The reason why people feel sick but don’t test positive for Covid

While we all want to move on and forget about Covid, the virus continues to circulate. But it’s not the only virus that’s emerged, which could explain why so many people get sick but don’t test positive.

Covid may not be as dangerous or deadly as it once was, even if new variants like Deltacron and sub-variants like stealth Omicron continued to make waves that caused an increase in cases in the UK.

However, in recent weeks, many people have begun to report that they are “feeling trash” despite a negative lateral flow test.

Believe it or not, it may not really be Covid. While most other viruses have been forgotten in the midst of the pandemic, they still exist. So you may feel sick, not from Covid, but from a later flu season than usual.

Dr Philip Lee, a consultant physician in West London in acute medicine, explains why there are more flu outbreaks than now.

Why do we feel sick without testing positive for Covid?

Remember the flu? With a long list of Covid symptoms taking over most of our lives over the past two years, it can be difficult to remember when we got the flu.

The flu – commonly known as the flu – is a viral infection that attacks your respiratory system like your nose, throat, and lungs.

Dr Philip Lee explains: “Having had two years of washing hands singing happy birthday twice and wearing masks everywhere, all the things that help prevent all respiratory illnesses; no wonder. It’s natural to see an increase right after all of that stops.”

Usually, flu outbreaks occur in the colder months of December through March, when the air is drier and people spend more time indoors.

However, Dr. Lee says we could see flu outbreaks take a little longer than usual. “This year is a bit late for the flu,” he said. Normally, we would expect the flu to go into remission around Easter, but we are seeing more patients test positive for the flu, as well as flu. other common cold viruses.”

Other viruses, which currently exist, include respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, which the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned can cause mild, cold-like symptoms cold.

Dr Conall Watson, consultant epidemiologist for UKHSA, said: “For most people, RSV means the common cold, but it is highly contagious and a leading cause of bronchiolitis. trachea in infants – inflammation of the small airways in the lungs.”

In most cases, both the flu and RSV go away on their own. However, it can lead to breathing problems and hospitalization in young children, infants, and anyone with pre-existing breathing problems.

Another highly infectious virus that has seen an increase in infections in recent weeks, is norovirus. The virus that infects the stomach causing vomiting and diarrhea is highly contagious and contagious, but usually passes within a few days.

Professor Saheer Gharbia, gastrointestinal pathogens and UKHSA’s director of food safety, said: “Norovirus, commonly known as the winter vomiting bug, has been at lower-than-normal levels throughout the pandemic but when people started to mix more, the number of outbreaks has started to increase again.”

What is the difference between the symptoms of Covid and the symptoms of other viruses?

Covid and flu share some of the same symptoms. However, NHS highlight the three classic symptoms of Covid are:

• a new, constant cough
• fever / high temperature
• loss or change in smell or taste

Loss or change of smell or taste, which happens with Covid, rarely happens with the flu. However, coughing tends to be quite common with a cold or flu.

People with the flu also experience symptoms such as muscle aches, chills, headachetired, ah sore throat and runny or stuffy nose.

The main difference is the onset of the virus. The flu tends to come on quite suddenly – or within one to two days of exposure to the virus. For Covid, symptoms usually appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus.

In the case of norovirus, symptoms tend to include sudden nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Sometimes people get a high temperature, stomach ache, and aching limbs due to the virus.

If you have a norovirus infection, you should stay home from work or school until 48 hours after your symptoms have completely disappeared.

Whether you have Covid or some other viral infection, it’s important to wash your hands and stay away from vulnerable people if you have symptoms of any virus.