Does there seem to be a “bad cold” going around your circles? Chances are, it could actually be Covid. Of course, winter illnesses are nothing new and in fact, vulnerable and elderly people go for flu vaccinations every year because of exactly this.
However, according to Dr Helen Wall, GP and the clinical director of population health for NHS Greater Manchester, the symptoms of the current strain of Covid are hard to differentiate from our standard winter colds and flus.
Speaking to Manchester Evening News, the GP said, “There aren’t really any symptoms we can look out for anymore that definitely tell us it’s Covid. It can literally be any respiratory symptoms, and many others as well — Covid can masquerade as any respiratory illness.”
Why does this strain of Covid feel so bad?
If, like me, you have had Covid over the past month or so, you likely found that it was rougher than previous bouts of the disease. According to Professor Eleanor Riley, an immunologist at the University of Edinburgh who described her own experience of this strain as ‘horrid’, it almost makes sense that we feel so bad.
Speaking to the BBC, Professor Riley said, “People’s antibody levels against Covid are probably as low now as they have been since the vaccine was first introduced.”
The way that antibodies work is that they stick to the surface of the virus, preventing it from infecting cells in the body. If you have a wealth of antibodies, these can soak up the virus meaning that any infection will be short and mild.
“Now, because antibodies are lower, a higher dose [of the virus] is getting through and causing a more severe bout of disease,” Prof Riley said.
Many of us will now have lower antibody levels as it’s been so long since many were vaccinated and for younger, healthy people, there were only ever two doses offered.
What to do if you have Covid
While this strain may feel worse, it’s unlikely to leave you critically unwell or in need of hospital treatment, according to the BBC.
This is because a different part of our immune system, called T-cells, kick in once an infection is already underway and these cells have been ‘trained’ by past infections and vaccines.
“They will stop you getting severely ill and ending up in hospital, but in that process of killing off the virus there’s collateral damage that makes you feel pretty rough,” says the professor.
According to the NHS, while there is no longer a requirement to take lateral flow tests, if you do and you test positive, you should:
- try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 3 days after the day the test was taken if you or your child are under 18 years old – children and young people tend to be infectious to other people for less time than adults
- try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days after the day you took your test if you are 18 years old or over
- avoid meeting people who are more likely to get seriously ill from viruses, such as people with a weakened immune system, for 10 days after the day you took your test