I played golf in 100 degree heat on Friday, and noticed a slight sore throat towards the end. It got a bit worse on Saturday, and since I planned on leaving for a short golf trip with 3 friends on Sunday, I went to the walk-in and took a COVID PCR test (despite being vaccinated 6 months ago). The doc also tested for strep, which was negative. Fortunately the PCR came back negative on Sunday morning (they are quick now!), so went on my trip. Since I only had a sore throat, and no fever or other symptoms, my friends (who are also all vaccinated) were unanimous is saying I should still come. On Sunday, I developed a slight cough, which gradually worsened during the 2 rounds of golf on Monday and Tuesday. Since I’ve never had the flu in my life (as far as I know), I assumed it was just a normal cold. Now (Wednesday) I still have a very bad cough, sore throat, and slight fever (for me, since I’m normally at 97.9). This is now much more severe than my normal colds.
My sister is a doctor, and told me that it’s most likely a bad cold. She’s noticed that colds and flu are much more severe now, as no one basically got sick for 16 months unless it was COVID. The theory is that people haven’t been sick with normal viruses for 16 months, so their bodies haven’t been exposed, and this somehow leads to more severity. Perhaps it’s not coincidental that I just began commuting to NYC pretty regularly the past 2 weeks, and have all of a sudden been in the vicinity of masses of people, when I’ve essentially been avoiding crowds for 16 months.
Anyway, curious if anyone else has experienced more severe colds or flus since the pandemic began.
Yup. Wasn’t worse than any other. I caught it from a nephew who went to daycare. Had a covid test, it was negative. Had a runny nose (which is uncommon with covid from what I understand).
I have not. I also didn’t catch a cold in the 14 months before covid, either. Instead of multiple colds a year like most adults, I average a cold every 18-30 months, not due to a fantastic immune system but by frequent handwashing and fleeing to escape coughing people.
Almost inevitably, if I get a cold, I’ll have a cough for 2-3 weeks after everything else resolves. I think this is less due to my immune system lacking “practice” as your sister is suggesting than from being mildly asthmatic.
I do find myself wondering about the false negative rate of the tests, and if they do anything to check if symptoms then later get worse. It sounds like they don’t, in your case.
What I’ve had off and on throughout the pandemic is a lot worse allergies. That was just not a normal thing for me until last year. It was bizarre to me that I suddenly had reactions more than just a slight sniffle. But the symptoms were more consistent with allergies than a cold, according to my doctor. They either last a longer time during high allergens, or they are too short in duration to be a cold, only existing when I just wake up.
I actually went to the clinic to ask for a rapid test, since I wanted to make a quick decision on my trip. The doctor told me that the false negative rate of that test makes is practically worthless, so she refused and made me take the PCR. She mentioned that the PCR result should be available before my scheduled departure time. That said, I’m sure there is a false negative rate for the PCR as well.
Yes, I had a bad cold that turned to bronchitis in October & November 2020. With the coughing, tightness in my chest and difficulty breathing, it was very worrying, but 2 PCR tests came back negative. The other worry was wondering where I’d picked up the infection and fearing that if I’d caught a cold I could somehow catch Covid too.
The last illness I contracted was immediately after returning from St Martin, just when the news from Wuhan was hitting the press.
It was a month or so prior to the first announced US case IIRC. I had chills, severe diarrhea, a dry cough, and a pounding headache that was horrible when I coughed. This was before COVID-19 testing was available anywhere.
Yep, we had two bugs run through our house last year. One was brought home from school by my eldest daughter who missed one day on school and then knocked my wife and I out for almost a week. The second one my wife brought home from work and I thought I’d avoided it, both kids got sick in the week following my wife and then I caught it another week later. I was down for about 3 days that time.
I haven’t had anything that I noticed. It’s possible some of my allergy symptoms were a mild cold, but I’m fairly sure they were just allergies. Nobody in my family has gotten particularly sick except for my oldest daughter (7) who had two week-long bugs of some sort around October and February and then a shorter one at the end of the school year in June. Just typical childhood cold-type symptoms (runny nose, sneezing, coughing, mild fever). COVID tests negative for all (and one of them also had a negative strep test.) None of the adults nor the younger child got sick from her.
Is multiple colds a year typical for adults? I’m probably around the shorter end of your schedule, at a cold every year and a half or so; my wife – honestly – I actually have no memory of her ever having a cold (I’ve known her 15 years), which probably means she’s had a couple in that time, but they’re mild enough to leave no impression. Are most people getting sick that often? (Neither of us takes any special precautions.)
I had a bad cold at the beginning of May. Spent the better part of 2½ days in bed with congested sinuses, a temperature of 102° and hardly any appetite. Everything but my appetite returned to normal.
I have a cold right now. One of my 8 year olds got it first. She was tested for Covid, so we know that isn’t what it is. Her brother got it next, and then me. It’s a mild cold. I’m not taking any work time off. (I work from home, so I’m not exposing anyone to it by working.)
I’ve had regular allergies over the past year and a half – not stronger or weaker.
I have not - but I work from home as does every other member of the household, and we almost never go anywhere.
There was an article in the NY Times about how people who do catch a cold are having a nasty time of it.
Infectious disease experts say there are a number of factors fueling this hot, sneezy summer. While pandemic lockdowns protected many people from Covid-19, our immune systems missed the daily workout of being exposed to a multitude of microbes back when we commuted on subways, spent time at the office, gathered with friends and sent children to day care and school.
Although your immune system is likely as strong as it always was, if it hasn’t been alerted to a microbial intruder in a while, it may take a bit longer to get revved up when challenged by a pathogen again, experts say. And while some viral exposures in our past have conferred lasting immunity, other illnesses may have given us only transient immunity that waned as we were isolating at home.
I tend to catch a baddish cold about every 2 years (as in, bad enough to trigger an asthma flare) and I’m a bit overdue - I’m afraid that whenever I do come down with one, it’ll be a doozy. I did have one JUST before things started hitting the fan - right after Christmas 2019. I knew it wasn’t COVID, and it wasn’t enough to really be of any concern.