

4 of us had it - all different symptoms.
My eldest hardly had anything - she had a headache and sore limbs but was ok within 48 hours. My youngest was poorly with cold symptoms for two weeks! I already had the longest cold then caught covid and again had really sore back (symptom I had the last time) but again just cold symptoms.
We all had slightly different symptoms!

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor How long did your smell loss end up lasting? Did it come back fully?

We all had it - DH, DD (12) and elderly mum (82). Symptoms were a stuffy nose and a few shivers, but we were by no means bed bound. No chest issues. Lasted four to six days. None of us have any vaccines.

Not tested if it is covid, but felt awful since Wednesday evening.
Nausea and shivers with a permanent headache. Constantly feeling cold.
Loss of appetite even though I want to eat.
Temp is 37c even though I feel cold.

I have taken paracetamol to help with the headaches. I have avoided cocodamol as it can block me up.

It feels better lying down, but difficult to do with the children off and asking for stuff.

This is the worse I have been in a long time. I hope it gets better soon.

Times like these, you appreciate what being in good health means.

I had it over Christmas, sore throat, earache, upset stomach, fatigue and then on about day 3 I came out head to toe in a viral rash
still feeling a bit grotty but overall on the mend!

Kate Garraway’s husband Derek has died age 56, almost 4 years since Covid ravaged every organ in his body. Really sad news.

I had a headache, nausea, sneezing, extreme fatigue and breathlessness. No sore throat, but my partner had one. I also lost taste and smell.

I was in bed for 3 weeks, ill for 5 in total. I recovered late November. It's absolutely hideous and I want to lamp people who say 'it's just a cold now'.

Achy and exhausted, headache but no cough, no runny nose in fact apart from the headache it just felt like he'd done parkrun apparently. I never caught it/was symptomatic and gave it to him.

My sister had it over Christmas. Flu like with bad cough.

Over two weeks, it was so upsetting as I was terrified it wouldn't come back. I did smell therapy (Google it) with essential oils,I don't know if that helped but it's meant to.

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor Ahh thanks for getting back to me. Did you notice much improvement over the two weeks or did it stay about the same? I'm getting twitchy as I'm on day 8 of reduced smell and haven't noticed much change since it started - feel like it should be improving, even gradually! I am doing smell training, like you not sure if it's helping but seems to be recommended.

I went from nothing at all for over 2 weeks, couldn't smell or taste a thing, even the inside of my mouth tasted of nothing to suddenly over 2 or 3 days it came back. My mouth kept watering like mad as I could smell food again,I was like a drooling dog 😂 Give it a bit longer but definitely Google smell therapy as you can do it with lemons and other every day foods.

Who cares?
People who love their families and don't want to see them suffer? People who live or work with vulnerable people?
I currently have Covid and it's not 'just a cold' for me and my DD. I haven't felt this ill in years. So yeah, I test 👍🏻

I got a positive test today! Mine. Started. With a headache then sore throat now runny nose

Absolutely infuriated me when people say it's just a cold, you don't need to test.
For some it is a cold. For others it's far worse.
The people that don't test and blithely walk around moaning they've got a cold but then pass it on to others are just plain selfish in my view.
How do they know they're not going to pass it on to someone who is then going to pass it to someone who is immune compromised?
It takes 5 mins to test, why wouldn't you!

so amazing @Daisies12 .

Even my 15-year-old kid has more social responsibility than you. They have tested every day for the last 5 days because they’re in contact with really vulnerable people and I’ve had it just now.

For those of you who have it just now, CPC mouthwash and antiviral nasal spray (eg Boots Dual Defence) may help reduce your viral load and help you clear it faster if you can get some delivered. They can be used preventatively too.

Ventilation and masks in communal areas (ideally FFP2) can help stop spread to family members

A pulse oximeter and thermometer may be useful to monitor your symptoms

Be careful once you're better as you can catch it again quickly (shortest recorded time is 16 days for a reinfection) and covid can also knock your immune system, there's other bugs doing the rounds too so try to avoid them if you can.

FFP2 masks, antiviral nasal spray and good ventilation are also the best things you can do to avoid it if you're currently well.

We need government to put HEPA filters in classrooms and for employers to invest in ventilation/filtration systems really to tackle this longer term. Oh, and for people to wear masks at least if they have cold symptoms or if they know they're a contact if someone who is covid positive, too many people out there hacking up a lung who aren't polite enough to wear a mask sadly.

Really hope everyone who is poorly at the moment feels better soon.

This recent variation has made me feel very emotional!
Crying, and the exhaustion oh my goodness!!

Same @theleavesfall24 ive been really teary, even after testing negative. And I’m still so so so tired. Bastard virus

It seems to differ for people (maybe different strains) but we have both just recovered from it.

Me - Dry throat initially, bit croaky then aching muscles, fatigue, headache and sore throat. Then dry cough, temperature, severe aching muscles / fatigue (thankfully only for one day), slight nausea/low apetite, shivering. Then like a heavy cold with insomnia and sinus pain. Lasted a week and wasn't too bad other than first 24 hours. 2 weeks on now and fine, remnants of a cough and a bit tired. Energy returned mostly by day 6. 2 vaccines, 4th infection.

DH - Same as above but no cold symptoms at all but also had the scratchy dry throat as first symptom then temperature and aching and shivering. Also had nausea/low appetite and lots of fatigue and headaches but no cold or cough. Energy returned mostly by day 8. No vaccines, 3rd infection.

Initially felt really mild and we only tested as we were seeing family (older relatives) - really glad we tested as felt like nothing but then came on very fast and was pretty intense. I would say it felt inbetween flu and a bad cold but actually got over it faster than some of the bad colds I have had.

Someone said about emotional. My DH had that, a few days really depressed - he's fine now! Thankfully I didn't have that.

On Wednesday afternoon my nose started to feel a bit runny.
had dinner as normal and an hour later I was still hungry so had some cheese and crackers and I realised I couldn’t taste them.
went to bed and woke up with an itch in my chest.
blazing positive next morning - I felt fine but by the afternoon I felt like I had taken a sledgehammer to the face - tired, achy, sore with a headache.
day two that face feeling had gone and instead just had a cough and felt tired.
day 3 today I feel almost normal but have a hacking painful cough.

taste and smell are nowhere to be found.

toddler has a little cough and a runny poo or two which is unusual. Am not testing them and just assuming they also have it.

edited to add I am fully vaccinated but didn’t get round to having my booster yet - so cross with myself for delaying it!

Everyone will be different.

I just felt like I had mild flu. Spent a couple days in bed feeling a bit rotten then slowly resumed back to normality. (Whilst avoiding indoor public spaces)