My parents went on a two week vacation to Switzerland and have been back in the United States for around a week. In the last few days they’ve gotten very sick. The symptoms seem like covid or the flu, but my dad said their doctor ruled those out as well as strep throat. I’m sure they ran additional tests as well. Has anyone heard about something like this going around? Should I be concerned? FWIW I’ve been around them the entire time they’ve been sick and I haven’t caught anything.
How did they rule out COVID or the flu? Most tests that US doctors use are not very good at ruling out either, just confirming. They can do true positives but are not as good at true negatives. Also, to be blunt, many people are in denial about COVID and fib to themselves and others about it. “They ruled it out” might really mean, “we downplayed some of our symptoms and the doctor said that might mean COVID is unlikely”.
But there are many respiratory illnesses aside from COVID and the flu and ones that cause a scratchy throat aside from strep throat, which is caused by just one type of bacteria.
I recommend masking in shared indoor spaces to protect yourself. This will also make you better able to help them if needed. And wash your hands + avoid touching your face when around them.