As Londoners bake in another heatwave, with temperatures remaining high, some have been confined to their homes over a ‘summer cold’ that seems to be circulating. Whether it is body aches, a sore throat, and a high temperature, the ‘summer cold’ has been taking people out and leaving them feeling worse for wear. MyLondon spoke to an expert to see what’s going on.
Many have taken to social media to say they have been taken down by the summer virus over recent weeks – and search for ‘flu’ and ‘flu symptoms’ has shown a spike in Google Search over the past month. The symptoms going round seem to be – sore throat, temperature and achiness and tiredness. And the symptoms seem to linger for at least 4 days.
A Londoner posted on social media: “Me and all my friends have gotten individually ill in the last week. Seems there is some gross summer cold travelling around at the moment. Haven’t left the house since last weekend, and seems my cold is just getting worse by each day!
“Feeling very sorry for myself, the heat is not helping, both in the sense of it’s too hot to be ill, and can’t go out in the cool mornings.”
Another added: “My team at work has had it this week, passed on at an event we attended.” Another person said: “Yes!!! Took out my entire family for a week!”
As with anything since the pandemic, people commented that it may be COVID. The only issue with the symptoms is that they overlap with many other illnesses, such as colds and flus, and even hayfever, so it is hard to know whether it is COVID or not unless you get tested.
To help answer these questions about whether it is COVID, we asked Dr Greenyer, a private doctor at the Health Suite, whether this ‘summer cold’ is something we should be worried about.
He told MyLondon: “Throughout the year, there are multiple viruses that come and go, and often, there can be clusters. So certain viruses may cause a cluster of cases, which we may be seeing at the moment in London. COVID is one of many viruses that circulate through the natural population every year.
“With these viruses, you can’t tell initially what it is because there’s a lot of crossover with symptoms. Most viruses cause symptoms such as muscle aches, high temperatures, and fever; these are just symptoms of feeling unwell. It’s hard to pin down a particular virus without getting tested but as most patients get better with no treatment, they don’t get tested. It’s usually only the patients who are very unwell and are admitted to the hospital who get tested.
“In 2020, we had a particularly severe strain that obviously caused a lot of health problems across the nation. However, is there something specific we should worry about with summer colds? No, not specifically. It could be viruses like COVID, among other things.
“General medical advice would be good self-care, get plenty of rest, fluids, a balanced diet, because all these things help the body to heal, regardless of what the cause is.”
As the hot weather continues, it is also advised to keep hydrated. The daily recommendation is to drink two to three litres a day and fluids are even more vital while sick. Water is our body’s natural way to detox a sit helps keep your blood pressure and circulation going.
Dr Greenyer also noted that most people tend to get better within 10-14 days and require ‘no intervention from medical services’. A pharmacist can give treatment advice and recommend flu remedies.
Symptoms of Covid
COVID-19 symptoms can include:
- a high temperature – you may feel hot, cold or shivery, or your skin is hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
- a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
- shortness of breath
- feeling tired or exhausted
- an aching body
- a headache
- a sore throat
- a blocked or runny nose
- loss of appetite
- diarrhoea
- feeling sick or being sick
Symptoms of Flu
Flu symptoms come on very quickly and can include:
- a sudden high temperature
- an aching body
- feeling tired or exhausted
- a dry cough
- a sore throat
- a headache
- difficulty sleeping
- loss of appetite
- diarrhoea, tummy pain, feeling sick (nausea) and being sick (vomiting) – although these are less common in adults
Symptoms of hay fever include:
- sneezing and coughing
- a runny or blocked nose
- itchy, red or watery eyes
- itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
- loss of smell
- pain around the sides of your head and your forehead
- headache
- feeling tired
How to get better
Obviously, if you are feeling sick and don’t feel like you’re getting better after two weeks, contacting your GP, 111, or 999 for medical attention would be advised. Dr Greenyer listed a few tips that everybody should follow.
- Drink plenty of fluids. Water is the body’s natural way to detox. In hot weather, dehydration can make you feel unwell, so ensuring you are drinking enough is even more important.
- A well-balanced diet provides you with the right framework to give yourself the best chance of having a strong immune system
- Get plenty of rest.
- The current COVID-19 vaccination guidelines are: if you are over 75, or 6 to 74 with a weakened immune system due to a treatment or health condition, or live in a care home for older adults, you can request it.
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