Why people with Covid symptoms don’t get tested, don’t wear masks, and don’t self-isolate

The study found that most people with Covid symptoms are doing business as usual, taking few precautions to avoid spreading the virus to others.

The confusion about symptoms, combined with the high incidence of colds and flu during the winter, led many people with respiratory illnesses to believe it wasn’t Covid, while the end of free testing amid a livelihood crisis meant few people got tested. out, the researchers said.

The lack of government information about the pandemic has also lowered the level of precautionary measures, they said.

The low level of activity of people with symptoms keeps Covid at a much higher level than it would otherwise be, and could pose a particular threat if a more serious new variant emerges, the scientists warn.

Only one in six adults with respiratory symptoms were tested to determine if it was Covid, a cold or the flu, according to a survey conducted in December and January — they all share similar symptoms.

Only one in ten wore a mask and the same number is in self-isolation, while only one in twenty went to the doctor.

But people take far more precautions in their working lives: Only one in 25 symptomatic adults goes to work, a study found.

“It was disturbing and a bit surprising to see that precautions like wearing masks and social distancing were minimal during the winter when the spread of respiratory viruses was so high,” says Simon Williams of Swansea University.

“This finding is important because our data were collected during a period of very high prevalence of respiratory disease and because they included a large proportion of older people who are at higher risk of severe outcomes.”

The researchers note that the average age of the respondents was 61 because they wanted to make sure that there were many older, more vulnerable and therefore more cautious people among them.

They suggested that if the same study were conducted among young people, the precautions would probably be even less.

The survey was quite small, with 387 people living in Wales taking part. But the scientists involved in the study, and others not involved in the study, said it was consistent with what they had seen elsewhere and could therefore give a good idea of ​​the situation in the UK as a whole.

However, Dr. Williams insists that we “should not blame pubic hair for lack of precautions.”

“Covid numbers, hospitalizations and options seem to be constantly changing. And so many people find it difficult to know what to do – and this is reflected in our results: some people still behave the same way they did during the pandemic, for example, go out only when necessary, while others behave okay,” he said.

Dr. Williams said the end of free testing, combined with the cost-of-living crisis, has greatly reduced the number of tests people get when they develop symptoms.

The survey showed that with colds and flu even higher than Covid, and with similar symptoms, many assumed they did not have Covid.

Pandemic fatigue and confusion over changing Covid symptoms also played a part in the sparse precautions.

As a result, the flu was ranked as the most common cause of respiratory symptoms – one in three said they thought the flu caused them – while Covid was considered the least likely, at just one in 20.

The study found that high fever, persistent cough and fever are still the top reasons why people take more precautions. These are the Big Three symptoms that were identified at the beginning of the pandemic and have remained in people’s minds.

However, the study found that a sore throat, runny nose or nasal congestion, which are newer but now common symptoms of Covid, caused far fewer people to take precautions as people were more likely to assume they had a cold.

Dr Williams said the lack of understanding of the full breadth of Covid symptoms – and how they change – is of particular concern: “Our study found that people are much more likely to get tested for Covid or seek medical attention if they catch up. have a persistent cough. , high fever, or loss of taste or smell.

“This is understandable as these were early symptoms of the Big Three early variants. In psychology, we call this the “primacy effect” where early information gets stuck in our heads.

“But it’s important to help people recognize their symptoms. A return to free Covid testing, especially in the winter, would be a start, as would awareness campaigns to remind people that Covid is currently not just a cough and fever, it could also be a runny nose or sore throat.

“Covid-related health literacy communications and campaigns may need to focus on educating and encouraging the public to consider testing for Covid if they have symptoms other than these three.”

There are also economic and psychological considerations that make it much easier for some people to isolate than for others.

“During the pandemic, we found that self-isolation and working from home was much more difficult for some than for others, especially for people with low incomes or insecure jobs,” he said.

“One of the biggest obstacles to self-isolating was how difficult it was both emotionally and financially.”

A separate study he did was published in the journal BMJ openedfound that loss of income and reduced social contact due to isolation often led to “loss of motivation, loss of meaning, and loss of self-respect.”

Scientists not involved in the study said the results are consistent with what they see and are of great concern.

“This study highlights the general level of community complacency around Covid. It also represents a dangerous level of wishful thinking – I don’t have to worry about taking precautions, assuming my symptoms are more related to a cold or flu than to Covid,” says Prof Lawrence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick.

“However, this ignores the devastating effects of Covid both individually – through an increased risk of complications, including Long Covid – and the risk of infection spreading, including among vulnerable individuals.

“It’s also a very irresponsible attitude in general – if you have a cold, flu or Covid, you should do your best not to infect other people.

“The concern is that we are ill-prepared right now for the emergence of a new variant of Covid.”

Steve Griffin of the University of Leeds said that while the study was small and limited to Wales, “it seems to capture much of the narrative of the ongoing pandemic in the UK in the winter of 2022, which is that we have to ‘live’ with Covid. like it was just another respiratory infection.”

He says the government has not done enough to educate people about how Covid symptoms are changing and the ongoing threat of the pandemic in general, as well as steps people can take to reduce their risk.

The study of the behavior of people with Covid symptoms was an offshoot of a larger research project that involved 3,392 adults with a mean age of 63, most of whom were asymptomatic at the time.

Unsurprisingly, even fewer precautions have been taken to contain the spread of the virus, but a significant minority of people have significantly changed their lifestyle as a result of Covid.

It found that one in sixteen people “often” or “always” wore a mask in public places, and one in seven avoided crowded spaces.

One in ten people said they are still effectively protecting themselves or are in “lockdown mode” – staying at home and only going outside when absolutely necessary.

“A small but significant proportion are still socially distancing and worried about getting back to normal, for example because they are more vulnerable. We need to think about how we can better support them,” the doctor said. Williams.

The number of Covid cases has fallen significantly this month, with daily symptomatic infections in the UK falling below 100,000 for the first time in a year last week.

But the number of cases remains higher than during most of the pandemic and has risen again in recent days to 109,826, according to the latest ZOE Health Study data.

The new study also involved researchers from Cardiff Metropolitan University. It will be published on PsyArXiv, a preprint service, prior to peer review for a journal due to its timeliness.

This is believed to be the first study to look at the behavior of people who have symptoms of Covid, as opposed to the general population, which includes those with and without the virus.