So here’s the thing on my mind this dreary Sunday morning.
There’s so much defensiveness from everyone with a cold right now. But I’m not hearing or seeing anyone warning others that they have symptoms of COVID-19. Lots of sideways looks, snarky comments and sending people home from work with congestion, but no “I’m self isolating, these are the places I’ve been, if you were there too please be aware.”
So I want to start some health honesty. I’ll go first:
- At the beginning of the week I had congested sinuses, no temperature and no cough, slight sore throat in the mornings.
- Himself has had a rattly cough and a bit hoarse, worked from home a couple of days and has ended up with a stuffy cold, no temperature.
- Boys have both had similar symptoms.
Conclusion, we’ve all had the cold our nephew had last weekend when we spent a few days staying with them.
Now folks, wouldn’t it be useful if we posted this sort of review on our social media once a week or when something changes. Then, when we see friends, they already know that the occasional cough or clearing a throat isn’t worrying.
But equally, if we show COVID-19 symptoms, we should post the same. Be open and honest about our symptoms and tell everyone that we’re isolating, why, how long for, and where we’d been recently.
Its not enough just to isolate, we need to communicate too.
So far, we’ve got colds. If (when?) we get symptoms, we will be open and honest. In the meantime, here’s the symptom list and WHO mythbusters.
If you have symptoms that match COVID-19, please do the same. Have some #healthhonesty.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don’t feel unwell. Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment. Around 1 out of every 6 people who gets COVID-19 becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness. People with fever, cough and difficulty breathing should seek medical attention.
Smelly Socks and Garden Peas 