Lady coughing on me in shop 28 weeks pregnant

[S1987x]

I'm really concerned. Went into my local sports direct this morning was very empty. Lady who worked in the store coughed her guts up as she walked arms length next to me in the queue. I should have walked out instead of paying I regret it now and havent been able to stop thinking about it since. She didnt cover her mouth done it out right and other members of staff didnt seem to care at all. I also heard her start again as I was exiting shop.

Is there a high chance I could catch covid even with a mask on?

So worried now

Thanks

I would feel the same and am quite anxious about the whole thing. I think chances of catching it are low but better safe than sorry. Given other staff didn’t care maybe she’s just one of those people who always have a cough and it’s not a new one. Can you order a test to take in a couple of weeks?

Remember that there are other reasons people would have coughs. She might be a smoker, and have a permanent cough.
Very selfish of her not to cover her mouth.
Don’t beat yourself up about it xx

You will be fine. It wouldn't have made a difference if you walked out.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but at 28 weeks pregnant you surely shouldn't be out at the shops!?

@Bitchinkitchen pregnant women were never required to shield, only those with heart conditions. Normal rules apply to the rest of us.

OP I’m pregnant too so get your concern, and she should have covered her a mouth, but you’ll be fine. I’m asthmatic and cough all the time, my sister has a permanent smokers cough, there’s lots of reasons someone might cough. She might have just got a tickle in her throat. If you had a mask on as well I wouldn’t worry.

@BuffaloCauliflower it may not have been required by the government, but surely it's just common sense? Pregnant women are immunocompromised - my neonatologist friend advised all our pregnant lady friends to shield as much as possible, the risk to the foetus if the mother catches COVID is not insignificant.

I would email the shop and complain. That is not acceptable behaviour at normal times let alone during a pandemic.

Maybe request to be informed whether that person has concerns over being infected with coronavirus

Pregnant women are fine to go into shops. They are just recommended to closely follow social distancing, hand washing etc (unless they have an underlying health condition). This is what I’ve been told by my midwife and I’m currently 28 weeks pregnant too.
OP I wouldn’t worry, it’s gross she didn’t cover her mouth but she could be coughing for a number of reasons not just Covid x

@Bitchinkitchen yes but that’s always the case. We aren’t told to totally stop our lives and hide away in pregnancy the rest of the time, why should we now? For otherwise healthy under 45s (as the vast majority of pregnant women will be) our risk from Covid is low

Not covering your mouth is bad manners in normal times. But in these times I'd raise a complaints so someone can have a word with her.

Not sure how Helpful it is trying to
Make OP feel even worse than she is now by saying she shouldn’t be there.

OP, please try not to worry about it, stress isn’t helpful to you or the baby. The fact that others working with her didn’t bat an eyelid may mean that she’s had that cough for years and they are used to hearing her coughing. Your mask will provide a fair amount of protection, and she was an arms length away from you is also good. You can’t change what happened, so try to not stress over it.

For peace of mind you could call the shop, and ask if someone who works there has a cough?

I completely feel for you. I’m a huge worrier but the chances of her having Covid are slim I would imagine if she was coughing openly that the cause of her cough is completely different. Even if she did have it which is unlikely the chances of you catching it are also very slim. I just can’t understand why someone would think it’s ok to cough like that in public. Try and put it to the back of your mind as worrying won’t change anything.