What has been the effect of Corona 19 precautions on the likelihood of you catching a regular cold or the flu?

[tim]

I've spent much of the past five months furloughed; have washed and sanitised my hands frequently ; had very limited direct physical contact with anyone; and wearing a mask is becoming second nature. I don't think I'm particularly prone to infection, but I would have usually picked up some minor snuffle or other during that period. However, in fact I have remained vigorously healthy. This is just as well as I would have suspected the worse however atypical the symptoms. How have others fared? Has social distancing kept you healthier than normal?

I want to add that I have never been clear about what the difference between a "bad" cold and Influenza is. I suspect that I have never had the latter since I have never been so seriously been incapacitated as some other seem to be. Also, social distancing has been psychologically stressful at time.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

I had a minor cold a couple of months ago - took a couple of days off work as was coughing a bit and management agreed to wait until i was sure it wasn't anything worse

 

[Thora]

I have been healthy and my children have been - and in fact I childmind and haven't had to wipe a single toddler nose since March, which is unheard of. And these are all children who have attended school & childcare throughout and whose parents have been working in keyworker roles throughout.

 

[Thora]

I had a minor cold a couple of months ago - took a couple of days off work as was coughing a bit and management agreed to wait until i was sure it wasn't anything worse

Shouldn't you have been off for 7 days

 

[maomao]

Haven't had so much as a snuffle since a very bad 'flu like illness' in late February. But have had zero social (or work) contact so not surprising.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Haven't had so much as a snuffle since a very bad 'flu like illness' in late February. But have had zero social (or work) contact so not surprising.

This for me too. And I used to work in primary schools so I'd generally get every bug that was going round.

 

[Cid]

Bit of a tricky question... I mean it's hard to place exactly when in a year you normally get ill. I think I usually get 2/3 colds per year. certainly haven't been ill since lockdown started. And, now that I think about, not unusual to get a late spring cold.

 

[Looby]

I’ve had a cough since March. I have what feels like a cold and have done for several weeks and I’ve had a sinus infection that required antibiotics. It’s probably hay fever but I’ve never really had it before.
All in all, I’ve felt fucking shit through most of lockdown despite entirely WFH until recently and following the rules strictly. What a swizz.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Shouldn't you have been off for 7 days

not quite sure what the advice was that week. but it wasn't really a 'continuous cough' and i didn't develop a temperature so fairly confident that it wasn't teh plague

 

[Mrs Miggins]

I've been healthier than I've ever been in this respect until last week when I caught a cold. Had a COVID test which was negative.

Gutted that I did catch a URTI as I've been very careful. No idea how I got it but it's been a good run.

 

[Epona]

OH and I both had a nasty cold at the beginning of July - I always get a cold around that time of year for some reason, he gave up smoking for a couple of weeks because of it. None of the defining symptoms of Coronavirus, it was pure summer cold snotfest. We stayed in while we were snotty just in case.

 

[two sheds]

I've only really gone out into the valley to walk the dog, lots of cyclists and walkers and horseriders and neighbours but nobody come within 2m and I've still picked up something that's given me an extra cough for the last month . I still have my taste and smell and no other cv symptoms so I'm fairly sure that's not it.

 

[zahir]

not quite sure what the advice was that week. but it wasn't really a 'continuous cough' and i didn't develop a temperature so fairly confident that it wasn't teh plague

That’s no guarantee at all of not having Covid. Basically the official guidance here is wrong.

 

[Supine]

Sure I saw a gov graph a while ago that showed resp illnesses were down due to lockdown. Which would make sense.

 

[zahir]

The doctor I saw at the respiratory clinic said the same.

 

[yield]

Had a hacking cough most of January into February which usual for me. I was still taking the tube into Central London till the third week of March when I was furloughed. Not been ill at all since March.

My sister in law and an old friend both had severe flu like symptoms at the end of March. Both are still suffering from fatigue now.

 

[quimcunx]

I got a snotty stinker 2 days into lockdown. Someone on the supermarket checkout coughed right at me with no attempt to cover her mouth a few days before. Other than that only rhinitis related snuffles. But I wouldn't particularly expect a cold after end of march anyway.

