British people are continuously warned about the “worst cold ever”, spreading quickly throughout England. The major differences between the symptoms of cold and COVID have also been cleared for the sake of understanding.
It is reported that cases of severe illness are noticed in the south and also in the north. Brits say that it takes from two days to even weeks for them to recover from illness completely.
The residents are anxious about the effects of nasty illnesses on their lives. They are “shocked” by the after-effects of any ailment.
The Healthcare providers believe that the illness makes the people hopeless because they have already exhausted by social distancing during the worst pandemic.
Dr Philippa Kaye, a General Practitioner in London, said that the rate of contagious diseases is rising quickly at this time of the year.
While talking to the BBC news, she said: “We’re continuously noticing a surprising rise in the cases of dry coughs and colds, flu and harmful viral infections.”
“We are caught in an unexpected state that we could not get out of it from the previous 18 months.
“In the time of those first-ever lockdowns, we observed increasing rate of many other infections as well. In our opinion, that was mainly due to the restrictions on gatherings.”
As far as symptoms of COVID-19 are concerned, the three major signs are the following: extreme temperature, dry cough, feeling tasteless, and losing smell buds.
How To Know If It’s A Cold Or COVID?
The real answer is – you just can’t. Let us clear this. The major signs of a cold are migraine, infection of the pharynx and excess nasal drainage, and unfortunately, these symptoms are also the indications of COVID-19.
Christina Marriott, the Director of the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) (rsph.org.uk) give remarks that: “Recent study reveals that those who’ve got both the doses of COVID vaccine generally show less harsh signs like mild headache, frequent running nose, sneezing, infection in the throat, and becoming odourless.
“As the winter season is coming, it’s essential for those who are fully vaccinated to be careful of cold-like signs and take corona test again and again, especially if they reside or work with people who are more prone to COVID-19.”
If you fall prey to cold or flu, remember that it can also be a clear indication of the Coronavirus.
If you get a harsh cough or a fever for more than two days, you must take a PCR test.
ZOE, the world’s biggest advanced study on the COVID-19, remarked: “The negative result from a lateral flow immune-chromatographic test is not enough to make sure that you’re unaffected, so if your body shows symptoms for a longer time, it’s recommended to get a PCR test as a confirmatory test.”
How To Treat The Illness?
According to NHS guidelines, people can treat a cold with:
- By complete bed-rest and enough sleep.
- By keeping the body warm.
- By taking adequate water in any form (i.e., fruit juice) to get hydrated.
- By rinsing the mouth with salt water to get relief from a sore throat (not recommended for children)
The NHS suggests that you should immediately consult your General Practitioner if any of the following condition applies to you:
- your body condition does not rebuild to normal even after 3 weeks
- your signs of any illness becoming worse immediately
- your fever is so high, and your body feels extra warmth and starts shivering
- you’re anxious about your little kid’s harsh symptoms
- you find difficulty in breathing or feel severe chest pain
- you have a previous history of any medical condition
- you have a relatively poor immune system and are more susceptible to getting any disease
