What's covid like these days?

[amoreoamicizia]

I am (or was!) well out of the covid loop but spent an hour or so with a woman who was just recovering from a nasty virus- that she was at pains to insist wasn't covid- a couple of days ago. I've woken up with slight vertigo today which was exactly what happened the last time I had covid but that was 18 months ago now. Is it still a sign of it? Is there a working test these days?

I have become disabled by Covid.
It is nonsense to say tests aren't relevant and it is just a cold. It shows such ignorance
OP I know a couple of people who have felt dizzy with it

My mum had it a couple of months ago and was really quite unwell with it, like a bad flu. She is late 60s but generally healthy. Took about a month to feel fully herself again

Wow..breathtaking ignorance

It really doesn’t matter what you’ve got. You’ve got it now so nothing will change that.

Anecdotally, covid is presenting like a heavy cold, often with an upset stomach.

If you’re prone to post viral fatigue, make sure you rest up and don’t rush to resume your normal level of activity.

Hey OP, some of these replies. 🙄 I haven't had Covid in over a year, but I do check on occasion when I have symptoms, as it causes problems with my heart rate when I get it (I've had it 4 times!), so it's useful knowing that's the issue, rather than a random heart problem. You can get flowflex tests on Amazon. My friend had it recently. She tested as she's eligible for anti virals. She lost her taste and smell, so very like it was in 2020.

How can you say it doesn't matter?
Passing a cold on to my elderly vulnerable dad and passing covid to him are very different

Why is it? Covid is a virus, as is flu, RSV and countless others.

If a Covid test is negative but op still feels rotten does it matter which virus is causing that?

We should all stay home if we feel unwell, so that people like your elderly, vulnerable Dad are as protected as they can be. Hopefully he has accepted all of the vaccines that are offered to his age group to help with this too. A positive or negative covid test doesn’t change that imo.

OK.
You are very lucky you have the luxury of thinking that way.
I don't think a cold would cause widespread pain or mobility problems that necessitate a walking stick.
You have no idea

Corona viruses cause colds, Covid is one group of corona viruses and in most people is like a cold. The only time I know I have had Covid I had a sniffle, sore throat and cough just like a cold (this was when we were still being sent for testing and called by track and trace).

Influenza is another type of virus. Lots of people die from influenza every year.

@wildthingsinthenight I think it’s you who’s showing that you have no idea tbh.

Hopefully @WarmingClothesontheRadiator’s explanation helps.

I’ve just got over what I assume was Covid, I didn’t test but from the symptoms and having it before I’m 99% sure.

this time the fatigue was so much worse. Went on a lot longer and I struggled to even get out of bed, before I’ve still been pretty functional but I was largely useless around the house in any way. No energy to even turn the dishwasher on, let alone loading it or emptying it!

the headache too 🙈 my whole face hurt for days. Painkillers didn’t do much.

I had it a couple of weeks ago - my main symptom was complete fatigue, light headed when walking up stairs and a bit of a cold. I didn't have time off as WFH and was better after a week.

However I now have what I assume to be flu which has completely floored me - cough, cold, very high temperature, body just hurts everyday.

Two completely different viruses presented in different ways.

There's a lot of people who have something, whatever it is.

Feel better soon!

No. You aren't worth my limited energy.
I'm the one who has been disabled by it.
It is like a cold for MOST people. Not all.
I wish it had been like a cold for me.
You never know how it will affect you.
Why would you risk it?

Covid shouldn’t hit people now like it did in 2020 as it was much more of a novel virus then and exposure to it plus vaccines means we no longer react the way we did. Vulnerable people, including those left disabled by it before, should get the covid booster to support this.

Children, and those whose live lived with them, as a whole, were much less affected by covid in 2020 because they had some immunity from exposure to other corona viruses. This was reduced when they were placed in lockdown.

I’m not following your train of thought sorry.

op is already feeling unwell. Testing won’t change anything. Staying home until
they’re well will protect vulnerable people.

Tbf "what's covid like these days" is a slightly pointless question. It's "like" a huge variety of things, from asymptomatic to fatal, respiratory symptoms, gastro symptoms, short lived, long lasting.

Hi OP, you can get tests in pharmacies, supermarkets, amazon.

As for symptoms, how long is a piece of string? Vertigo is a symptom. People can have a range of symptoms or nothing. Some people breeze through a covid infection and get floored by their next one. Others have no ongoing health problems from initial covid infections and get loads from their fourth or fifth. Whatever it is you have, I hope you recover quickly and totally.

By the way, I don't know why, but just mentioning covid is like nails down a blackboard to some, so don't take it to heart. Some are also against testing for themselves - and inexplicably others. There’s a thread on it.

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/5170622-thread-for-people-to-explain-why-they-test-for-covid

Yes. But unless the OP has done a test, this info is irrelevant. I’ve felt dizzy with a non-Covid virus.

Safe in the knowledge that I will never ever know again whether or not I have it or not.

You'll know if you have it when it affects your heart like it does mine

Your question is utterly pointless so I'm not sure why you are being so rude to people responding.

When I had Covid in 2020 it was like a bad cold for me. That doesn't mean that it's not a terrible virus for some people.

When I had flu a number of years back I couldn't run for three months.

I've had a cold that has gone onto develop a full chest infection.

Everyone responds differently to viruses. You might be fine with Covid today and I might end up in hospital with it.

So asking what it is like today is meaningless. Hence all the posters criticizing you.

Covid isn’t a cold and not everyone will have mild symptoms. 7m people worldwide have died of it to date and many are still struggling with long Covid.

This thread is 3 months old, hopefully the OP is well over it by now.

I had it last year and felt quite ill. Lasted 4 or 5 days. My ears hurt (always happens with covid for me), I had a temperature, bad headache, felt exhausted, slept for hours throughout the days as well as at night.

I always test as am CV.

You can buy tests in a pharmacy or online. I last had Covid over a year ago and hadn’t thought to test but was glad I had done so eventually. That’s because I had fatigue afterwards and was signed off for the first time in my life (just for a couple of weeks) and it was probably easier knowing why.