 

[Cloo]

I'd normally have had at least one cold by now since March (probably more and at least one in summer, FML) but I haven't. Hayfever has been a bit worse than usual though.

 

[krink]

I keep getting this mild sore throat/ears/glands/swelling thing every few weeks and every time I assume "this is it" anyone know how I keep getting it if I'm wfh and not really going anywhere (I follow all the guidelines). I also had hay-fever for the first time ever which was weird.

 

[wtfftw]

I have a v mild cold right now. I do live in very close contact with a nursery attendee who is also a bit snotty.

Apart from that and the hayfever we've been pretty healthy. I expect that to change in September when the resident teacher is back in a classroom with absolutely no protection.

 

[gentlegreen]

I probably catch most of my virii at work (which won't be an issue from sometime in September), but all the handwashing will doubtless save me from supermarket nasties and as a serious nose-picker, this is going to be a good thing. I may continue to mask up in the shops even when the current pandemic is over ..
My default mode is to be socially distant in any case - so I may not even bother with getting the flu jab (I had my first one last November age 59 on the insistence of a GP because I'm technically "diabetic" ...)
Ironically I have had a bacterial throat / snotty nose since March at least which is almost unheard of for me

 

[marty21]

I had a fever in early April and was sent to my room for a week by mrs21 no idea if it was covid , I had a high temperature, felt knackered but no other symptoms. Apart from that, not a sniff of a cold or flu , normally I would have a couple over the summer, not travelling on buses/tubes/trains since March has kept me tickety boo.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Never get colds but I've always washed my hands a lot. Think the last time I had flu was in my 20s. Will get the flu jab as usual when it's available. So nowt's changed for me.

 

[SpineyNorman]

Me and my son both got a cold a week ago, even had a test (which was a fucking farce) to make sure that was all it was. Fuck knows how we got it though

 

[gentlegreen]

If I was to fall ill any time soon I would start to worry given the care I take - though at work we're relying on very frequent hand-cleaning, social distancing and "bubbles" - we mostly work alone in a room...

 

[Jay Park]

Some cunt coughing all over the gymnasium changing rooms minus a mask or covering his daft fucking face.

Sniffles very shortly after.

Apologies if it seems I may be trivialising COVID, toward victims or relatives of sufferers.

 

[girasol]

I have about 1 cold a year, and I had really bad flu (or coronavirus?) in mid-feb so not really surprised I haven't had anything since. I have, however, booked my flu vaccine slot for September, never had it before, my first! Having it because the flu I had in Feb. was bad enough for me not to want to have flu ever again and promising myself I'd get the flu vaccine from now on.

 

[William of Walworth]

I rarely get anything worse than a a pretty mild cold, but that's got to be because I get the flu jab every November.

This year I'll make sure to get it again as soon as it's available.

I've posted before that I'm technically in a (low-level) 'vulnerable' category for Covid**. and I always have been for flu also.
**as in not to the point of ever having been instructed to shield, as with e.g. post-transplant people ......

So the local GP surgery will near-certainly alert me for flu vaccine availability.

This means I'm quite confident that I'll could well get my annual flu jab before November this year!

Having said all that, my health's been cracking for months!
I remain careful with distancing, hand hygiene, masks on buses now, etc.

(late edit to remove a double negative )

 

[farmerbarleymow]

I have about 1 cold a year, and I had really bad flu (or coronavirus?) in mid-feb so not really surprised I haven't had anything since. I have, however, booked my flu vaccine slot for September, never had it before, my first! Having it because the flu I had in Feb. was bad enough for me not to want to have flu ever again and promising myself I'd get the flu vaccine from now on.

Sensible plan to get the flu jab. Even if its not 100% effective it offers some protection so is worth having. Waiting to hear when my GP will have them in stock - although not sure how they'll administer them given the restrictions involved in healthcare at the moment. I'll need some blood tests in the next several weeks so will find out then.

 

[scifisam]

I haven't had any colds, but I'm on immunosuppressants and one of the effects is that I don't get colds because my body doesn't produce an immune response to mild viruses.